A pilgrimage is a journey, often into an unknown or foreign place, where a person goes in search of new or expanded meaning about their self, others, nature, or a higher good, through the experience. It can lead to a personal transformation, after which the
pilgrim returns to their daily life.
Background
Pilgrimages frequently involve a
journey
Journey or journeying may refer to:
* Travel, the movement of people between distant geographical locations
** Day's journey, a measurement of distance
** Road trip, a long-distance journey on the road
Animals
* Journey (horse), a thoroughbred ra ...
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
Jean Dalby Clift was an American priest of the Episcopal Church and a pastoral counselor in private practice. She was the author of books in the fields of psychology and spirituality. "Dr. Clift has had many roles in her life, including lawyer, ...
. Some research has shown that people who engage in pilgrimage walks have biological, psychological, social, and spiritual therapeutic benefits.
The
Holy Land acts as a focal point for the pilgrimages of the
Abrahamic religions of
Judaism,
Christianity
Christianity is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth. It is the world's largest and most widespread religion with roughly 2.38 billion followers representing one-third of the global pop ...
, 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.
The Christian priest Frank Fahey writes that a pilgrim is "always in danger of becoming a tourist", and vice versa since travel always in his view upsets the fixed order of life at home, and identifies eight differences between the two:
Bahá'í Faith
Bahá'u'lláh decreed pilgrimage to two places in the
Kitáb-i-Aqdas: the
House of Bahá'u'lláh in
Baghdad, Iraq, and the House of the
Báb in
Shiraz, Iran. Later,
ʻAbdu'l-Bahá
ʻAbdu'l-Bahá (; Persian: , 23 May 1844 – 28 November 1921), born ʻAbbás ( fa, عباس), was the eldest son of Baháʼu'lláh and served as head of the Baháʼí Faith from 1892 until 1921. ʻAbdu'l-Bahá was later canonized as the ...
designated the
Shrine of Bahá'u'lláh
A shrine ( la, scrinium "case or chest for books or papers"; Old French: ''escrin'' "box or case") is a sacred or holy space dedicated to a specific deity, ancestor, hero, martyr, saint, daemon, or similar figure of respect, wherein they are ...
at Bahji, Israel as a site of pilgrimage.
The designated sites for pilgrimage are currently not accessible to the majority of Bahá'ís, as they are in Iraq and Iran respectively, and thus when Bahá'ís currently refer to pilgrimage, it refers to a nine-day pilgrimage which consists of visiting the holy places at the
Bahá'í World Centre in northwest Israel in
Haifa,
Acre, and
Bahjí.
Buddhism
In
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
and
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
, there are four places of pilgrimage which are tied to the life of
Gautama Buddha
Siddhartha Gautama, most commonly referred to as the Buddha, was a wandering ascetic and religious teacher who lived in South Asia during the 6th or 5th century BCE and founded Buddhism.
According to Buddhist tradition, he was born in Lu ...
:
*
Lumbini
Lumbinī ( ne, लुम्बिनी, IPA=ˈlumbini , "the lovely") is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Rupandehi District of Lumbini Province in Nepal. It is the place where, according to Buddhist tradition, Queen Mahamayadevi gave birth ...
: Buddha's birthplace (in Nepal)
*
Bodh Gaya: place of
Enlightenment (in the current
Mahabodhi Temple
The Mahabodhi Temple (literally: "Great Awakening Temple") or the Mahābodhi Mahāvihāra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is an ancient, but rebuilt and restored Buddhist temple in Bodh Gaya, Bihar, India, marking the location where the Buddha i ...
, Bihar, India)
*
Sarnath
Sarnath (Hindustani pronunciation: aːɾnaːtʰ also referred to as Sarangnath, Isipatana, Rishipattana, Migadaya, or Mrigadava) is a place located northeast of Varanasi, near the confluence of the Ganges and the Varuna rivers in Uttar Pr ...
: (formally Isipathana, Uttar pradesh,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
) where he delivered his first sermon (
Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta
The ''Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta'' (Pali; Sanskrit: ''Dharmacakrapravartana Sūtra''; English: ''The Setting in Motion of the Wheel of the Dharma Sutta'' or ''Promulgation of the Law Sutta'') is a Buddhist text that is considered by Buddhists t ...
