Religious Holidays in India

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All trough history, India has been seen as a country imbibed with a deep sense of spirituality. Not only does this perception get justified by the fact that many religions have been born here, but also because of the openness with which India has integrated and assimilated other faiths into her own mainstream. The result is a socio-cultural framework wherein religion and spirituality play a huge role, a fact that makes pilgrimages and pilgrimage tourism an essential part of life in India.

As far as the Hindus go, the most important is the char dham yatra comprising Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri. To add to this is Haridwar, located at the foothills of Shivaliks that is known for its special aarti accompanied by garlands and diyas or earthen lamps, held each evening. Many religious sites are located at the confluence points of two or more sacred rivers like Prayag or Allahabad where the Gnaga, Yamuna and Saraswati are believed to meet, or Devprayag, where Alaknanda and Bhagirathi rivers merge. Allahanad is also famous for its Kumbh mela that is believed to be an event stupendous in its sheer numbers.

The south is also filled with temples and spots of pilgrimage. In fact, be in any corner of the country - Tirupati, Vaishnodevi, Shirdi, Shabrimala, Tanjore, Rishikesh, Mathua, and Varanasi and Madurai - one can always find people on some holy quest or the other, traveling hundreds of miles just to worship in their own special way.

For the Sikhs two of the most revered shrines are the Golden Temple at Amritsar and the Anandpur Sahib, where Guru Gobind Singh, the tenth Guru, created the 'Khalsa'. In addition they also worship at the Hemkund Sahib, the world's Highest Gurudwara and Anandpur Sahib, the place where the Gurus used to live and meditate. The Muslims also have no dearth of mosques with special significance where they worship and gather, the most known of which is the Jama Masjid in Old Delhi. India also has several dargahs or graves of saintly men who were known as peers and visiting these shrines is a common component of faith. Some of the famous mazars are those at Ajmer Sharif and Nizamuddin.

The Buddhists of India are also not left behind in this pilgrimage exodus. Most of their holy places are associated with the birth, teaching centers or major events in the life of Buddha. Lumbini, for instance, is where he was born, Sarnath is the place where he preached his first sermon, and Bodhgaya is where he received enlightenment. Another common place of pilgrimage for Buddhists is Dharamsala, where the Dalai Lama, their religious head lives in exile from Tibet.

In addition to all the above, India is full of temples and places of worship of other faiths like Jainism and Christianity. And since religion constitutes such a core element of the lives of the people traveling to enhance their sense of spirituality by worshipping at specific locations, pilgrimage tourism is one of the most vibrant and satisfying experiences that one can be a part of. No matter what your faith, explore the other side of yourself by allowing your soul to go on these journeys in a country infused with its essence.