Of course there are other shrines and places of worship, lots of them -to visit one of four of the greatest shrines (Jagannath in Puri, Rameshwaram in South India, Dwarkadheesh in the West and Barinath in the Himalayas) is a great dream for many Hindus. In Benares however, hundreds of temples line the banks Ganges. Many miracles are said to have occurred on its banks. Shrines to Gods, goddesses and other deities form a kind of procession line down the river also.
Originally, Ganges was actually a Goddess called Ganga who was the mistress of all the Gods until a human king, Bhagiratha was allowed to bring her down to earth in the form of a River to free the souls of the sons of King Sagara from their ashes in Hell.
Another version of this story goes that Ganges was actually a river that flowed in Heaven. King Sagara had lost 60,000 of his sons to the depths of hell because he offended this wise man called Kapila. The king wanted to bring Ganges down from Heaven onto earth and then to Hell so he could retrieve his sons and they could all go up to Heaven through the River. Unfortunately he couldn’t do it. Eventually his great grandson came along riding this really fast horse and managed to lead Ganges down the earth and then into the depths of Hell.
“ Hell” is the island of Sagar, which is at the mouth of the river and is said to lead down into Hell. For this reason, Sagar is also a place of pilgrimage.
People take pilgrimages for many different reasons. Some come to initiate a closer relationship with God, some wish to have their sins washed away by the River. Some come to say thank you for all the pleasures they indulge in in their lives- health, good friends and family, wealth etc. Some come to pray for a healthy baby should they be pregnant or pray to become fertile should they be barren. Some come for enlightenment, some for physical and mental purity. Some like me come to end their lives.
There are hundreds of reasons, universal and personal. In the end it all boils down to faith. I came because it is part of my faith, my religion, my way of life. It is not compulsory for a Hindu to go a pilgrimage. It’s an ambition.
R2 a. Why do Hindu’s go on pilgrimage?
For most people in India, pilgrimage is a way of life. Many of the travellers are making visits to holy places as pilgrims. The kinds of places that are regarded as holy are the banks of rivers, rivers themselves, mountains, coasts and seashores. Usually it’s a place where a miracle has taken place or a spot of particular magnificence or somewhere that’s really inspirational.
The most celebrated centre of pilgrimage for a Hindu is the city of Benares or Varanasi. The city is situated on the banks of the sacred river Ganges. The town is especially sacred to the god Shiva (the destroyer). To die in Varanasi and have your ashes thrown into the Ganges is said to bring liberation from rebirth (Moksha-the end of the rebirth cycle). Pilgrims who return home often take a bottle of Ganges water with them. Many pilgrims bathe in the river; they believe it washes away their sins so it is a cleansing process.
Along the Ganges are special platforms called ghats, which have steps that allow the pilgrims access to the river. The ghats are also used to cremate the bodies of people who have died. Hindus believe that the souls of their deceased relations will find peace if their ashes are deposited in a sacred river, particularly the holy Ganges. Every Hindu hopes that they will be in Varanasi when they die, and that after their bodies have been cremated the ashes will be thrown into the river. This means they will go straight to paradise. Many Hindu’s make a special pilgrimage to Benares for this purpose.
Hindus also believe that prayers are more readily answered in a holy place. Some pilgrims go on organised tours of the most famous sites, whilst others make their own way on buses and trains. Sometimes this may be hundreds of miles, and takes weeks or even months. When they arrive at the temple some pilgrims crawl round it on their hands and knees, this is a sign of repentance of sins.
Generally speaking, Hindus go on pilgrimages to tighten their union with God, thank him for all the luxuries they have in their life and repent their sins by bathing in Holy water. It is an attempt at replenishing themselves for they’re past mistakes. They come to redeem themselves of past sins - they go to make amends for any wrong doings. If someone they know or themselves are fatally ill, they can pray for faith healing. In the Ganges for instance, Hindus go to carry out ceremonies for the dead or deposit ashes.
