Pilgrimage

• Reasons why Hindus go on pilgrimage

  • To offer thanks 
  • To ask for help or healing 
  • To find out about a holy place 
  • Family tradition 
  • It is part of their dharma
• More reasons why Hindus go on pilgrimage

  • To make amends for wrongdoing 
  • To become closer to God 
  • To demonstrate commitment to their religion or deity 
  • To offer pilgrimage on behalf of someone else
• The importance Hindu sites of pilgrimage

  • Many Hindu pilgrimage sites include rivers and mountains where people are full of awe and wonder at the beauty of the natural world 
  • Some sites are associated with the gods or deities, and magnificent temples are built at some holy places
• Examples of Hindu sites of pilgrimage

  • Varanasi 
  • Vrindavan 
  • Haridwar 
  • Badrinath, Puri, Rameswaram and Dwarka
• What is Varanasi?

  • Varanasi is the most famous pilgrimage site 
  • The city is dedicated to the Lord Shiva

  
• What is Vrindaven

  Vrindaven is a pilgrimage site that is the centre for Krishna pilgrimage

  
• What is Haridwar

  Haridwar is a pilgrimage site that is the centre for Kumbh Mela pilgrimage

  
• What are Badrinath, Puri, Rameswaram and Dwarka

  They are the four ancient pilgrimage sites at the four points of the compass in India

  
• Holy water : Pilgrimage sites

  • Many pilgrims wash in the holy water of a river (especially the Ganges at Varanasi) 
  • Hindus believe that some fords and river crossings are where earth and heaven meet , so they will cross more easily from the material to spiritual world and receive blessing at these places 
  • Some pilgrims take home a small container of the water for a sick relative

  
• Puja : Pilgrimage sites

  • Pilgrims will offer puja in front of the deity or at the sacred site 
  • They will circumambulate (walk around) the temple or shrine, saying prayers or chanting mantras in the presence of the deity 
  • At Varanasi, priests perform holy rituals and Brahmins recite sacred texts from sunrise on

  
• Appearance : Pilgrimage sites

  • Pilgrims may wear special clothes , shave their head , walk barefoot and remain celibate (give up their sexual relations) 
  • This shows their intention to focus on God

  
• Ganges River : Pilgrimage sites

  • Many pilgrims go up to the Ganges River to throw ashes of a loved one and some may go there to die 
  • The water is considered so sacred it will wash away bad karma 
  • This is why there are so many ghats (stairs or platforms used for cremations) along the Ganges, especially in Varanasi