''Yatra'' (, ), in Indian-origin religions, Hinduism, Buddhism,

Jainism Jainism ( ), also known as Jain Dharma, is an Indian religions, Indian religion whose three main pillars are nonviolence (), asceticism (), and a rejection of all simplistic and one-sided views of truth and reality (). Jainism traces its s ...

and

Sikhism Sikhism is an Indian religion and Indian philosophy, philosophy that originated in the Punjab region of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century CE. It is one of the most recently founded major religious groups, major religio ...

, generally means a pilgrimage to holy places such as confluences of

sacred rivers Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual respect or devotion; or inspires awe or reverence among believers. The property is often ascribed to objects (a ...

sacred mountains Sacred mountains are central to certain religions, and are usually the subjects of many legends. For many, the most symbolic aspect of a mountain is the peak because it is believed that it is closest to heaven or other religious realms. Many reli ...

, places associated with Hindu epics such as the

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; , , ) is one of the two major Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epics of ancient India revered as Smriti texts in Hinduism, the other being the ''Ramayana, Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the events and aftermath of the Kuru ...

and

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

, and 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 A pilgrimage is a travel, journey to a holy place, which can lead to a personal transformation, after which the pilgrim returns to their daily life. A pilgrim (from the Latin ''peregrinus'') is a traveler (literally one who has come from afar) w ...

to a

sacred site A sacred space, sacred ground, sacred place, sacred temple, holy ground, holy place or holy site is a location which is regarded to be sacred or hallowed. The sacredness of a natural feature may accrue through tradition or be granted through ...

. 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 traffic. The Hindu sacred month of ''

Shravan Sravana, Shravana or Shravan may refer to: * Shravana (hearing), Sanskrit term for hearing * Shravana Shravana (Devanagari: श्रवण), also known as Thiruvonam in Tamil and Malayalam (Tamil: திருவோணம், Malayalam: ത� ...

'' is also the time of the annual

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 Tem ...

, the annual pilgrimage devotees of

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

, known as ''Kanwaria'', make to Hindu pilgrimage places of

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 s ...

Gaumukh Gomukh, also known as "Gaumukh" or "Gomukhi" (Hindi: गौमुख or गौमुखी ; Assamese and Bengali: গোমুখ or গোমুখী), is the terminus or snout of the Gangotri Glacier and the source of the Bhagirathi Rive ...

and

Gangotri Gangotri is a town and a ''Nagar Panchayat'' (municipality) in Uttarkashi district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is 99 km from Uttarkashi, the main district headquarter. It is a Hindu pilgrim town on the banks of the river Bha ...

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 n ...

to obtain water from the

Ganges River The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...

. In 2003, 55 lakh (5.5 million) pilgrims visited Haridwar. Other Tirtha pilgrimages are

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. ...

Yatra, which involves

Badrinath Badrinath is a town and nagar panchayat in Chamoli district in the state of Uttarakhand, India. It is a Hindu holy place, and is one of the four sites in India's Char Dham pilgrimage. It is also part of India's Chota Char Dham pilgrimage c ...

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 ...

, and

Yamunotri Yamunotri, also Jamnotri, is the source of the Yamuna River and the seat of the Goddess Yamuna in Hinduism. It is situated at an altitude of in the Garhwal Himalayas and located approximately North of Uttarkashi, the headquarters of the Utta ...

;

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 cit ...

Jammu and Kashmir Jammu and Kashmir may refer to: * Jammu and Kashmir (union territory), a region administered by India as a union territory since 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (state), a region administered by India as a state from 1952 to 2019 * Jammu and Kashmir (prin ...

. There are numerous pilgrimage sites in India and elsewhere.

Types of yatras

Reasons for going on a yatra may be in response to one's prayers being fulfilled. In order of importance, in India there are 7

Sapta Puri The Sapta Puri (Sanskrit language, Sanskrit सप्त-पुरी, , "seven cities") are a group of seven Hinduism, Hindu ''tirtha (Hinduism), tirtha'', or holy pilgrimage sites, located in India. Pilgrimage to these sites is said to bless t ...

holy cities, 4 Dhams (

) and 12 Jyotirlings devoted to

, 51

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 Ad ...

s devoted to the feminine manifestation of the god, and the important

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

circuit (

Ayodhya Ayodhya () is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ayodhya became th ...

, Chitrakoot,

Hampi Hampi or Hampe (), also referred to as the Group of Monuments at Hampi, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in the town of Hampi in Vijayanagara district, east-central Karnataka, India. Hampi predates the Vijayanagara Empire; it is menti ...

and

Rameswaram Rameswaram (; also transliterated as Ramesvaram, Rameshwaram) is a municipality in the Ramanathapuram district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is on Pamban Island separated from mainland India by the Pamban channel and is about from ...

) and Krishna circuit (

Braj Braj, also known as Vraj, Vraja, Brij or Brijbhumi, is a region in India on both sides of the Yamuna river with its centre at Mathura-Vrindavan in Uttar Pradesh state encompassing the area which also includes Palwal, Ballabhgarh and Nuh in ...

Kurukshetra Kurukshetra () is a city and administrative headquarters of Kurukshetra district in the Indian state of Haryana. It is also known as Dharmakshetra ("Realm of duty") and as the "Land of the Bhagavad Gita". Legends According to the Puranas ...

and

Dwarka Dwarka () is a town and municipality of Devbhumi Dwarka district in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Gujarat. It is located on the western shore of the Okhamandal Peninsula on the right bank of the Gomti river at ...

). Holiest cities:

are

Mathura Mathura () is a city and the administrative headquarters of Mathura district in the states and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located south-east of Delhi; and about from the town of Vrindavan. In ancient ti ...

Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world.* * * * The city has a syncretic tradition of I ...

Kanchipuram Kanchipuram (International Alphabet of Sanskrit Transliteration, IAST: '; ), also known as Kanjeevaram, is a stand alone city corporation, satellite nodal city of Chennai in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu in the Tondaimandalam region, from ...

Ujjain Ujjain (, , old name Avantika, ) or Ujjayinī is a city in Ujjain district of the Indian state of Madhya Pradesh. It is the fifth-largest city in Madhya Pradesh by population and is the administrative as well as religious centre of Ujjain ...

and

, includes

Jyotisar Jyotisar, on the bank of Jyotisar Sarovar wetland, is a Hindu pilgrimage site in the city of Kurukshetra in Haryana state of India. According to Hindu tradition, Krishna delivered the sermon of ''Bhagavad Gita'' – the doctrine of ''Karma'' ...

where

Bhagavad Gita The Bhagavad Gita (; ), often referred to as the Gita (), is a Hindu texts, Hindu scripture, dated to the second or first century BCE, which forms part of the Hindu epic, epic poem Mahabharata. The Gita is a synthesis of various strands of Ind ...

was revealed, is another holy city. Holy rivers: The

ghat Ghat (), a term used in the Indian subcontinent, to refer to the series of steps leading down to a body of water or wharf, such as a bathing or cremation place along the banks of a river or pond, the Ghats in Varanasi, Dhobi Ghat or the Aap ...

s of holiest rivers are sacred, including

Ganges The Ganges ( ; in India: Ganga, ; in Bangladesh: Padma, ). "The Ganges Basin, known in India as the Ganga and in Bangladesh as the Padma, is an international which goes through India, Bangladesh, Nepal and China." is a trans-boundary rive ...