), and the Buddha taught about the
Middle Way, the
Four Noble Truths and
Noble Eightfold Path
*
Kusinara: (now
Kusinagar,
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
) where he attained ''
mahaparinirvana'' (died)
Other pilgrimage places in India and Nepal connected Gautama Buddha's life are:
Savatthi
Shravasti ( sa, श्रावस्ती, translit=Śrāvastī; pi, 𑀲𑀸𑀯𑀢𑁆𑀣𑀻, translit=Sāvatthī) is a city and district headquarter of Shravasti district in Indian State of Uttar Pradesh. It was the capital of the anc ...
,
Pataliputta,
Nalanda,
Gaya,
Vesali,
Sankasia,
Kapilavastu,
Kosambi,
Rajagaha.
Other famous places for Buddhist pilgrimage include:
*
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
:
Sanchi
Sanchi is a Buddhist complex, famous for its Great Stupa, on a hilltop at Sanchi Town in Raisen District of the State of Madhya Pradesh, India. It is located, about 23 kilometres from Raisen town, district headquarter and north-east of Bh ...
,
Ellora Caves,
Ajanta Caves, also see
Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India
In religion and spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long journey or search of great moral significance. Sometimes, it is a journey to a sacred place or to a shrine of importance to a person's beliefs and faith. Members of every major religion par ...
*
Thailand:
Wat Phra Kaew,
Wat Pho,
Wat Doi Suthep,
Phra Pathom Chedi,
Sukhothai,
Ayutthaya
*
Tibet
Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa, Taman ...
:
Lhasa (traditional home of the
Dalai Lama),
Mount Kailash,
Lake Nam-tso
*
Cambodia:
Wat Botum,
Wat Ounalom
Wat Ounalom ( km, វត្តឧណ្ណាលោម, UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: , ; also Wat Unnalom and several other spellings) is a wat located on Sisowath Quay in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, near the Royal Palace of Cambodia. As the seat of Cambodia' ...
,
Wat Botum,
Silver Pagoda,
Angkor Wat
*
Sri Lanka:
Temple of the Tooth,
Polonnaruwa, (
Kandy),
Anuradhapura
*
Laos:
Pha That Luang,
Luang Prabang
*
Malaysia
Malaysia ( ; ) is a country in Southeast Asia. The federation, federal constitutional monarchy consists of States and federal territories of Malaysia, thirteen states and three federal territories, separated by the South China Sea into two r ...
:
Kek Lok Si,
KL Buddhist Maha Vihara
*
Myanmar:
Shwedagon Pagoda
The Shwedagon Pagoda (, ); mnw, ကျာ်ဒဂုၚ်; officially named ''Shwedagon Zedi Daw'' ( my, ရွှေတိဂုံစေတီတော်, , ) and also known as the Great Dagon Pagoda and the Golden Pagoda is a gilded stupa ...
,
Mahamuni Buddha Temple,
Kyaiktiyo Pagoda
Kyaiktiyo Pagoda ( my, ကျိုက်ထီးရိုးဘုရား or ; mnw, ကျာ်သိယဵု ; also known as Golden Rock) is a well-known Buddhist pilgrimage site in Mon State, Myanmar. It is a small pagoda () built on th ...
,
Bagan,
Sagaing Hill
Sagaing (, ) is the former capital of the Sagaing Region of Myanmar. It is located in the Irrawaddy River, to the south-west of Mandalay on the opposite bank of the river. Sagaing with numerous Buddhist monasteries is an important religious and m ...
,
Mandalay Hill,
*
Nepal
Nepal (; ne, :ne:नेपाल, नेपाल ), formerly the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal ( ne,
सङ्घीय लोकतान्त्रिक गणतन्त्र नेपाल ), is a landlocked country in S ...
:
Maya Devi Temple,
Boudhanath
Bouddha ( ne, बौद्धनाथ; ; , ), also known as Boudhanath, Khasti Chaitya and Khāsa Chaitya is a stupa in Kathmandu, Nepal.Snellgrove, David. ''Indo-Tibetan Buddhism: Indian Buddhists and Their Tibetan Successors'', 2 vols., p. 3 ...
,
Swayambhunath
Swayambhu (Devanagari: स्वयम्भू स्तूप; new, स्वयंभू; sometimes Swayambu or Swoyambhu) is an ancient religious complex atop a hill in the Kathmandu Valley, west of Kathmandu city. The Tibetan name for the ...
*
Indonesia:
Borobudur
Borobudur, also transcribed Barabudur ( id, Candi Borobudur, jv, ꦕꦤ꧀ꦝꦶꦧꦫꦧꦸꦝꦸꦂ, Candhi Barabudhur) is a 9th-century Mahayana Buddhist temple in Magelang Regency, not far from the town of Muntilan, in Central Java, Indone ...
