Section 2.2: Places of Pilgrimage (2)

Question 1

Why do worshippers go on pilgrimages?

Answer 1

Worshippers go on pilgrimages to cleanse themselves of sin, to gain a sense of spiritual awareness and to honour historical events or leading figures of the religion.

Question 2

What is a pilgrimage?

Answer 2

A pilgrimage is a journey of religious significance, designed to mark a historical place, person or event and aimed at developing spirituality or awareness of the pilgrim. Pilgrimages are often undertaken to cleanse the body of sin and to achieve spiritual renewal.

Question 3

Why are rivers important to Hindus?

Answer 3

Rivers are sacred places to Hindus due to the importance of water in areas that are dry and often barren; water brings life and is also a symbol of purity.

Question 4

What is the significance of rivers?

Answer 4

Water washes away dirt and sin, so bathing in these holy rivers is seen by Hindus as a means to washing away the sins of past lives and present negative karma.

Question 5

What are pilgrimage sites, according to Hindus?

Answer 5

All pilgrimage sites, according to Hindus, are where the heavens and the Earth meet. This is one of the reasons why many mountains and their shrines have become sites for pilgrimage. At these places, the gifts given to the gods should be able to pass easily form the material world to the spiritual realm.

Question 6

Which mountains are significant in Hinduism?

Answer 6

Many of the Himalayas and the Transhimalayas have religious signficance to Hindus, such as Mount Kailash in the latter range. The mountain is unclimbed, with evidence of its significance in Buddhism, Jainism, Hinduism and Bon.

Question 7

What do Hindus regard Mount Kailash as?

Answer 7

Hindus regard it as the abode of Shiva and Parvati, along with Ganesha, their child. The mountain is referred to in both the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. Some Hindus regard it as being the access point to heaven and one of the pillars of the world.

Question 8

What do pilgrims do at Mount Kailash?

Answer 8

Pilgrims do visit the mountain annually to circumambulate around its base in a clockwise direction - this is due to the fact that the right-hand side of the body is said to be ritually purer. The journey is 32 miles long, with the difficulty being the uneven terrain and the risk of altitude sickness.

Question 9

What is expected of a pilgrim?

Answer 9

Special clothing is worn by the pilgrim; heads are shaved and some may choose to walk barefoot. Pilgrims are to remain celibate during their pilgrimage and offer puja at the sites in the respective shrines, temples and murtis. Some elderly or ill pilgrims may intend for their lives to end on the pilgrimage, especially at Varanasi.

Question 10

What is the Ganges?

Answer 10

The Ganges is a river which stretches from the Himalayas down to the Bay of Bengal, measuring a 1,569 miles in length. The river is considered to be a living goddess called Ganga; she headed to Earth with such power that she would destroy it but, reluctant to do so, she used Shiva’s hair to trickle down. Shiva lived here and the river is said to have flowed from Vishnu’s toe.

Question 11

Why do Hindus bathe in the Ganges?

Answer 11

The Hindu holy text, the Brahmanda Purana, suggests the most suitable times to bath in the river. It is believed that doing so will remove sins although some argue that this is merely symbolic.

Question 12

What is Kumbh Mela?

Answer 12

This is the world’s largest pilgrimage, with over 100 million people in attendance at which Hindus will bathe in the River Ganges.

Question 13

How does the Kumbh Mela work?

Answer 13

The Kumbh Mela works on a twelve-year rotation. There are four different pilgrimage sites, so each is used in the rotation every three years. However, the twelve years are marked with the large 55-day festival at the town of Prayaga, which marks the location where the Ganges and the Yamuna meet the Saraswati river, which is described as being a deified river.

Question 14

Where does the Kumbh Mela originate?

Answer 14

The festival originates from a story where gods and demons came together to ‘churn up’ the oceans of the world. Garuda, the bird who acts as a mount for Vishnu, is said to have taken the nectar of immortality away with him when the gods and demons were quarrelling by transporting it in a jar. The nectar from the jar split into four drops, at each of the four sites.