Yamuna The Yamuna (; ) is the second-largest tributary river of the Ganges by discharge and the longest tributary in India. Originating from the Yamunotri Glacier at a height of about on the southwestern slopes of Bandarpunch peaks of the Low ...

Sarasvati River The Sarasvati River () is a Apotheosis, deified myth, mythological Rigvedic rivers, river first mentioned in the Rigveda and later in Vedas, Vedic and post-Vedic texts. It played an important role in the Historical Vedic religion, Vedic religio ...

(

Ghaggar River The Ghaggar-Hakra River () is an intermittent river in India and Pakistan that flows only during the monsoon season. The river is known as Ghaggar before the Ottu barrage at , and as Hakra downstream of the barrage in the Thar Desert. In pre- ...

Narmada The Narmada River, previously also known as ''Narbada'' or anglicised as ''Nerbudda'', is the 5th longest river in India and overall the longest west-flowing river in the country. It is also the largest flowing river in the state of Madhya Prade ...

etc. Holy mountains: such as

Mount Kailash Mount Kailash (also Kailasa; ''Kangrinboqê'' or ''Gang Rinpoche''; ; ; , ) is a mountain in Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It lies in the Kailash Range (Gangdisê Mountains) of the Transhimalaya, in the western part ...

, and

, Sarasvatotri, etc. Holy tirthas (places): such as

and

Himalaya The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than 100 pea ...

Chota Char Dham The Chota Char Dham ( 'the small four abodes/seats' or 'the small circuit of four abodes/seats') is an important modern Hindu pilgrimage circuit in Uttarakhand, in the Indian Himalayas. Located in the Garhwal region of the state of Uttarak ...

(

, and

), and

Prayagraj Prayagraj (, ; ISO 15919, ISO: ), formerly and colloquially known as Allahabad, is a metropolis in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.The other five cities were: Agra, Kanpur, Kanpur (Cawnpore), Lucknow, Meerut, and Varanasi, Varanasi (Benar ...

Rishikesh Rishikesh, also spelt as Hrishikesh, is a city near Dehradun in the Indian state Uttarakhand. The northern part of Rishikesh is in the Dehradun district while the southern part is in the Tehri Garhwal district. It is situated on the right bank ...

Vrindavan Vrindavan (; ), also spelt Vrindaban and Brindaban, is a historical city in the Mathura district of Uttar Pradesh, India. It is located in the Braj, Braj Bhoomi region and holds religious importance for Hindus who believe that Krishna, one of ...

and

. See also

Tirtha and Kshetra 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 asso ...

Shakambhari Shakambhari (Sanskrit: शाकम्भरी, IAST: Śākambharī), also referred to as Shatakshi, is a goddess of nourishment. She is regarded to be an incarnation of Mahadevi, and identified with Durga in Hinduism. After the malevolent a ...

temple Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh * Sacred river circuit: Yatra to and

parikrama Parikrama or Pradakshina is clockwise circumambulation of sacred entities, and the path along which this is performed, as practiced in the Indian religions, Indic religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism. In Buddhism, it refers only ...

of sacred rivers include

Sarasvati Saraswati (, ), also spelled as Sarasvati, is one of the principal Devi, goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of knowledge, education, learning, arts, speech, poetry, music, purification, language and culture. Together with the godde ...

, etc. Holy fairs and

Hindu festivals Hindus celebrate a significant number of festivals and celebrations, many of which commemorate events from ancient India and often align with seasonal changes. These festivities take place either on a fixed annual date on the solar calendar ...

: The

Kumbh Mela Kumbh Mela (, ; ) is an important Hinduism, Hindu pilgrimage, celebrated approximately every 6 or 12 years, correlated with the partial or full orbital period, revolution of Jupiter. It is the largest peaceful gathering of people in the w ...

(the "pitcher festival") is one of the holiest of Hindu pilgrimages that is held four times every 12 years rotating among the four cities of

Nashik Nashik, formerly Nasik, is a city in the northern region of the Indian state of Maharashtra situated on the banks of the river Godavari, about northeast of the state capital Mumbai. Nashik is one of the Hindu pilgrimage sites of the Kumbh ...

, and

. The

Mahamaham ''Mahamaham'', also known as ''Mahamagham'' or ''Mamangam'', is a Hindu festival celebrated every 12 years in the Mahamaham tank, Kumbakonam, Mahamaham tank located in the city of Kumbakonam in Tamil Nadu in the South India, south of India. Thi ...

in temple town of

Kumbakonam Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum), or Kudanthai, is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the hea ...

is also celebrated once in 12 years. Annual

Gita Mahotsav Gita Mahotsav (), Gita Jayanti, also known as Mokshada Ekadashi or Matsya Dvadashi is a Hindu observance that marks the day the ''Bhagavad Gita'' dialogue occurred between Arjuna and Krishna on the battlefield of ''Kurukshetra''. It is celebra ...

, Shravani Mela at

Deoghar Deoghar (pronounced ''Devghar'') is a city and a municipal corporation in Deoghar district in the Indian state of Jharkhand. It is also the administrative headquarters of Deoghar district. It is a holy place of Hinduism. The city is primarily ...

, and Pitrapaksha Mela at

Gaya Gaya may refer to: Geography Czech Republic *Kyjov, a town called Gaya in German and Latin Guinea * Gaya or Gayah, a town India *Gaya, India, a city in Bihar **Gaya Airport *Bodh Gaya, a town in Bihar near Gaya *Gaya district, Bihar Niger *G ...

are also notable holy fairs. Holy temples: Examples are the

Puri Puri, also known as Jagannath Puri, () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state ca ...

and

; Katra, home to the

Vaishno Devi Vaishno Devi (also known as Mata Rani, Trikuta, Ambe and Vaishnavi) is a manifestation of the Hindu mother goddess. She is worshipped as a combined avatar of the goddesses Mahakali, Mahalakshmi, and Mahasarasvati. Origin Purāṇa In t ...

temple;

home to

Vaishnava Vaishnavism () ), also called Vishnuism, is one of the major Hindu traditions, that considers Vishnu as the sole supreme being leading all other Hindu deities, that is, '' Mahavishnu''. It is one of the major Hindu denominations along wit ...