,
Mendut
Mendut is a ninth-century Buddhist temple, located in Mendut village, Mungkid sub-district, Magelang Regency, Central Java, Indonesia. The temple is located about three kilometres east from Borobudur. Mendut, Borobudur and Pawon, all of which are ...
,
Sewu
Sewu ( jv, ꦱꦺꦮꦸ, Sèwu) is an eighth century Mahayana Buddhist temple located 800 metres north of Prambanan in Central Java, Indonesia. The word for a Hindu or Buddhist temple in Indonesian is "candi," hence the common name is "Candi Se ...
*
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
:
Fo Guang Shan
Fo Guang Shan (FGS) () is an international Chinese Mahāyāna Buddhist organization and monastic order based in Taiwan that practices Humanistic Buddhism. The headquarters, Fo Guang Shan Monastery is located in Dashu District, Kaohsiung, and ...
,
Dharma Drum Mountain
Dharma Drum Mountain (DDM; ) is an international Buddhist spiritual, cultural, and educational foundation founded by late Chan master Sheng-yen (1931 – 2009). The center focuses on educating the public in Buddhism with the goal of improving th ...
,
Chung Tai Shan
Chung Tai Shan () is a Taiwan-based international Chan Buddhist monastic order founded by the Ven. Wei Chueh in 1987. The monastery headquarters, Chung Tai Chan Monastery (or Chung Tai Chan Buddhist Temple, 中台禪寺), completed in September ...
,
Tzu Chi
Buddhist Tzu Chi Charity Foundation, known for short as the Tzu Chi Foundation ( zh, t=佛教慈濟慈善事業基金會, p=Fójiào Cí Jì Císhàn Shìyè Jījīn Huì, l=Buddhist Compassionate Relief Charity Foundation), is a Taiwanese in ...
*
Hong Kong:
Po Lin Monastery
*
China: Yung-kang, Lung-men caves. The
Four Sacred Mountains
*
Japan:
**
Shikoku Pilgrimage
The or is a multi-site pilgrimage of 88 temples associated with the Buddhist monk Kūkai (''Kōbō Daishi'') on the island of Shikoku, Japan. A popular and distinctive feature of the island's cultural landscape, and with a long histor ...
, 88 temple pilgrimage on the island of
Shikoku
is the smallest of the four main islands of Japan. It is long and between wide. It has a population of 3.8 million (, 3.1%). It is south of Honshu and northeast of Kyushu. Shikoku's ancient names include ''Iyo-no-futana-shima'' (), '' ...
**
Japan 100 Kannon Pilgrimage, pilgrimage composed of the Saigoku, Bandō and Chichibu pilgrimages
***
Saigoku Kannon Pilgrimage, pilgrimage in the
Kansai region
***
Bandō Sanjūsankasho, pilgrimage in the
Kantō region
***
Chichibu 34 Kannon Sanctuary, pilgrimage in
Saitama Prefecture
**
Chūgoku 33 Kannon Pilgrimage, pilgrimage in the
Chūgoku region
**
Kumano Kodō
The is a series of ancient pilgrimage routes that crisscross the Kii Hantō, the largest peninsula of Japan. These trails were used by pilgrims to " Kumano Sanzan" (熊野三山) or the Three Grand Shrines of Kumano: Kumano Hongū Taisha_(熊� ...
**
Mount Kōya
Christianity
Christian pilgrimage was first made to sites connected with the birth, life, crucifixion and resurrection of
Jesus. Aside from the early example of
Origen in the third century, surviving descriptions of Christian pilgrimages to the
Holy Land date from the 4th century, when pilgrimage was encouraged by church fathers including
Saint Jerome
Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is co ...
, and established by
Saint Helena, the mother of
Constantine the Great.
The purpose of Christian pilgrimage was summarized by
Pope Benedict XVI in this way:
Pilgrimages were, and are, also made to
Rome
, established_title = Founded
, established_date = 753 BC
, founder = King Romulus (legendary)
, image_map = Map of comune of Rome (metropolitan city of Capital Rome, region Lazio, Italy).svg
, map_caption ...
and other sites associated with the
apostles,
saints and
Christian martyrs
In Christianity, a martyr is a person considered to have died because of their testimony for Jesus or faith in Jesus. In years of the early church, stories depict this often occurring through death by sawing, stoning, crucifixion, burning at th ...