Question 15

How is the timing of the Kumbh Mela worked out?

Answer 15

The timing of the festival is worked out using the constellation of Aquarius. When it is a new moon, the mass bathing takes place and this is said to release Hindus from the cycle of samsara.

Question 16

What do Hindus do over the 55 days?

Answer 16

Over the 55 days, Hindus attend to bathe in the Ganga, to hear the Hindu epics being read out, to cast garlands of marigold flowers into the river, to offer river water to the gods in cupped hand before letting it fall back through their fingers and to consult sadhus for spiritual advice.

Question 17

What are the dangers of Kumbh Mela?

Answer 17

In 2003, 39 pilgrims were trampled to death, with 57 injured. The incident occurred when a sadhu threw some coins into the throng of pilgrims who were tightly barricaded onto a street by the banks. Moreover, in May 2021, Kumbh Mela became a super-spreader event during the Covid-19 pandemic, with The Guardian recording an estimated 1,800% increase in cases in the Uttarakhand state during the period.

Question 18

Does the Ganges really take away sins?

Answer 18

Sri Ramakrishna, a Hindu scholar, offered a satirical view in which he stated that doing is is futile and that, with the wrong intention, the festival has no purpose.

Question 19

What are the problems for the Ganges?

Answer 19

Pollution is affecting a number of critically endangered species, such as the South Asian river-dolphin. Human activity in the area has led to levels of the faecal coliform bacteria which are over hundred times more than the official limit required. Religious authorities, corruption and poor technical execution have meant that the Ganga Action Plan (1986), said to improve the river water quality and limit the amount of toxic waste, has not made much of a difference.

Question 20

What is Varanasi?

Answer 20

Varanasi, a city in the north of India, regularly receives over five million domestic travellers and 300,000 foreigners each year. Also known as Benares, it marks the place where the Varaha and Asi (two tributaries of the Ganges) meet.

Question 21

Where is Varanasi located?

Answer 21

Varanasi sits on the bank of the Ganga and is believed to be the dwelling-place of Shiva.

Question 22

Why is Varanasi’s link to Shiva important?

Answer 22

There are many temples devoted to Shiva throughout the city, with the main one being the Visvanath Temple. Pilgrims attend these temples for darshan and puja. After doing so, they go down to the river to bathe in the Ganga.

Question 23

Why is death associated with the city?

Answer 23

It is believed that dying in Varanasi means immediate moksha and escape from samsara. Many come to Varanasi to die, and others take the ashes of their deceased relatives here to perform funeral and mourning rites. This is seen to help the atman continue its journey into the next reincarnation.

Question 24

How and where is cremation performed in Varanasi?

Answer 24

Cremations occur along the banks of the river on ghats. These are stairs or platforms along the Ganga, for either bathing or cremations and are especially common in Varanasi.

Question 25

Which are the most important ghats?

Answer 25

The most important ghats are the Dashashwamedh Ghat, the Panchganga Ghat, the Manikarnika Ghat and the Harishchandra Ghat. The latter two are the ones where Hindus cremate their dead. The Dashashwamedh Ghat is the main ghat of the city, and is located close to the Visvanath Temple. Special aarti ceremonies are held daily at dusk and are known as Ganga Aarti, lasting around 45 minutes.

Question 26

Why do worshippers go to Varanasi?

Answer 26

Worshippers head to Varanasi due to its connections with the Hindu intellectual tradition. All the important figures in the development of the faith have visited the city and this, along with the tradition that dictates the city in Shiva’s abode, helps to increase the city’s religious signficance as a place for pilgrimage.

Question 27

In what way is death associated with Varanasi?

Answer 27

Worshippers from the UK may fly to Varanasi towards the ends of their lives to die by the river. If this is not possible, then their relatives are often asked to take their ashes to Varanasi to scatter them into the Ganges to help with their atman’s transmigration ahead of future reincarnations.