Jagannath Jagannath (; formerly ) is a Hindu deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India as part of a triad along with (Krishna's) brother Balabhadra, and sister, Subhadra. Jagannath, within Odia Hinduism, is the supreme god, '' Purushot ...

temple and

Rath Yatra Ratha Yatra (), or chariot festival, is any public procession in a chariot. They are held annually during festivals in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The term also refers to the popular annual Ratha Yatra of Puri that involves a public processi ...

celebration;

Tirumala - Tirupati The Venkateswara Temple of Tirumala or Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the hills of Tirumala, Tirupati Urban mandal, Tirupati Urban Mandal in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The temple is dedicated t ...

, home to the

Tirumala Venkateswara Temple The Venkateswara Temple of Tirumala or Sri Venkateswara Swami Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the hills of Tirumala, Tirupati Urban Mandal in the Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a for ...

;

Sabarimala The Sabarimala Sree Dharma Sastha Temple () is a Hindu temple dedicated to the god Ayyappan, who is also known as Dharma Shasta and is the son of the deities Shiva and Mohini (female avatar of the god Vishnu). The temple is situated atop th ...

home to Swami Ayyappan; the 108

Divya Desam Divya Desam (, ) or Vaishnava Divya Desams are the 108 Vishnu and Lakshmi temples that are mentioned in the Nalayira Divya Prabandham, works of the Alvars, the poet-saints of the Sri Vaishnavism, Sri Vaishnava tradition. By comparison, the Paad ...

s; the

Shakti Peethas 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 Ad ...

; the twelve Maha Jyotirlingas; the seven

; the

Pancha Bhoota Stalam The Pancha Bhuta Sthalam (, , ) refers to five temples dedicated to Shiva,Ramaswamy 2007, pp. 301-302 each representing a manifestation of the five prime elements of nature: earth, water, fire, air, and ether. ''Pancha'' indicates "five," ''Bhut ...

. Holy processions: 'Yatra' can also be described as a procession, or any festival which figures a procession, such as

and

. In Rath Yatra, chariots are pulled in parade down the streets of

Orissa Odisha (), formerly Orissa ( the official name until 2011), is a state located in Eastern India. It is the eighth-largest state by area, and the eleventh-largest by population, with over 41 million inhabitants. The state also has the thir ...

. In modern times the word can be used to denote marches or demonstrations, for political, environmental or societal causes. The terms ' jatra' and '

zatra Zatra(जात्रा) is the Konkani language term for the pilgrimage festivals celebrated at Hindu temples in Goa, India; the equivalent of ''yatra'' and ''Jatra (disambiguation), jatra''. In Maharashtra the alternative term Urs, Urus is use ...

' are derived from yatra. Holy deities: Kuladaivat Hindu families have their own family patron deity. This deity is common to a lineage, a clan or a locality.

Samadhis Statue of a meditating Rishikesh.html" ;"title="Shiva, Rishikesh">Shiva, Rishikesh ''Samādhi'' (Pali and ), in Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, is a state of meditative consciousness. In many Indian religious traditions, the cultivati ...

(shrines) of

Sadhu ''Sadhu'' (, IAST: ' (male), ''sādhvī'' or ''sādhvīne'' (female), also spelled ''saddhu'') is a religious ascetic, mendicant or any holy person in Hinduism and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life. They are sometimes alternatively ...

s (Saints):

Alandi Alandi (Marathi pronunciation: ːɭən̪d̪iː is a town and a municipal council in the Pune district in the state of Maharashtra, India. The town is popular as a place of pilgrimage and for being the resting place of the 13th century Mar ...

, Samadhi of Dnyaneshwar:

Mantralayam Mantralayam is a pilgrim village in Kurnool district in Andhra Pradesh, India, on the banks of the Tungabhadra River on the border with neighbouring state of Karnataka. It is known for being the site of the samadhi of Raghavendra Tirtha, a s ...

, samadhi of

Raghavendra Tirtha Raghavendra Tirtha (), also referred as Raghavendra Swami, (1595 – 1671) was a Vaishnava scholar, theologian, and saint. He was also known as Sudha Parimalacharya (). His diverse oeuvre include commentaries on the works of Madhva, Jayatirt ...

Belur Math Belur Math () is the headquarters of the Ramakrishna Math and Ramakrishna Mission, founded by Swami Vivekananda, the chief disciple of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa. It is located in Belur, West Bengal, India on the west bank of Hooghly River. Bel ...

which enshrine that Holy remains of

Sri Ramakrishna Ramakrishna (18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886——— —), also called Ramakrishna Paramahansa (; ; ), born Ramakrishna Chattopadhay,M's original Bengali diary page 661, Saturday, 13 February 1886''More About Ramakrishna'' by Swami Prab ...

Sri Sarada Devi Sri Sarada Devi (Bengali language, Bengali: সারদা দেবী; ; 22 December 1853 – 20 July 1920), born Kshemankari / Thakurmani / Saradamani Mukhopadhyay, was the wife and spiritual consort of Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, a nineteent ...

Swami Vivekananda Swami Vivekananda () (12 January 1863 – 4 July 1902), born Narendranath Datta, was an Indian Hindus, Hindu monk, philosopher, author, religious teacher, and the chief disciple of the Indian mystic Ramakrishna. Vivekananda was a major figu ...

Puri, and other direct Disciples of Sri Ramakrishna,

Tulsi Ghat Tulsi Ghat is one of the ghats in Varanasi. It is named after poet Tulsidas who lived there while he wrote the Ramcharitmanas and Hanuman Chalisa. Earlier, Tulsi Ghat was known as Lolark Ghat. It was in the year 1941 that Tulsi Ghat was made p ...

where Saint

Tulsidas Rambola Dubey (; 11 August 1511 – 30 July 1623pp. 23–34.), popularly known as Goswami Tulsidas (), was a Vaishnavism, Vaishnava (Ramanandi Sampradaya, Ramanandi) Hinduism, Hindu saint and poet, renowned for his devotion to the deity Rama. H ...

left his mortal coil, Samadhi Mandir of Saint

Kabir Kabir ( 15th century) was a well-known Indian devotional mystic poet and sant. His writings influenced Hinduism's Bhakti movement, and his verses are found in Sikhism's scripture Guru Granth Sahib, the Satguru Granth Sahib of Saint Gar ...

Gorakhpur Gorakhpur is a city in the List of state and union territory capitals in India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, along the banks of the West Rapti River, Rapti river in the Purvanchal , Purvanchal region. It is situated 272 kilometres east of ...