, as well as to places where there have been
apparitions
Apparition may refer to:
Supernatural
*Apparitional experience, an anomalous, quasi-perceptual experience
* A vision, something seen in a dream, trance, or religious ecstasy
*Ghost, the soul or spirit of a dead person or animal that can appear ...
of the
Virgin Mary. A popular pilgrimage journey is along the
Way of St. James to the
Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, in
Galicia, Spain, where the
shrine of the apostle
James is located. A combined pilgrimage was held every seven years in the three nearby towns of
Maastricht,
Aachen and
Kornelimünster where many important relics could be seen (see:
Pilgrimage of the Relics, Maastricht).
Chaucer's ''
The Canterbury Tales'' recounts tales told by Christian pilgrims on their way to
Canterbury Cathedral and the shrine of
Thomas Becket. Marian pilgrimages remain very popular in
Latin America.
Hinduism
According to Karel Werner's ''Popular Dictionary of Hinduism'', "most
Hindu places of pilgrimage are associated with legendary events from the lives of various gods.... Almost any place can become a focus for pilgrimage, but in most cases they are sacred cities, rivers, lakes, and mountains." Hindus are encouraged to undertake pilgrimages during their lifetime, though this practice is not considered absolutely mandatory. Most Hindus visit sites within their region or locale.
*
Kumbh Mela:
Kumbh Mela is one of the largest gatherings of humans in the world where pilgrims gather to bathe in a sacred or holy river. The location is rotated among
Allahabad,
Haridwar,
Nashik, and
Ujjain.
*
Char Dham
The Char Dham (meaning: ''four abodes'') is a set of four pilgrimage sites in India. It is believed that visiting these sites helps achieve moksha (salvation). The four Dhams are, Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram. It is believed that ev ...
(Four Holy pilgrimage sites): The famous four holy sites
Puri,
Rameswaram,
Dwarka
Dwarka () is a city and a municipality of Devbhumi Dwarka district in the state of Gujarat in Western India. It is located on the western shore of the Okhamandal Peninsula on the right bank of the Gomti river at the mouth of the Gulf of Kut ...
, and
Badrinath
Badrinath is a town and nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. A Hindu holy place, it is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage and is also part of India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. ...
(or alternatively the
Himalayan towns of
Badrinath
Badrinath is a town and nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. A Hindu holy place, it is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage and is also part of India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage circuit. ...
,
Kedarnath
Kedarnath is a town and Nagar Panchayat in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, India, known primarily for the Kedarnath Temple. It is approximately 86 kilometres from Rudraprayag, the district headquarter. Kedarnath is the most remote of t ...
,
Gangotri, and
Yamunotri) compose the ''
Char Dham
The Char Dham (meaning: ''four abodes'') is a set of four pilgrimage sites in India. It is believed that visiting these sites helps achieve moksha (salvation). The four Dhams are, Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram. It is believed that ev ...
'' (''four abodes'') pilgrimage circuit.
*
Kanwar Pilgrimage: The Kanwar is India's largest annual religious pilgrimage. As part of this phenomenon, millions of participants gather
sacred water from the
Ganga (usually in
Haridwar,
Gangotri,
Gaumukh
Gomukh, also known as "Gaumukh" or "Gomukhi" (Hindi: गौमुख or गौमुखी ; Assamese and Bengali: গোমুখ or গোমুখী), is the terminus or pout of the Gangotri Glacier and the source of the Bhagirathi River, on ...
, or
Sultanganj) and carry it across hundreds of miles to dispense as offerings in
Śiva shrines.
* Old Holy cities per Puranic Texts:
Varanasi also known as Kashi (Shiva),
Allahabad also known as Prayag,
Haridwar-
Rishikesh (Vishnu),
Mathura-
Vrindavan (Krishna),
Pandharpur (Krishna),
Paithan
Paithan pəɪ.ʈʰaɳ(), historically Pratiṣṭhāna ɾə'tɪʂʈʰana is a town with municipal council in Aurangabad district, Maharashtra, India. Paithan is located south of present-day Aurangabad on the Godavari River.
It was the cap ...
,
Kanchipuram (Parvati),
Dwarka
Dwarka () is a city and a municipality of Devbhumi Dwarka district in the state of Gujarat in Western India. It is located on the western shore of the Okhamandal Peninsula on the right bank of the Gomti river at the mouth of the Gulf of Kut ...
(Krishna) and
Ayodhya (Rama).
* Major Temple cities:
Puri, which hosts a major
Vaishnava
Vaishnavism ( sa, वैष्णवसम्प्रदायः, Vaiṣṇavasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu denominations along with Shaivism, Shaktism, and Smartism. It is also called Vishnuism since it considers Vishnu as the ...
