Sacred Geography
The Sapta Puri
7 sacred sitesThe seven sacred cities of India considered capable of conferring moksha (liberation). These cities are the most ancient and continuously inhabited sacred sites in the world.
Significance
The Sapta Puri — Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Kashi (Varanasi), Kanchipuram, Ujjain, and Dwarka — represent the axis points of sacred geography in India. To die in any of these cities, particularly Kashi, is considered to confer liberation.
Origin Story
The seven moksha-giving cities are named in the Garuda Purana and other texts as the sites where the divine presence is most permanently and continuously accessible — where the veil between human consciousness and the absolute is thinnest.