, near

, Panchaganga Ghat, Varanasi where

Trailanga Swami Trailinga Swami (also Tailang Swami, Telang Swami was a Hindu yogi and mystic who lived in Varanasi Varanasi (, also Benares, Banaras ) or Kashi, is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditio ...

lived and left his mortal body, Karar Ashram,

where

Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri (also written Sriyuktesvara, Sri Yukteshwar) (Devanagari: ) (10 May 1855 – 9 March 1936) is the monastic name of Priya Nath Karar (also spelled as Priya Nath Karada and Preonath Karar), an Indian monk and yogi, and ...

, attained the Mahasamadhi.

Important national pilgrimage circuits of Indic-religions

A yatra or pilgrimage across a much larger area covering multiple faraway cities or sites, related to a specific deity or theme, are called the "circuit". Three most important Hindu-Buddhist "Rahtriya yatra" (national pilgrimage circuit) are related to the important figures such as Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and Guru Nanak, where they had personally visited are as follows. * Hindu circuit, many of which are also related to greatest Hindu empires and dynasties. ** Fairs &

festivals A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...

***

**** Barahachhetra – a semi-Kumbh Mela in Sunsari Nepal ****

– the Tamil Kumbh Mela ***

***

Maghi Maghi is the regional name of Makar Sankranti, the Indian harvest festival celebrated on winter solstice. Maghi falls on the first day of the month of Magh and is celebrated in Punjab, Haryana, Jammu and Himachal Pradesh. It follows on the heel ...

– a Sikh festival recognised by

Guru Amar Das Guru Amar Das (Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਅਮਰ ਦਾਸ, pronunciation: ; 5 May 1479 – 1 September 1574), sometimes spelled as Guru Amardas, was the third of the Ten Gurus of Sikhism and became Sikh Guru on 26 March 1552 at age 73. Befor ...

***

Pushkaram Pushkaram is an Indian festival dedicated to worshiping of rivers. It is also known as ''Pushkaralu'' (in Telugu), ''Pushkara'' (in Kannada) or ''Pushkar''. It is celebrated at shrines along the banks of 12 major sacred rivers in India, in the f ...

– the river festivals of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana ***

Pushkar Fair The Pushkar Fair, also called the Pushkar Camel Fair or locally as Kartik Mela or Pushkar ka Mela is an annual multi-day livestock fair and cultural fête held in the town of Pushkar near Ajmer city in Ajmer district in (Rajasthan, India). The ...

– the springtime fair in Rajasthan, includes the tradition of a dip in the Pushkar lake **

Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit language, Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God (Hinduism), Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, c ...

circuit:
This prikarma entails the

Vraja Parikrama Vraja Mandal Parikrama, also called Vraja Yatra (Vraja pilgrimage), is a Vaishnava Hindu pilgrimage dedicated to Krishna. Different sects follow different itineraries, there being separate routes for Gaudiya Vaishnavism, the Pushtimarga Samprad ...

48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra The 48 kos parikrama is a parikrama (a circumbabulatory pilgrimage) of various ''Mahabharata''-related and other Vedic-era tirthas (Hindu sacred sites) around the Hindu holy city of Kurukshetra in the state of Haryana, India. Associated ...

Bhalka Bhalka Tirtha (), located in Veraval on the western coast of Gujarat, India, is the place where Krishna took his last breath. It is said that the hunter Jara ended Krishna life by an arrow shot to Krishna's foot, later suffering severe and sub ...

(place of death of Krishna). **

circuit - Ram Van Gaman Path:
This prikarma entails

, Chitrakoot,

and

. **

, 7 holiest Hindu cities in India viz.

. **

s **

circuits ***

, holiest pilgrimage circuit of 4 sites viz. Badrinath, Dwaraka, Puri and Rameswaram. ***

, smaller pilgrimage circuit of 4 sites in Uttarakhand viz. Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. *** Maha Jyotirlinga, 12 holiest Shiva lingam temples in India. ***

and

Lake Manasarovar Lake Manasarovar also called Mapam Yumtso (; ) locally, is a high altitude freshwater lake near Mount Kailash in Burang County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It is located at an elevation of , near the western trijunction ...

yatra circuit. * Buddha circuit:
These prikarma entails the following: ** places Lord Buddha stayed, **

Buddhist pilgrimage sites The most important places in Buddhism are located in the Indo-Gangetic Plain of southern Nepal and northern India. This is the area where Gautama Buddha was born, lived, and taught, and the main sites connected to his life are now important plac ...

India India, officially the Republic of India, is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area; the List of countries by population (United Nations), most populous country since ...

and

Nepal Nepal, officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked country in South Asia. It is mainly situated in the Himalayas, but also includes parts of the Indo-Gangetic Plain. It borders the Tibet Autonomous Region of China Ch ...

which cover prominent historic Buddhist sites at

Lumbini Lumbinī (, "the lovely") is a Buddhist pilgrimage site in the Rupandehi District of Lumbini Province in Nepal. The Buddhist commentaries state that Maya Devi gave birth to Siddhartha Gautama in Lumbini around 624 BCE. Gautama is bel ...

Bodh Gaya Bodh Gayā is a religious site and place of pilgrimage associated with the Mahabodhi Temple complex, situated in the Gaya district in the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Bihar. It is famous for being the place where Gautam ...

Sarnath Sarnath (also known as Deer Park, ''Sarangnath'', ''Isipatana Deer Park'', ''Rishipattana'', ''Migadaya'', or ''Mrigadava'')Gabe Hiemstra, "Buddha Chronicle 24: Kassapa Buddhavaṃsa". ''Wisdom Library'', 14 September 2019. is a town nort ...

Sravasti Shravasti (, ; ) is a town in Shravasti district in Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It was the capital of the ancient Indian kingdom of Kosala which was ruled by Lava and the place where the Buddha lived most after his enlightenment. It is ne ...

(

Jetavana Jetavana () was one of the most famous of the Buddhist monasteries or viharas in India (present-day Uttar Pradesh). It was the second vihara donated to Gautama Buddha after the Venuvana in Rajgir. The monastery was given to him by his chi ...

), Rajgir hills,

(

Bodh Stupa The Bodh Stupa is situated (29° 57′ 46″ N 76° 49′ 15″ E) near the Fine Arts Department in the north-east region of Kurukshetra University, in Haryana, 160 km from Delhi, India. History Yuan Chawang, a Chinese pilgrim, visited I ...

on bank of

Brahma Sarovar Brahma Sarovar () is a man-made tank in Kurukshetra, in the state of Haryana, India. It is 3600 feet long, 1500 feet wide, and 45 feet deep. Hinduism lays emphasis on taking bath for internal and external purity. Most religious sites hav ...

