Pilgrimage Tourism In India

Introduction:
As per the preamble of our constitution, India is a secular country and this is very well evident through the communal harmony that exists in our country. India is a banquet of numerous religion under the same roof. It is a unique land, where one will get to witness the believer of various religions living together without any chaos. All thanks to our constitution which had blessed us to follow our own faith without any hesitation.

It is said that India is the land of spiritualism. From time immemorial, many ancient sages and saints have blessed our country and made it a holy land. In India, one will come across numerous holy shrines of Hindus, mosques or dargahs of Muslims, gurudwaras of Sikhs, churches of Christians and monasteries of Buddhist etc. which are throng with the devotees through out the year. Apart from them, there are several huge rivers and lakes that are considered as pious. Devotees love to take dip in the water of these lakes and rivers to wash away all their sins.

What is Pilgrimage Tourism?
Pilgrimage tourism is a form of tourism that deals with trip to various pilgrimage destinations of our country. This kind of tourism enable the devotees to visit their religious places in a better way. Both Ministry of Tourism, India and several private travel agencies customizes various pilgrimage tours to help the pilgrims. So, that the devotees can pay homage to their respective deities.

Pilgrimage tourism aid the pilgrims to attain spiritualism and indulge themselves in meditation, spiritual healing etc.

Pilgrimage Tourism In India:
Every nook and corner of India is dotted with innumerable pilgrimage destinations of various religions. Some of the most visited pilgrimage destinations of India are :

Varanasi: Popularly known as “Gateway to Salvation(moksha)”, Varanasi is one of the ancient living cities of world. Lies at the bank of river Ganges, the most sacred river of India, Varanasi is famed for its numerous pious shrines and ghats. Due to this, Varanasi is also known as “City of temples and City of ghats”. Some of the popular temples of Varanasi are Sankat Mochan temple, Vishwanath temple, Durga temple, Tulsi Manas temple etc. Varanasi is the sole city of world where both death and life come together. The innumerable ghats of this holy city serves as the sites where the pilgrims offer their morning prayers to the rising sun. Even these sacred ghats also serves as the spot to pay tribute to the departed souls. Throughout the year, devotees throng these pious Ganges ghats to have a dip in the holy Ganges to absolve one from all sins. Some famous ghats of Varanasi are Dasaswamedh Ghat, Manikarnika Ghat, Harischandra Ghat, Kabir Ghat and Assi Ghat etc. Thanks to all these temples and ghats, Varanasi is one of the most sought after pilgrimage destinations of Hindu religion in India.

Ajmer Sharif: One of the most revered destinations of both Hintravel asia dus and Muslims, Ajmer Shereif is dedicated to Sufi Saint Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti. Ajmer Sharif is regarded as the second most important pilgrimage of Muslims after Mecca. Pilgrims from various parts of India comes here to pay their homage and seek blessings of this holy soul at his dargah. This marble domed mausoleum is located at the foot of barren Taragarh hill in Rajasthan. Every year during May, an annual festival is organized here known as Urs festival. It is celebrated in memory of Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti. During this six day long festival, sacred kheer and milk pudding are distributed among the pilgrims and quawwallis are sung at night.

Golden Temple, Amritsar: Golden temple or Swarna mandir at Amristsar in Punjab is the most important pilgrimage destination of Sikh religion. Sikhs from far and wide place makes it a point to visit this holy place at least for once in their lifetime. Golden temple is also known as Darbar sahib. Sri Guru Granth Sahib ji, the holiest literature in the Sikh religion, is place inside this gurudwara. Darbar Sahib has four doors to show that every religion or faith is welcomed to go in to meditate or just listen to the prayers for peace.

Sanchi Stupas: Sanchi Stupa are located at a distance of 68 km north of Bhopal in Madhya Pradesh. These stupas are created by the great Emperor Ashoka, during 3rd century BCE and 12th century A.D. More than 50 magnificent Buddhist monuments that perched atotravel asia p the hilltop of Sanchi are one of the famous UNESCO World Heritage Sites. These stupas are the most important characteristic monuments of Buddhist in India. Believers of Buddhism love to visit this place as one of their sacred place.

Osiyan: Osiyan is a small village at a distance of 65 km, north-east of Jodhpur district in Rajasthan. It is one of the important pilgrimage destinations for Oswal Jain community. This place is an oasis in the Thar desert and encompasses some ruined Jain and Brahmanical temples dating from 8th to 11th century.

The main temple of this place is dedicated to Lord Mahavira which was built by Pratihara king Vatsa raja in 783 A.D.