Jagannath temple and
Rath Yatra celebration;
Katra, home to the
Vaishno Devi Temple; Three comparatively recent temples of fame and huge pilgrimage are
Shirdi
Shirdi (; also known as Sainagar) is a city in the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is located in the Rahata taluka of Ahmednagar District. It is accessible via the Ahmednagar–Malegaon State Highway No.10, approximately from Ahmednagar and ...
, home to
Sai Baba of Shirdi,
Tirumala - Tirupati
Sri Venkateswara Swami Vaari Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared ...
, home to the
Tirumala Venkateswara Temple; and
Sabarimala, where
Swami Ayyappan is worshipped.
* Shakti Peethas: Another important set of pilgrimages are the ''
Shakti Peethas'', where
the Mother Goddess is worshipped, the two principal ones being ''
Kalighat
Kalighat is a locality of Kolkata, in Kolkata district, West Bengal, India. One of the oldest neighbourhoods in South Kolkata, Kalighat is also densely populated — with a history of cultural intermingling with the various foreign incursions i ...
'' and ''
Kamakhya''.
*
Pancha Ishwarams
The Pancha Ishwarams (five abodes of Shiva) ( ta, பஞ்ச ஈஸ்வரங்கள், translit=Pancha Eeswarankal) are five coastal ancient kovils (temples) built in dedication to the Hindu supreme being Ishwara in the form of the god S ...
- the five ancient Shiva temples of the island from classical antiquity.
* The
Murugan pilgrimage route of Sri Lanka, an ancient
Arunagirinathar-traversed Pada Yatra route of Tiruppadai temples includes the
Maviddapuram Kandaswamy Temple
Maviddapuram Kandaswamy Temple ( ta, மாவிட்டபுரம் கந்தசாமி கோவில்) is a Hindu temple in Maviddapuram in northern Sri Lanka.
History
According to legend Maviddapuram has had a Hindu shrine for ...
in
Kankesanturai, the
Nallur Kandaswamy temple
Nallur Kandaswamy Kovil ( ta, நல்லூர் கந்தசுவாமி கோவில் si, නල්ලුරුව ස්කන්ධ කුමාර කෝවිල) is a significant Hindu temple, located in Nallur, Northe ...
in
Jaffna, the Pancha Ishwaram
Koneswaram temple in
Trincomalee
Trincomalee (; ta, திருகோணமலை, translit=Tirukōṇamalai; si, ත්රිකුණාමළය, translit= Trikuṇāmaḷaya), also known as Gokanna and Gokarna, is the administrative headquarters of the Trincomalee Dis ...
, the
Verugal Murugan Kovil on the banks of the river
Verugal Aru, in
Verugal, Trincomalee District, the Mandur Kandaswamy temple of
Mandur (Sri Lanka),
Thirukkovil Sithira Velayutha Swami Kovil, in
Thirukkovil,
Batticaloa, the
Arugam Bay and
Panamai in Amparai district, the
Ukanthamalai Murugan Kovil, in
Okanda
Okanda ( ta, உகந்தை) is a small hamlet in the eastern coast of Sri Lanka within the Ampara District. It is known for its shrine dedicated to Hindu deity Murugan known as Ukanthamalai Murugan Kovil and for surfing. Pilgrims from the Eas ...
,
Kumana National Park
Kumana National Park in Sri Lanka is renowned for its avifauna, particularly its large flocks of migratory waterfowl and wading birds. The park is southeast of Colombo on Sri Lanka's southeastern coast. Kumana is contiguous with Yala National P ...
and then through the park and
Tissamaharama
Tissamaharama ( si, තිස්සමහාරාමය , ta, திஸ்ஸமஹாராம) is a town in Hambantota District, Southern Province, Sri Lanka.
History
It was the capital of the Sinhalese Kingdom of Ruhuna as early as the 3 ...
to the deity's holiest site,
Kataragama temple
Kataragama temple (, ) in Kataragama, Sri Lanka, is a temple complex dedicated to Buddhist guardian deity Kataragama deviyo and Hindu War God Murugan. It is one of the few religious sites in Sri Lanka that is venerated by the Buddhists, Hindus, ...
,
Katirkamam in the South.
Islam
The ''
Ḥajj'' ( ar, حَـجّ, main pilgrimage to Mecca) is one of the
five pillars of Islam
The Five Pillars of Islam (' ; also ' "pillars of the religion") are fundamental practices in Islam, considered to be obligatory acts of worship for all Muslims. They are summarized in the famous hadith of Gabriel. The Sunni and Shia agree o ...
and a
mandatory religious duty for
Muslims that must be carried out at least once in their lifetime by all adult Muslims who are physically and financially capable of undertaking the journey, and can support their family during their absence.