, pilgrimage undertaken by Buddha), Shrughna (

Yamunanagar Yamunanagar () is a city and a municipal corporation in Yamunanagar district in the Indian state of Haryana. This town is known for the cluster of plywood units and paper factories. It provides timber to larger industries. The older town is ...

, vihara visited by Buddha for sermon), Adi Badri (saraswati udgam sthal and vihara visited by Buddha),

Parinirvana Stupa The Parinirvana Stupa or Mahaparinirvana Temple is a Buddhist temple in Kushinagar, India which is said to be the place of death of Gautama Buddha, the founder of Buddhism. Alexander Cunningham gains the most attention for his work in the area, b ...

(place of death and

nirvana Nirvana, in the Indian religions (Jainism, Hinduism, Buddhism, and Sikhism), is the concept of an individual's passions being extinguished as the ultimate state of salvation, release, or liberation from suffering ('' duḥkha'') and from the ...

of Buddha at

Kushinagar Kushinagar (Pali: ; Sanskrit: ) is a town in the Kushinagar district in Uttar Pradesh, India, east of Gorakhpur on National Highway 27, Kushinagar is a Buddhist pilgrimage site, where Buddhists believe Gautama Buddha died. Etymology Acc ...

, and

Sankissa Sankissa (also ''Sankasia'', ''Sankassa'' and ''Sankasya'') is an ancient city in India renown for the descent of Gautama Buddha from the Tushita heavens where he taught his mother before landing at Sankissa. Considered among the eight great p ...

. **

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

has but many Buddhism related pilgrim yatras, such as

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 history, ...

, eighty-eight temples pilgrimage in the Shikoku island,

Japan 100 Kannon Pilgrimage The is a pilgrimage circuit that is composed of the following three independent pilgrimage circuits:http://www.nichibun.ac.jp/graphicversion/dbase/reikenki/index.html 日本百観音, International Research Center for Japanese Studies * , in th ...

. * Sikh circuit:
This prikarma entails the following: **

Panj Takht A takht, or takhat (), literally means a throne or seat of authority and is a spiritual and temporal centre of Sikhism. There are five takhts (), which are five gurudwaras that have a very special significance for the Sikh community. Three are ...

, namely

Golden Temple The Golden Temple is a gurdwara located in Amritsar, Punjab, India. It is the pre-eminent spiritual site of Sikhism. It is one of the Holy place, holiest sites in Sikhism, alongside the Gurdwara Darbar Sahib Kartarpur in Kartarpur, Pakistan, ...

Takht Sri Patna Sahib Takht Sri Patna Sahib also known as Takhat Sri Harimandir Ji, Patna Sahib, is one of the five takhts of the Sikhs, located in Patna, Bihar, India. History Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Sikh Guru, was born in Patna, Mughal Empire on 22 Decemb ...

, Nanded Hazur Sahib, Takht Sri Damdama Sahib Bhatinda, and

Anandpur Sahib Anandpur Sahib, also referred simply as Anandpur (), is a city in Rupnagar district (Ropar), on the edge of Shivalik Hills, in the Indian state of Punjab. Located near the Sutlej River, the city is one of the most sacred religious places in Si ...

. **

Guru Nanak Gurū Nānak (15 April 1469 – 22 September 1539; Gurmukhi: ਗੁਰੂ ਨਾਨਕ; pronunciation: , ), also known as ('Father Nanak'), was an Indian spiritual teacher, mystic and poet, who is regarded as the founder of Sikhism and is t ...

's birth and death places at

Gurdwara Janam Asthan Gurdwara Janam Asthan ( Punjabi , Urdu: ; Punjabi : ਗੁਰਦੁਆਰਾ ਜਨਮ ਅਸਥਾਨ), also referred to as Gurdwara Nankana Sahib, is a highly revered gurdwara that is situated at the site where the founder of Sikhism, Guru Nanak ...

and

Kartarpur Corridor The Kartarpur Corridor (; ) is a visa-free border crossing and religious corridor, connecting two gurdwaras (Sikh temples), Gurdwara Darbar Sahib, near Narowal in Pakistan and Gurudwara Dera Baba Nanak, Gurdaspur district, Punjab, India. The ...

(both in Pakistan), his travels called

udasi Udasis ( Gurmukhi: ਉਦਾਸੀ ਸੰਪਰਦਾ; ''udāsī saparadā'') (Devanagari: उदासी संप्रदाय), also spelt as Udasins, also known as Nanak Putras (meaning "sons of Nanak"), are a religious sect of ascetic ' ...

. ** Martyrs's places at

Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib Gurdwara Sis Ganj Sahib is one of the nine historical Gurdwaras in Delhi. It was first constructed in 1783 as a small shrine by Baghel Singh to commemorate the martyrdom site of the ninth Sikh Guru, Tegh Bahadur and was probably expanded aft ...

and

Fatehgarh Sahib Fatehgarh Sahib () is a city and a sacred pilgrimage site of Sikhism in the north west Indian state of Punjab. It is the headquarters of Fatehgarh Sahib district, located about north of Sirhind. Fatehgarh Sahib is named after Fateh Singh, the ...

of martyrdom of

Guru Tegh Bahadur Guru Tegh Bahadur ( Punjabi: ਗੁਰੂ ਤੇਗ਼ ਬਹਾਦਰ (Gurmukhi); ; 1 April 1621 – 11 November 1675) was the ninth of ten gurus who founded the Sikh religion and was the leader of Sikhs from 1665 until his beheading in ...

and children of Guru Gobind Singh respectively by Muslim rulers for refusing to convert to Islam. ** Place of pilgrims by Sikh Gurus:

Kapal Mochan Gopal Mochan is an ancient place of pilgrimage for both Hindus and Sikhs, 17 km north-east of Yamunanagar, Yamunanagar city-Jagadhari town, on the Bilaspur road in Yamunanagar district, Haryana, India. It is also called Gopal Mochan and Som ...

Paonta Sahib Paonta Sahib is an industrial town of Himachal Pradesh in India. It is located in the south of Sirmaur district, on National Highway 72 (New NH 7). Paonta Sahib is an important place of worship for Sikhs, hosting a large Gurdwara named Gurudw ...

, etc. ** Capitals of important Sikh states:

Lahore Lahore ( ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Administrative units of Pakistan, Pakistani province of Punjab, Pakistan, Punjab. It is the List of cities in Pakistan by population, second-largest city in Pakistan, after Karachi, and ...

(capital of largest Sikh state of Maharaja

Ranjit Singh Ranjit Singh (13 November 1780 – 27 June 1839) was the founder and first maharaja of the Sikh Empire, in the northwest Indian subcontinent, ruling from 1801 until his death in 1839. Born to Maha Singh, the leader of the Sukerchakia M ...

