Encyclopedia of Hinduism

the account of Appar (429 verses). The writing fol-
lows a simple lively style and was probably designed
to be sung. It contains beautiful descriptions of each
saint’s village or town; the longer stories dwell on
the spiritual development of the saints.

Further reading: G. Vanmikinathan, Periya Puranam,
a Tamil Classic on the Great Saiva Saints of South India
(Madras: Ramakrishna Math, 1985); Kamil V. Zvelibil,
“Tamil Literature,” in Jan Gonda, ed., The History of
Indian Literature, Vol. 10, Fascicle 1 (Wiesbaden: Otto
Harrassowitz, 1974).

pilgrimage
Visiting holy sites is one of the central activities
in Hinduism. Many pilgrims visit shrines, rivers,

sacred mountains, and sacred groves to obtain

spiritual benefits; others go to achieve the worldly

benefits that can also accrue from visiting a holy

place. Women commonly vow to visit the shrine

of a certain saint or god in order to have a child,

especially a son. Some may visit a shrine and

shave their heads there in order to win success at

an exam or important business deal.

All sects in Hinduism do pilgrimage. SHAIVITES,

SHAKTAS, and VAISHNAVITES alike have myriad

important sites. Vaishnavites target the many

places where RAMA or KRISHNA visited or lived,

as well as the many temples where other forms

of VISHNU are enshrined. Mathura, BRINDAVAN,

and DVARAKA are particularly important for the

devotees of Krishna, while AYODHYA is visited as

the birthplace of Rama. Shaivites visit the many

Religious mendicants on pilgrimage in Sonnamarg, Kashmir (Constance A. Jones)

K 328 pilgrimage