A pilgrimage is a journey or search of moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith, although sometimes it can be a metaphorical journey into someone's own beliefs. Many religions attach spiritual importance to particular places: the place of birth or death of founders or saints, or to the place of their "calling" or spiritual awakening, or of their connection (visual or verbal) with the divine, to locations where miracles were performed or witnessed, or locations where a deity is said to live or be "housed", or any site that is seen to have special spiritual powers. Such sites may be commemorated with shrines or temples that devotees are encouraged to visit for their own spiritual benefit: to be healed or have questions answered or to achieve some other spiritual benefit. A person who makes such a journey is called a pilgrim. As a common human experience, pilgrimage has been proposed as a Jungian archetype by Wallace Clift and Jean Dalby Clift.
The Holy Land acts as a focal point for the pilgrimages of the Abrahamic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. According to a Stockholm University study in 2011, these pilgrims visit the Holy Land to touch and see physical manifestations of their faith, confirm their beliefs in the holy context with collective excitation, and connect personally to the Holy Land.
2. INTRODUCTION:
A Pilgrimage is a long journey or search
of great moral significance. Sometimes,
it is a journey to a sacred place or shrine
of importance to a person's beliefs and
faith.
3. Classifications:
They are identified into the religious sites they are,
1. Buddhism
2. Hinduism
3. Sikhism
4. Islam
5. Christianity & etc.
Every year millions of people or pilgrims travel to places with unique
spiritual significance in hopes of experiencing elevation & attaining a new
degree of wisdom.
4. Major Pilgrim Places,(World).
1. Machu Picchu, Peru:
It’s effectively a holy site for tourists today. Machu
Picchu was also a destination for Inca pilgrims, the birthplace of the
Incas and even a prison. Today, thousands of tourists follow the
footprints of the ancient Inca people.
2. Mount Kailash, Tibet:
It is located in the Himalayan region, Tibet. This is
different from the other four religions, to perform one of the shortest
but most difficult pilgrimages in the world. A 52-kilometre walk around
the base of the mountain is said to bring good luck to Hindus,
Buddhists, Jains and Bonpos if completed in a single day.
7. 3. Bodh Gaya, India :
According to Buddhist tradition, some 2,600 years ago
Gautama Buddha sat beneath a Bodhi tree in what is now Bodh Gaya, India
and attained enlightenment, that is why Buddhists around the world flock to
this famous site, where a Bodhi tree still stands. Pilgrims have the main
intention to visit the Mahabodhi temple and other shrines to the Buddha.
4. Varanasi Parikrama, India:
The most sacred site in Hinduism, the city of Varanasi is
already a destination for religious pilgrims of all Hindu denominations.
Parikramas are Hindu pilgrimages that circle around a sacred site, like a
temple or holy landmark. And in a place like Varanasi, there is no shortage of
sacred sites. Most of the Parikramas in Varanasi trace a path along the city’s
famous ghats, where many cremations take place alongside the holy Ganges
River at sundown.
12. 5. Mecca, Saudi Arabia:
This Pilgrim sites belongs to Muslim religion located in Saudi
Arabia & 2nd largest pilgrimage spot. During the end of the month
which lies in the Islamic calendar, about 2million Muslims go to Mecca
for Hajj.
6. Golden Temple:
This is situated in Amritsar, Punjab. It is historically a central
religion site for Sikh Faith. Over a day about 50thousand visitors will
arrive to the temple to seek blessings.
15. 7. The Ganga River:
Approxi… 20million visits a year, Ganga is the most popular
pilgrim sites. The Ganga River known as Ganga Ma or Mother Ganges, “
run from Himalayas to the bay of Bengal coming to a feat of 1560 miles.
It is also believed that anyone who touches these purifying
water even today is cleansed of all sins, represents life, purity and a
goddess.
8. Vaishnava Devi Temple :
The Mata Temple Devi Temple is located in the northern state
of Jammu & Kashmir near the town of Katra. It is most popular religious
site in the country. The distance from katra is 13kms the pilgrim has to
walk to reach the temple.
17. 9. Bahai Gardens :
The largest city in Israel, over half a million people visit
the Bahai Garden in Haifa. The garden are geometric, symmetrical &
lined by rows & avenues of flower creating a serene environment of
meditative thought & peaceful & resilience.
10. Vatican :
It is one of the most important religious site for Christianity
as well as the most pointed tourist place in the world, which is located
in Rome, Italy. Catholic believe that it is a holy place with monuments
to various saints & papal authority houses all circled around.
20. 11. Jerusalem :
This is an important
location for Islam, Christianity &
Judaism.
The Jewish people see
Jerusalem as Biblical Zion , the
city of David & eternal capital of
the Israelite nation.
For Christians, it is the
site of the last supper & the
resurrection of Jesus.
For Muslims, Jerusalem
is the third most revered site in
Islam as it was here that Prophet
Muhammad ascended to Heaven.
21. 12. Bethlehem
It is a place where
Jesus was born & it
is a popular site
particularly during
Christmas season.