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Yatra
''Yatra'' (, ), in Indian religion, Indian-origin religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, generally means a pilgrimage to holy places such as confluences of River#Sacred rivers, sacred rivers, Sacred mountains#India, sacred mountains, places associated with Hindu epics such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana, and Hindu pilgrimage sites in India, other sacred pilgrimage sites. Visiting a sacred place is believed by the pilgrim to purify the self and bring one closer to the divine. The journey itself is as important as the destination, and the hardships of travel serve as an act of devotion in themselves. A is a pilgrimage to a Tirtha and Kshetra, sacred site. Yatri is the term for anyone who undertakes the yatra. In present times, yatras are highly organized affairs, with specialized tourism companies catering to yatris. State governments are sometimes involved in the organization of annual yatras, stipulating numbers, registering yatris, and regulating yatri traff ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Amarnath Yatra
Amarnath Temple is a Hindu shrine located in the Pahalgam tehsil of the Anantnag district of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir, India. It is a cave situated at an altitude of , about 168 km from Anantnag, Anantnag city, the district headquarters, from Srinagar, the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), Jammu and Kashmir, reached through either Sonamarg or Pahalgam. It is an important shrine in Hinduism. The cave, located in Sind Valley, is surrounded by glaciers, snowy mountains and is covered with snow most of the year, except for a short period in the summer, when it is open to pilgrims. In 1989, pilgrims numbered between 12,000 and 30,000. In 2011, the numbers reached a peak, crossing 6.3 lakh (630,000) pilgrims. In 2018 pilgrims numbered 2.85 lakh (285,000). The annual pilgrimage varies between 20 and 60 days. The Amarnath cave, abode of the ''Mahamaya Shakti Pitha'', is one of the 51 Shakti Pithas, the temples of the Indian subc ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kanwar Yatra
The Kanwar (or Kānvar/ Kāvaḍ) Yātrā is an annual pilgrimage of devotees of Shiva, known as ''Kānvarias'' () or "Bhole" (), to Hindu pilgrimage places of Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri (Uttarakhand) and Ajgaibinath Dham, Ajgaibinath Temple in Sultanganj, Bhagalpur (Bihar) in order to fetch Sacred waters, holy waters of Ganges River. Millions of pilgrims fetch sacred water from river Ganga and carry on their shoulders for hundreds of miles to offer it in their local Śiva shrines, or specific temples such as Pura Mahadeva temple in Baghpat district and Augharnath temple in Meerut, Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi, Baidyanath Temple, Baidyanath temple in Deoghar, etc. In 2024, the Kanwar Yatra was held from 22 July to 2 August. Kanwar refers to a genre of religious performances where devotees ritually carry water from a holy source in containers suspended on either side of a pole. The pilgrimage derives its name from a sacred water carrying app ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Char Dham
The Char Dham ( ), or the Chatur Dhama (), is a set of four Hindu pilgrimage sites in India, consisting of Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri and Rameswaram. Badrinath, Dwarka, and Puri are shrines of Vishnu, whereas Rameswaram is a shrine of Shiva. Defined by Adi Shankara, each ''dhāma'' represents a particular yuga, with Badrinath representing Satya Yuga, Rameswaram representing Treta Yuga, Dwarka representing Dvapara Yuga, and Puri representing Kali Yuga. Many Hindus believe that visiting these sites can help them achieve moksha. The Char Dham is not to be confused with the Chota Char Dham which comprises Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, Badrinath. It is a Hindu pilgrimage circuit in Uttarakhand which was named by the religious tourism industry. Description According to Hindu legend, Badrinath became prominent when Nara-Narayana, an avatar of Vishnu, performed '' tapas'' there. Many berry trees then grew in the area, so the site was initially named ''badarikāvaṇa'', the f ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shakti Pitha
The Shakta pithas, also called Shakti pithas or Sati pithas (, , ''seats of Shakti''), are significant shrines and pilgrimage destinations in Shaktism, the mother goddess denomination in Hinduism. The shrines are dedicated to various forms of Adi Shakti. Various Puranas such as Srimad Devi Bhagavatam state the existence of a varying number of 51, 52, 64 and 108 Shakta pithas of which 18 are named as Astadasha ''Maha'' (major) in medieval Hindu texts. Legends abound about how the Shakta pithas came into existence. The most popular is based on the story of the death of Sati (goddess), Sati, a deity according to Hinduism. Shiva carried Sati's body, reminiscing about their moments as a couple, and roamed around the universe with it. Vishnu cut her body into 51 body parts, using his Sudarshana Chakra, which fell on earth to become sacred sites where all the people can pay homage to the goddess. To complete this task, Shiva took the form of Bhairava. Most of these historic places ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hindu Pilgrimage Sites In India
In Hinduism, the yatra (pilgrimage) to the tirthas (sacred places) has special significance for earning the punya (spiritual merit) needed to attain the moksha (salvation) by performing the darśana (viewing of deity), the parikrama (circumambulation), the yajna (sacrificial fire offering), the Dhyana (spiritual contemplation), the puja (worship), the prarthana (prayer, which could be in the form of mantra - sacred chants, bhajan - prayer singing, or kirtan - collective musical prayer performance), the dakshina (alms and donation for worthy cause), the seva (selfless service towards community, devotees or temple), the bhandara (running volunteer community kitchen for pilgrims), etc. These sacred places are usually located on the banks of sacred waters, such as sacred rivers or their tributaries (among the rigvedic rivers of sapta sindhu the trio ganges-yamuna-saraswati are considered most sacred), the kundas (pond or lake, among these the Lake Manasarovar is considere ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Haridwar