) and

Lohgarh Lohgarh is a village in Notified Area Committee of Zirakpur in district Mohali in state of Punjab in India. This is not to be confused with another namesake Lohgarh (Bilaspur) in Haryana which was capital of the First Sikh State under Banda ...

(capital of Sikh state founded by Baba

Banda Bahadur Banda Singh Bahadur, born Lachman Dev (27 October 1670 – 9 June 1716), was a Sikh warrior and a Jathedar, general of the Khalsa Fauj, Khalsa Army. At age 15, he left home to become an Sannyasa, ascetic, and was given the name Madho Das Baira ...

in Yamunanagar). **

Fateh Burj The Fateh Burj (), a prominent tourist site in Punjab and the tallest victory tower in India, is situated in the historical village of Chappar Chiri in the SAS Nagar district (Mohali district) of Punjab state. It was completed in 2011. The ...

at Chapar Chiri where Banda bahadur defeated mughals in

Battle of Chappar Chiri The Battle of Chappar Chiri, also called Battle of Sirhind, was fought between Mughal Empire and the Sikhs on 12 May 1710 at Chappar Chiri, located 20 kilometers from Sirhind. Background The Sikhs were planning to wage dharamyudh against th ...

and avenged murder of Sikh gurus and their children. * Jain circuit: ** Many of the Jain tirthas are related to the

Tirthankara In Jainism, a ''Tirthankara'' (; ) is a saviour and supreme preacher of the ''Dharma (Jainism), dharma'' (righteous path). The word ''tirthankara'' signifies the founder of a ''Tirtha (Jainism), tirtha'', a fordable passage across ''Saṃsā ...

, or ** they are among the newly constructed largest jain temples.

Famous yatras

48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra

, phrase meaning a 48

kos Kos or Cos (; ) is a Greek island, which is part of the Dodecanese island chain in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Kos is the third largest island of the Dodecanese, after Rhodes and Karpathos; it has a population of 37,089 (2021 census), making ...

circumambulation

of various

-related and other pilgrimage sites, around the holy city of

in the state of

Haryana Haryana () is a States and union territories of India, state located in the northern part of India. It was carved out after the linguistic reorganisation of Punjab, India, Punjab on 1 November 1966. It is ranked 21st in terms of area, with les ...

, India. Within Kurukshetra, along with Brahma Sarovar, other important sites are

(place of ''"Gitaupadesha"'' - the first

Upadeśa Upadeśa (Sanskrit: उपदेश), "teaching," "instruction", is the spiritual guidance provided by a guru or spiritual teacher. Etymology The term ''upadeśa'' has various, related meanings: * "information," "clarification," "specification" * " ...

or discourse of

by Krishna) and

Sannihit Sarovar Sannihit Sarovar is a sacred water reservoir in the Kurukshetra district of Haryana, India. It is believed to be the meeting point of seven sacred Sarasvatis. The '' sarovar'', according to popular belief, contains sacred water. Bathing in ...

( Hindu genealogy registers of Kurukshetra are kept here). Since this is a site associated with the Mahabharata, it is an important place of pilgrimage for Hindus. It is one of 3 main pilgrimage sites related to ''"Krishna"'' circuit. The other two being, ''" Braj parikarma"'' in

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh ( ; UP) is a States and union territories of India, state in North India, northern India. With over 241 million inhabitants, it is the List of states and union territories of India by population, most populated state in In ...

and "'' Dwarka parkarma"'' (Dwarkadish yatra) at

Dwarkadhish Temple The Dwarkadhish temple, also known as the Jagat Mandir and occasionally spelled Dwarakadheesh, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Krishna, who is worshiped in the temple by the name ''Dwarkadhish (Dvārakādhīśa)'', or 'King of Dwarka'. The tem ...

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

84 Kosi Parikrama

The 84-Kosi Yatra is a tradition in Hindu religion that has been there for thousands of years with the belief that it gives deliverance to the performer from the cycle of 84-Lakh Yonis (the cycle of birth and death). According to Hindu belief, the king of Ayodhya performed the "yagna" in the "treta period" at a place in Makhurha in Basti district of

which included circumnavigating the six districts in the region. Some religious leaders believe that the right place to start the parikrama should be Basti instead of Ayodhya. According to some, the dates for 84-Kosi Yatra are fixed and takes place in the month of

Chaitra Chaitra () is a month of the Hindu calendar. In the standard Hindu calendar and India's national civil calendar, Chaitra is the first month of the year. It is the last month in the Bengali calendar, where it is called Choitro. Chaitra or Cha ...

Mithila Madhya Parikrama

Mithila Madhya Parikrama Mithila Madhya Parikrama (मिथिला मध्य परिक्रमा) is an annual periodic journey of the central part of the ancient Mithila (region), Mithila in Nepal and Bihar (India). It is held every year between the months of ...

is an annual fifteen days journey of the central part of ancient

Mithila Mithila may refer to: Places * Mithilā, a synonym for the ancient Videha state ** Mithilā (ancient city), the ancient capital city of Videha * Mithila (region), a cultural region (historical and contemporary), now divided between India and Nepa ...

. It is the ancient circular circuit of the capital city of Mithila. In

Treta Yuga ''Treta Yuga'' (IAST: ''Tretā-yuga'') (Devanagari: त्रेतायुग), in Hinduism, is the second and second-best of the four '' yugas'' (world ages) in a '' Yuga Cycle'', preceded by '' Krita (Satya) Yuga'' and followed by '' Dvapara ...

Lord Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda'' ...

and Princess

Sita Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is t ...

took a circle journey of the capital of Mithila after their marriage in the court of King

Janaka Janaka (, IAST: ''Janaka'') is the King of Videha who ruled from Mithila (region), Mithila, in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Janaka was married to Sunayana (Ramayana), Sunayana. He is the father of Sita and Urmila in the epic. The term Janaka ...

in Mithila. This Yatra is held every year in the month of

Falgun Falgun or Phalgun (; ) or Phagun () is the eleventh month of the year in the Bengali calendar, the Assamese calendar, and the Nepali calendar. In the revision of the Bengali calendar used in Bangladesh since October 2019, the month has 29 days ...

in Hindu calendar.

Sitamarhi Dham Parikrama

Sitamarhi Dham Parikrama is an annual nineteen days spiritual journey of some Hindu religious destinations in the region of the Sitamarhi district. It is organised to aware the importance of the Janaki Navami festival.

Amarnath Yatra

The

Amarnath Temple 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 cit ...

in Jammu and Kashmir is dedicated to Shiva, one of the trinity of gods. The temple is on

Amarnath Peak Amarnath Peak is a mountain with a peak elevation of , in the Ganderbal district of the Indian union territory of Jammu and Kashmir, in the vicinity of Sonamarg. Amarnath Peak is part of the Himalayas, and is located south of Zojila and wes ...