The gathering during the Hajj is considered the largest annual gathering of people in the world.
Since 2014, two or three million people have participated the ''Hajj'' annually.
The mosques in Mecca and Medina were closed in February 2020 because of the
COVID-19 pandemic and the ''hajj'' was permitted for only a very limited number of Saudi nationals and foreigners living in Saudi Arabia starting on 29 July.
Another important place for Muslims is the city of Medina, the second holiest site in Islam, in Saudi Arabia, the final resting place of Muhammad in
Al-Masjid an-Nabawi (The Mosque of the Prophet).
The ''
Ihram'' (white robe of pilgrimage) is meant to show equality of all Muslim pilgrims in the eyes of Allah. 'A white has no superiority over a black, nor a black over a white. Nor does an Arab have superiority over a non-Arab, nor a non-Arab over an Arab - except through piety' - statement of the Prophet Muhammad.
About four million pilgrims participate in the
Grand Magal of Touba, east of
Dakar,
Senegal. The pilgrimage celebrates the life and teachings of Cheikh Amadou Bamba, who founded the
Mouride brotherhood in 1883 and begins on the 18th of
Safar.
Shia
''Al-Arba‘īn'' ( ar, ٱلْأَرْبَـعِـيْـن, "The Forty"), ''Chehelom'' ( fa, , ur, , "the fortieth
ay) or ''Qirkhī'', ''Imāmīn Qirkhī'' ( az, İmamın qırxı ( ar, إمامین قیرخی), "the fortieth of Imam") is a
Shia Muslim religious observance that occurs
forty days after the
Day of Ashura
A day is the time period of a full rotation of the Earth with respect to the Sun. On average, this is 24 hours, 1440 minutes, or 86,400 seconds. In everyday life, the word "day" often refers to a solar day, which is the length between two s ...
. It commemorates the
martyrdom of
Husayn ibn Ali, the grandson of
Muhammad, which falls on the 20th or 21st day of the month of
Safar.
Imam Husayn ibn Ali and 72 companions were killed by
Yazid I's army in the
Battle of Karbala
The Battle of Karbala ( ar, مَعْرَكَة كَرْبَلَاء) was fought on 10 October 680 (10 Muharram in the year 61 AH of the Islamic calendar) between the army of the second Umayyad Caliph Yazid I and a small army led by Husayn ...
in 61 AH (680
CE). Arba'een or forty days is also the usual length of mourning after the death of a family member or loved one in many Muslim traditions. Arba'een is one of the largest pilgrimage gatherings on Earth, in which up to 31 million people go to the city of
Karbala in
Iraq.
The second largest holy city in the world,
Mashhad, Iran, attracts more than 20 million tourists and pilgrims every year, many of whom come to pay homage to
Imam Reza (the eighth
Shi'ite
Shīʿa Islam or Shīʿīsm is the second-largest branch of Islam. It holds that the Islamic prophet Muhammad designated ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib as his successor (''khalīfa'') and the Imam (spiritual and political leader) after him, most ...
Imam). It has been a magnet for travelers since medieval times.
Judaism
While
Solomon's Temple stood, Jerusalem was the centre of the Jewish religious life and the site of the
Three Pilgrimage Festivals of
Passover,
Shavuot and
Sukkot, and all adult men who were able were required to visit and offer sacrifices (''
korbanot
In Judaism, the korban ( ''qorbān''), also spelled ''qorban'' or ''corban'', is any of a variety of sacrificial offerings described and commanded in the Torah. The plural form is korbanot, korbanoth or korbans.
The term Korban primarily re ...
'') at the Temple. After the destruction of the Temple, the obligation to visit Jerusalem and to make sacrifices no longer applied. The obligation was restored with the
rebuilding of the Temple, but following its destruction in 70 CE, the obligation to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and offer sacrifices again went into abeyance.
The western retaining wall of the
Temple Mount, known as the
Western Wall or "Wailing" Wall, is the remaining part of
Second Jewish Temple in the
Old City of Jerusalem is the most sacred and visited site for Jews. Pilgrimage to this area was off-limits to Jews from 1948 to 1967, when East Jerusalem was under
Jordanian control.