Circumambulation is another common thing that one can find people whilst on their pilgrimage. It is when a Hindus walks in a clockwise direction with their right hand side facing Benares. Their right hand faces Benares because it was thought that the left hand side was evil.
Other reasons for going on pilgrimages vary from person to person. Some may wish to fulfil a religious duty; some may go to please the Gods and therefore receive good luck in this life and the next. A very old Hindu or a repenting one may wish to add good karma to escape the process of reincarnation and go straight to Heaven.
R2 b. What effects may a pilgrimage have on their lives?
Going on a pilgrimage gives a Hindu peace if they believe that their sins are forgiven. People who have major struggles (such as a terminal illness, addiction to drugs, a drinking problem etc) could find their solutions when going on a pilgrimage. It could also give them direction, help them live the rest of their lives in the correct manner.
It can add to their spirituality, give them inner peace, help them change their attitude, help them make significant decisions (a career move, giving to charity etc) and help them recognize their true dreams and the extent of the potential they have.
They might become more religious due to their pilgrimage. It would be reassuring to see that millions of people believe in the same things as you do. They feel unity with others of the same faith and it could propel the pilgrim into being more serious about Hinduism and try to be the best that they can be.
However, the downside is that the pilgrim might feel as though they have been ripped off if the pilgrimage doesn’t live up to their expectations. If the trip doesn’t match the image in their minds eye, they could question their faith and give up on religion, and maybe even God all together.
Places of worship are often very crowded, very noisy places. This could be a negative factor. The pilgrims may have come to meditate or think quietly by themselves and would not appreciate this breach of silence. Going on a pilgrimage isn’t cheap. It takes time, careful planning and money. If for some reason a pilgrim doesn’t make it to their final destination, they could feel like a failure to their religion and that they have been unsuccessful at their duty in life.
I think that pilgrimage would most likely be a positive effect on a Hindu’s life. It will make them question their current way of life and motivate them to improve it. It’s a time for them to evaluate themselves spiritually, as a person and could motivate them into becoming better, less materialistic people.
R3. There are more important things for a Hindu to do than to go on a Pilgrimage.
Before I can draw a conclusion of my own, I have to investigate both sides of the opinion.
Pilgrimage helps Hindu’s tighten their bond with God. Hindu’s believe that the water of Ganges is holy and that they will get forgiveness of their sins and moksha if they bathe in it or they drink it. For this reason there cannot be a more important thing to do then go on pilgrimage. It is to redeem past sins. Hindu’s believe that going on a pilgrimage can improve health, life and wealth. It gives a Hindu peace of mind if they visit a holy place because it is like their duty to their faith. The long journey also gives people time to reflect on life and meet other Hindu’s that share the same sort of ideas and beliefs and feel the same way they do. It shows that no matter how much material possessions a person has, during a pilgrimage, everyone is equal.
On the other hand, life is short. Very short. Instead if spending thousands on going on a pilgrimage, wouldn’t the money be better spent on a charity? Shouldn’t a true Hindu stay at home and be with their families? If a person truly believes that God is the Creator of all things, wouldn’t He be present everywhere? If that is the case, it does not matter how, when or where you pray because He is always with you. You can pray anywhere and God will still hear you. So what’s the point in spending loads of cash to travel halfway across the world to be squished and squeezed with millions of others when you can just as easily pray in the comfort of your own home? Shouldn’t prayer, like meditation, be a private thing, a line of communication between only you and God? Why would you want to do it in some dusty, noisy foreign land when you can perform virtually the same ceremonies in the privacy of your home? Pujas can be performed at home and it has more significance if you do it alone or with your family.
Nowadays temples, shrines and special places of prayer are springing up throughout the country. As the Hindu community grows larger in Britain, there are more requests to set up temples to accommodate the faith. Places like the Swami Narayan Temple in Neasden, The Jain Temple in Leicester and The Oshwal Centre in Potters Bar, North London pull in thousands for weddings, funerals and religious festivals. There is no reason for a Hindu to go traipsing around the world when these places are practically in our back garden.