Haridwar (; ; formerly Mayapuri) is a city and municipal corporation in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India. With a population of 228,832 in 2011, it is the second-largest city in the state and the largest in the district. The city is situated on the right bank of the Ganges river, at the foothills of the Sivalik Hills, Shivalik ranges. Haridwar lies in Doab, doab region where people speak Kauravi dialect, khari boli, other districts of doab region lies in western Uttar Pradesh. Haridwar is regarded as a holy place for Hindus, hosting important religious events and serving as a gateway to several prominent places of worship. Most significant of the events is the Kumbha Mela, which is celebrated every 12 years in Haridwar. During the Haridwar Kumbh Mela, millions of pilgrims, devotees, and tourists congregate in Haridwar to perform ritualistic bathing on the banks of the Ganges to wash away their sins to attain ''moksha''. According to Puranic legend, Haridwar, along with ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand (, ), also known as Uttaranchal ( ; List of renamed places in India, the official name until 2007), is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. The state is bordered by Himachal Pradesh to the northwest, Tibet to the north, Nepal to the east, Uttar Pradesh to the south and southeast, with a small part touching Haryana in the west. Uttarakhand has a total area of , equal to 1.6% of the total area of India. Dehradun serves as the state capital, with Nainital being the judicial capital. The state is divided into two divisions, Garhwal division, Garhwal and Kumaon division, Kumaon, with a total of List of districts of Uttarakhand, 13 districts. The forest cover in the state is 45.4% of the state's geographical area. The cultivable area is 16% of the total geographical area. The two major rivers of the state, the Ganges and its tributary Yamuna, originate from the Gangotri and Yamunotri glaciers respectively. Ranked 6th among the Top 1 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Tirtha (Hinduism)
Tirtha (, ) is a Sanskrit word that means "crossing place, ford", and refers to any place, text or person that is holy. It particularly refers to pilgrimage sites and holy places in Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. The process or journey associated with ''tirtha'' is called ''tirtha-yatra'', while alternate terms such as ''kshetra'', ''gopitha'' and ''mahalaya'' are used in some Hindu traditions to refer to a "place of pilgrimage". ''Tirtha'' ''Tīrtha'' () literally means "a Ford (crossing), ford, a "crossing place" in the sense of "transition or junction". Tirtha is a spiritual concept in Hinduism, particularly as a "pilgrimage site", states Axel Michaels, that is a holy junction between "worlds that touch and do not touch each other". The word also appears in ancient and medieval Hindu texts to refer to a holy person, or a holy text with something that can be a catalyst for a transition from one state of existence to another. It is, states Knut A. Jacobsen, anything that h ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Hindu Pilgrimage Sites
Unlike some other religions, Hindus are not required to undertake pilgrimages during their lifetime. However, most Hindus go on such journeys to numerous iconic sites including those below: India Char Dham (Famous Four Pilgrimage sites): The four holy sites Puri, Rameswaram, Dwarka, and Badrinath (or alternatively the Himalayan towns of Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri) compose the ''Chota Char Dham'' (''four small abodes'') pilgrimage circuit. Kumbh Mela: The ''Kumbh Mela'' (the "pitcher festival") is one of the holiest of Hindu pilgrimages that is held every three years; the location is rotated among Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik, and Ujjain. Old Holy cities as per Puranic Texts: Varanasi formerly known as Kashi, Prayagraj also known as Prayag, Haridwar-Rishikesh, Mathura-Vrindavan, Kurukshetra, the Land of Bhagavad Gita in Haryana and Ayodhya (Ramayana), Ayodhya. Old Temple cities: Puri, which hosts a major Vaishnavism, Vaishnava Jagannath temple and Rath Yat ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Shravana (month)
Śrāvaṇa () is the fifth month of the Hindu calendar. In India's national civil calendar, Śrāvaṇa is the fifth month of the year, typically beginning in mid to late July and ending in late August. In the Tamil calendar, it is known as Āadi and is the fifth month of the solar year. In lunar religious calendars, Śrāvaṇa begins on the new moon (according to the amanta tradition) or the full moon (according to the purnimanta tradition) and is the fifth month of the year. ''Srabon'' (; also spelt ''Sravan'') is the fourth month of the solar Bengali calendar. It is also the fourth month of the Nepali calendar. Śrāvaṇa is also the second month of ''Varsha'' (the rainy season). In the solar Assamese calendar it is the fourth month of the year, and is called ''Xaün''. The month of Shravana is very important for the entire Indian subcontinent, as it is connected to the arrival of the south-west monsoons. For many Hindus, the month of Shravana is a month of fasting. M ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kedarnath
Kedarnath is a town and Nagar Panchayat in Rudraprayag district of Uttarakhand, India, known primarily for the Kedarnath Temple. It is approximately 86.5 kilometres from Rudraprayag, the district headquarters. Kedarnath is the most remote of the four Chota Char Dham pilgrimage sites. It is located in the Himalayas, about above sea level near the Chorabari Glacier, which is the source of the Mandakini River. The town is flanked by snow-capped peaks, most prominently the Kedarnath Mountain. The nearest road head is at Gaurikund about 16 km away. The town suffered extensive destruction during June 2013 from the flash floods caused by torrential rains in Uttarakhand. Etymology The name "Kedarnath" means "the Lord of the Field". It is derived from the Sanskrit words ''kedara'' ("field") and ''natha'' ("lord"). The text ''Kashi Kedara Mahatmya'' states that it is so-called because "the crop of liberation" grows here. History Kedarnath is a pilgrimage site or '' tirt ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
