Sapta Puris — The 7 Sacred Cities of Moksha
Seven ancient cities believed in Hindu tradition to grant moksha (liberation) — Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Varanasi, Kanchipuram, Ujjain and Dwarka — bridging mythological, devotional and continuous-living-civilisation history.
In Hindu tradition, seven cities — Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya (Haridwar), Kashi (Varanasi), Kanchi (Kanchipuram), Avantika (Ujjain) and Dwaravati (Dwarka) — are believed to grant liberation (moksha) to those who die within their boundaries. The Sapta Puri concept is older than most of the temples within these cities; the cities themselves have been continuously inhabited for two to three millennia. Visiting all seven is not a circuit in the geographical sense — they are scattered from the Arabian Sea to the Bay of Bengal — but most devotees treat them as a lifetime list rather than a single trip.
No natural ordered route. Most pilgrims pair geographically: North Indian cluster (Ayodhya + Mathura + Haridwar + Varanasi) over 8–10 days; West (Dwarka + Ujjain) over 4–5 days; South (Kanchipuram) as a Tamil Nadu add-on. Each city is a major rail/air hub.