There are numerous lesser Jewish pilgrimage destinations, mainly tombs of ''
tzadikim'', throughout
Palestine and all over the world, including:
Hebron;
Bethlehem;
Mount Meron;
Netivot
Netivot ( he, נְתִיבוֹת, "''paths''", ar, نتيڤوت) is a city in the Southern District of Israel located between Beersheba and Gaza. In , it had a population of .
History
Netivot was founded in 1956 and named after the bible: " ...
;
Uman,
Ukraine
Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...
;
Silistra,
Bulgaria;
Damanhur,
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Medit ...
; and many others.
Many rabbis claim that even today, after the destruction of the Temple, there is a mitzvah to make a pilgrimage on holidays.
Sikhism
Sikhism does not consider pilgrimage as an act of spiritual merit. Guru Nanak went to places of pilgrimage to reclaim the fallen people, who had turned ritualists. He told them of the need to visit that temple of God, deep in the inner being of themselves. According to him: "He performs a pilgrimage who controls the
five vices."
Eventually, however,
Amritsar and
Harmandir Sahib (the Golden Temple) became the spiritual and cultural centre of the Sikh faith, and if a Sikh goes on pilgrimage it is usually to this place.
The
Panj Takht (Punjabi: ਪੰਜ ਤਖ਼ਤ) are the five revered
gurdwaras in India that are considered the thrones or seats of authority of Sikhism and are traditionally considered a pilgrimage.
Taoism
Mazu, also spelled as Matsu, is the most famous sea goddess in the Chinese southeastern sea area,
Hong Kong,
Macau and
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
.
Mazu Pilgrimage is more likely as an event (or temple fair), pilgrims are called as "Xiang Deng Jiao" (''
pinyin
Hanyu Pinyin (), often shortened to just pinyin, is the official romanization system for Standard Chinese, Standard Mandarin Chinese in China, and to some extent, in Singapore and Malaysia. It is often used to teach Mandarin, normally writte ...
: xiāng dēng jiǎo,'' it means "lantern feet" in Chinese), they would follow the Goddess's (Mazu) palanquin from her own temple to another Mazu temple. By tradition, when the village Mazu palanquin passes, the residents would offer free water and food to those pilgrims along the way.
There are 2 main Mazu pilgrimages in Taiwan, it usually hold between lunar January and April, depends on Mazu's will.
*
Baishatun Mazu Pilgrimage: this pilgrimage can be traced to 1863, from Baishantun (
Miaoli County) to Beigang (
Yunlin County) and return, not over a definite route.
*
Dajia Mazu Pilgrimage: from Dajia (
Taichung City
Taichung (, Wade–Giles: ''Tʻai²-chung¹'', pinyin: ''Táizhōng''), officially Taichung City, is a special municipality located in central Taiwan. Taichung has approximately 2.8 million residents and is the second most populous city of Tai ...
) to Xingang (
Chiayi County
Chiayi County ( Mandarin pinyin: ''jiā yì xiàn''; Hokkien POJ: ''Ka-gī-koān'') is a county in southwestern Taiwan surrounding but not including Chiayi City. It is the sixth largest county in Taiwan.
Name
The former Chinese placename wa ...
) and return, it runs over a definite route.
Zoroastrianism
In
Iran, there are pilgrimage destinations called ''
pirs'' in several provinces, although the most familiar ones are in the province of
Yazd. In addition to the traditional Yazdi shrines, new sites may be in the process of becoming pilgrimage destinations. The ruins are the ruins of ancient
fire temples. One such site is the ruin of the
Sassanian
The Sasanian () or Sassanid Empire, officially known as the Empire of Iranians (, ) and also referred to by historians as the Neo-Persian Empire, was the last Iranian empire before the early Muslim conquests of the 7th-8th centuries AD. Named ...
era
Azargoshnasp fire temple in Iran's Azarbaijan Province. Other sites are the ruins of
fire temples at Rey, south of the capital
Tehran, and the Firouzabad ruins sixty kilometres south of
Shiraz in the province of
Pars.
Atash Behram ("Fire of victory") is the highest grade of
fire temple in
Zoroastrianism. It has 16 different "kinds of fire", that is, fires gathered from 16 different sources. Currently there are 9 Atash Behram, one in Yazd, Iran and the rest in Western
India
India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...
. They have become a pilgrimage destination.
[
In India the cathedral fire temple that houses the Iranshah Atash Behram, located in the small town of ]Udvada
Udvada is a town situated in Pardi taluka in the Valsad district in the state of Gujarat, India. Udvada is a coastal town located around 24 km from the Valsad city. The Zoroastrian temple, Udvada Atash Behram is situated here.