, and is among the most famous shrines in Hinduism. Every year inside the main Amarnath cave an ice Shiva

lingam A lingam ( , lit. "sign, symbol or mark"), sometimes referred to as linga or Shiva linga, is an abstract or Aniconism, aniconic representation of the Hinduism, Hindu Hindu deities, god Shiva in Shaivism. The word ''lingam'' is found in the Up ...

forms, along with two other ice formations representing Ganesha and Parvati. Amarnath yatra is held every year to pay homage to Shiva and Parvati. The temple is a very popular yatra destination for Hindus; about four lakh people visit during the season.

Brij Yatra

circuit of pilgrimage was formally established by the 16th century

sadhu ''Sadhu'' (, IAST: ' (male), ''sādhvī'' or ''sādhvīne'' (female), also spelled ''saddhu'') is a religious ascetic, mendicant or any holy person in Hinduism and Jainism who has renounced the worldly life. They are sometimes alternatively ...

s of vaishnava sampradaya with fixed routes, itinerary and rituals. The circuit covers is spread across 2500 km² area with 84

or 300 km long periphery extending 10 km to east and 50 km to north and west. Braj has two main types of pilgrimage circuits, the traditional longer ''"Braj Yatra"'' encompassing the whole circuit, and the other shorter significantly modified contemporary point-to-point pilgrimage to visit the main sites at Mathura, Vrindavan,

Gokul Gokul is a town in the Mathura district of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located south-east of Mathura. History In the ''Viṣṇu Purāṇa'' and '' Bhāgavata Purāṇa'', the term "gokula" does not refer to any specifi ...

Govardhan Govardhan also called Giriraj, is a key pilgrimage centre in India and a municipal town; a nagar panchayat; seat of an MLA (Member of the Legislative Assembly (India), Member of Legislative Assembly) of Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly, Uttar ...

. The former, longer traditional pilgrimage route, also includes additional sacred sites Nandgaon and

Barsana Barsana is a historical town and ''nagar panchayat'' in the Mathura district of the state of Uttar Pradesh, India. The town holds cultural and religious significance as the birthplace of Hindu goddess Radha, the chief consort of Krishna. Barsa ...

with travel on foot.Janet Cochrane, 2008
Asian Tourism: Growth and Change
, page 249.

Char Dham Yatra

The

Chardham 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. ...

or "four divine abodes" includes four major pilgrimage places in India. These include

in the Himalayas,

in the west,

Jagannath Puri Puri, also known as Jagannath Puri, () is a coastal city and a Nagar Palika, municipality in the state of Odisha in eastern India. It is the district headquarters of Puri district and is situated on the Bay of Bengal, south of the state ca ...

in the east, and

Rameshwaram Rameswaram (; also transliterated as Ramesvaram, Rameshwaram) is a municipality in the Ramanathapuram district of the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is on Pamban Island separated from mainland India by the Pamban channel and is about from ...

in the south. The Char Dham is often considered the most revered sites for Hindus that have to be visited in one's lifetime. There is a

as well includes Yamunotri, Gangotri, Badrinath, and

situated in

Garhwal Himalayas The Garhwal Himalayas are mountain ranges located in the Indian state of Uttarakhand. Geology This range is also a part of the Himalayan Sivalik Hills, the outer most hills of the Himalaya located in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Major p ...

Deoghar Yatra

means abode of the gods and goddesses. It is also known as Baidyanath Dham or Baba Dham situated on the eastern side of

Jharkhand Jharkhand (; ) is a States and union territories of India, state in East India, eastern India. The state shares its border with the states of West Bengal to the east, Chhattisgarh to the west, Uttar Pradesh to the northwest, Bihar to the north ...

. The Baidyanath Temple is located here containing one of the twelve Shiva Jyothirlingams in India. The pilgrims carry the holy water of holy river Ganges from

Sultanganj Sultanganj, also known as Ajgaibinath Dham, is a town of religious significance located in the Bhagalpur district of the India state of Bihar. It is situated on the south bank of Ganga river, 25 km west of Bhagalpur city at . Demographi ...

's and offered to the Jyotirlingam of Shiva at Deoghar. These pilgrims called Kanwariya, reciting Bol Bam on the way of walk 109 km, The march of Kanwariya start during the holy month of Shravan the wet season each year in India. Shravani Mela is the most celebrated 30-day festival in

Baidyanath Temple Baidyanath Temple (IAST: Baidyãnath), also known as Baba Baidyanath Dham, is a Hindu temple dedicated to Shiva. It is located in Deoghar, in the Santhal Parganas division of the Indian state of Jharkhand. The temple complex comprises the cent ...

Temple of Jharkhand.

Kailash-Mansarovar Yatra

Mansarovar Lake Manasarovar also called Mapam Yumtso (; ) locally, is a high altitude freshwater lake near Mount Kailash in Burang County, Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region, China. It is located at an elevation of , near the western trijunction be ...

is a fresh-water lake in

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ), or Greater Tibet, is a region in the western part of East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are other ethnic groups s ...

near Mount

Kailash Mount Kailash (also Kailasa; ''Kangrinboqê'' or ''Gang Rinpoche''; ; ; , ) is a mountain in Ngari Prefecture, Tibet Autonomous Region of China. It lies in the Kailash Range (Gangdisê Mountains) of the Transhimalaya, in the western part of ...

, and both are places of pilgrimage attracting religious people from India and neighboring countries. The mountain is considered a sacred place in four religions: Hinduism, Buddhism,

, and

Bon Bon or Bön (), also known as Yungdrung Bon (, ), is the indigenous Tibetan religion which shares many similarities and influences with Tibetan Buddhism.Samuel 2012, pp. 220–221. It initially developed in the tenth and eleventh centuries but ...

. According to Hindu mythology mount Kailash is the abode of Shiva and circumambulating Mount Kailash on foot is a holy ritual. Another lake called Lake Rakshastal lying close to the west of Lake Manasarovar and The Great Mount Kailash. These lakes are the source of the

Brahmaputra The Brahmaputra is a trans-boundary river which flows through Southwestern China, Northeastern India, and Bangladesh. It is known as Brahmaputra or Luit in Assamese, Yarlung Tsangpo in Tibetan, the Siang/Dihang River in Arunachali, and ...

River and the

Karnali River Karnali may refer to: Places in Nepal * Karnali Bridge, a bridge over the Karnali River in Nepal * Karnali Highway, a vital transport link in Nepal * Karnali Province, a federal province in Nepal * Karnali River also known as Ghaghara and Sarayu, ...

, a tributary of the river Ganges.