Etymology
The ...
in the west coast province of Gujarat, is a pilgrimage destination.
Other
Meher Baba
The main pilgrimage sites associated with the spiritual teacher Meher Baba
Meher Baba (born Merwan Sheriar Irani; 25 February 1894 – 31 January 1969) was an Indian spiritual master who said he was the Avatar, or God in human form, of the age. A major spiritual figure of the 20th century, he had a following of ...
are Meherabad, India, where Baba completed the "major portion" of his work and where his tomb is now located, and Meherazad
Meher Baba (born Merwan Sheriar Irani; 25 February 1894 – 31 January 1969) was an Indian spiritual master who said he was the Avatar, or God in human form, of the age. A major spiritual figure of the 20th century, he had a following of ...
, India, where Baba resided later in his life.
Ancient Greece
The Eleusinian mysteries included a pilgrimage. The procession to Eleusis began at the Athenian cemetery Kerameikos
Kerameikos (, ) also known by its Latinized form Ceramicus, is an area of Athens, Greece, located to the northwest of the Acropolis, which includes an extensive area both within and outside the ancient city walls, on both sides of the Dipylon ...
and from there the participants walked to Eleusis, along the Sacred Way
The Sacred Way ( grc, Ἱερὰ Ὁδός, ''Hierá Hodós''), in ancient Greece, was the road from Athens to Eleusis. It was so called because it was the route taken by a procession celebrating the Eleusinian Mysteries. The procession to Eleus ...
(Ἱερὰ Ὁδός, ''Hierá Hodós'').
See also
* Burial places of founders of world religions
* HCPT – The Pilgrimage Trust
* Hiking
* Journey of self-discovery
* Junrei
* List of shrines
This is a list of the more notable religious shrines around the world.
Africa
Algeria
* Notre Dame d'Afrique, Algiers
Cameroon
* Basilique Marie-Reine-des-Apôtres (Mary Queen of the Apostles Basilica) in Yaoundé.
Egypt
*Our Lady of Assiut ...
* List of significant religious sites
* Monastery
* New Age travellers
New Age travellers, not completely synonymous with but otherwise shortened to New Travellers (often referred to as "crusties"), are people in the United Kingdom generally espousing New Age beliefs along with the hippie culture of the 1960s (over ...
* Pardon (ceremony)
*
* Romeria
Christianity has a strong tradition of pilgrimages, both to sites relevant to the New Testament narrative (especially in the Holy Land) and to sites associated with later saints or miracles.
History
Christian pilgrimages were first made to si ...
* Sacred travel
* World Youth Day
References
Further reading
* Coleman, Simon. Powers of Pilgrimage: Religion in a World of Movement. United States, NYU Press, 2022.
* al-Naqar, Umar. 1972. ''The Pilgrimage Tradition in West Africa.'' Khartoum: Khartoum University Press. ncludes a map 'African Pilgrimage Routes to Mecca, ca. 1300–1900'* Coleman, Simon and John Elsner (1995), ''Pilgrimage: Past and Present in the World Religions.'' Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
* Coleman, Simon & John Eade (eds) (2005), ''Reframing Pilgrimage. Cultures in Motion.'' London: Routledge.
* Davidson, Linda Kay and David M. Gitlitz (2002), ''Pilgrimage: From the Ganges to Graceland: An Encyclopedia.'' Santa Barbara, Ca.: ABC-CLIO.
* Gitlitz, David M. and Linda Kay Davidson (2006). ''Pilgrimage and the Jews.'' Westport, CT: Praeger.
* Jackowski, Antoni. 1998. ''Pielgrzymowanie'' ilgrimage Wroclaw: Wydawnictwo Dolnoslaskie.
* Kerschbaum & Gattinger, Via Francigena – DVD – Documentation, of a modern pilgrimage to Rome, , Verlag EUROVIA, Vienna 2005
* Margry, Peter Jan (ed.) (2008), ''Shrines and Pilgrimage in the Modern World. New Itineraries into the Sacred.'' Amsterdam: Amsterdam University Press.
*
* Sumption, Jonathan. 2002. ''Pilgrimage: An Image of Mediaeval Religion.'' London: Faber and Faber Ltd.
* Wolfe, Michael (ed.). 1997. ''One Thousands Roads to Mecca.'' New York: Grove Press.
* Zarnecki, George (1985), The Monastic World: The Contributions of The Orders. pp. 36–66, in Evans, Joan (ed.). 1985. ''The Flowering of the Middle Ages.'' London: Thames and Hudson Ltd.
*
External links
*
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