Kanwar Yatra

The

is an annual pilgrimage of devotees of Shiva, known as ''Kānwarias'', to Hindu pilgrimage places of Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch holy waters of Ganges River. Millions of participants gather sacred water from the Ganga and carry it across hundreds of miles to dispense as offerings in their local Śhiva shrines, or specific temples such as Pura Mahadeva and Augharnath temple in Meerut, and Kashi Vishwanath, Baidyanath, and Deoghar in Jharkhand.

Kashi yatra

At Kashi Yatra, it is customary for every Hindu to undergo Kashi yatra on barefoot. Pilgrims also visit

to do Gaya Shraddha to their ancestors. Details regarding how to perform various rituals, the greatness of Kashi Kshetra. Importance of Kashi yatra is said in Kasi-Khand of

Skanda Purana The ''Skanda Purana'' ( IAST: Skanda Purāṇa) is the largest '' Mukhyapurāṇa'', a genre of eighteen Hindu religious texts. The text contains over 81,000 verses, and is of Shaivite literature, titled after Skanda, a son of Shiva and Parv ...

Pandharpur yatra of Maharashtra

Pandharpur yatra is one of the most popular festivals in India. The annual yatra to the famous

Vithoba Vithoba (IAST: ''Viṭhobā''), also known as Vitthala (IAST: ''Viṭṭhala''), and Panduranga (IAST: ''Pāṇḍuraṅga''), is a Hindu deity predominantly worshipped in the Indian states of Maharashtra and Karnataka. He is a form of the Hindu ...

temple at

Pandharpur Pandharpur City (Pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, əɳɖʱəɾpuːɾ is a popular pilgrimage town, on the banks of Chandrabhaga River, Chandrabhagā River, near Solapur, Solapur city in Solapur district, Solapur District, Maharashtra, Ind ...

is held every year during the month of June and July. Thousands of pilgrims come to Pandharpur carrying litters with the images of

Jñāneśvar Sant Dnyaneshwar (Marathi pronunciation: Help:IPA/Marathi, ̪ɲaːn̪eʃʋəɾ, (Devanagari : सन्त ज्ञानेश्वर), also referred to as Jñāneśvara, Jñānadeva, Dnyandev or Mauli or Dnyaneshwar Vitthal Kulkarni ( ...

from

Tukaram Tukaram (Marathi pronunciation: ̪ukaːɾam, also known as Tuka, Tukobaraya and Tukoba, was a Hindu Marathi saint of the Warkari sampradaya in Dehu village, Maharashtra in the 17th century. He was a '' bhakt'' of the god Vithoba, also kn ...

from

Dehu Dehu is a town in the Pune district, India. It is known for being the abode of Sant Tukaram. The Tukaram Palakhi heading towards the town of Pandharpur originates from Dehu in the month of '' Ashadh.'' Demographics India census, Dehu had a ...

Eknath Eknath (IAST: Eka-nātha, Marathi pronunciation: knath (1533–1599), was an Indian Hindu Vaishnava saint, philosopher and poet. He was a devotee of the Hindu deity Vitthal and is a major figure of the Warkari movement. Eknath is often vie ...

from

Paithan Paithan (), historically Pratiṣṭhāna ɾə'tɪʂʈʰanə is a town with municipal council in Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar district, Maharashtra, Maharashtra, India. Paithan is located south of present-day Aurangabad on the banks of the ...

, and

Nivruttinath Nivruttinath ( Marathi : निवृत्तिनाथ) (c. 11 February 1273 – 24 June 1297) was a 13th-century Marathi Bhakti saint, poet, philosopher and yogi of the Vaishnava Nath tradition. He was the elder brother and the mento ...

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Trimbakeshwar Trimbakeshwar Shiva Temple (श्री त्र्यंबकेश्वर ज्योतिर्लिंग मंदिर) is an ancient Hindu temple in the town of Trimbak, in the Trimbakeshwar tehsil in the Nashik District of M ...

. These pilgrims are referred to as

Varkari Warkari ( ; Marathi: ; Pronunciation: ; Meaning: 'The one who performs the ''Wari) is a sampradaya (religious movement) within the bhakti spiritual tradition of Hinduism, geographically associated with the Indian state of Maharashtra. Wark ...

Ratha Yatra

Among the

Ratha Yatra Ratha Yatra (), or chariot festival, is any public procession in a chariot. They are held annually during festivals in India, Nepal, and Sri Lanka. The term also refers to the popular annual Ratha Yatra of Puri that involves a public process ...

at various sacred sites, the most popular one is Jagannath Rath jatra at Puri in Odisha. Other popular Rath Yatras are

Dhamrai Jagannath Roth Dhamrai Jagannath Roth () is a chariot temple or Ratha Yatra, a Roth, dedicated to the Hindu God Jagannath located in Dhamrai, Bangladesh. The annual Jagannath Roth Jatra is a famous Hindu festival attracting thousands of people. The Roth Jat ...

Rathayatra of Mahesh The Rathayatra of Mahesh () is the oldest Temple car, chariot festival in Bengal, and is said to have been celebrated since 1396. The first temple of Jagannath Deb was built by Raja Manohar Roy of Sheoraphuli Raj Debuttar Estate, Sheoraphuli Raj ...

, Manipur Ratha Yatra in Manipur which was started in 19th century and ISKCON Ratha Yatra in more than 100 places across the world. The Festival of Chariots of

Jagannatha Jagannath (; formerly ) is a Hindu deity worshipped in regional Hindu traditions in India as part of a triad along with (Krishna's) brother Balabhadra, and sister, Subhadra. Jagannath, within Odia Hinduism, is the supreme god, '' Purushotta ...

is held every year at Puri in the state of Orissa. The ten-day ratha yatra commemorates Jagannath's annual visit to Gundicha Mata's temple a short distance away. Thousands of pilgrims come to Puri during the festival with a desire to help pull Jagannath's chariot with ropes. This is the only day when devotees who are normally not allowed in the temple premises, such as non-Hindus and foreigners, can get their glimpse of the deities.

Gallery

File:Satrunjaya Stairway.jpg, Pilgrims climbing the stairs of

Shatrunjaya Shatrunjaya, also spelled Shetrunjaya ("place of victory against inner enemies") and originally known as Pundarikgiri, is a range of hills located near the city of Palitana in the Bhavnagar district of Gujarat, India. The hills are situated on ...

Maha Tirth File:Amarnath Yatra Camp.jpg,

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 cit ...

camp File:Buddha Amarnath Yatra procession, Poonch.jpg, Buddha Amarnath Yatra procession, Poonch

References

External links

santeknath.orgOccurrences of the phrase 'yatra' in the Vedas
{{Worship in Hinduism Spiritual Yatra Packages Pilgrimage in India