Hardiwar, or Rameshwaram because of their geographical and mythological
significance nationwide. Pilgrims to these centers are often more affluent
or classically oriented than those who attend more local shrines. But there
are also regional centers which usually serve pilgrims with distinctive ethnic
or regional ties while local centers often celebrate ‘folk’ deities or sacred
figures with strong local attachments. Some pilgrimage centers have roots a
couple of millennia old – such as Va ̄ra ̄n.ası ̄, while others are the products of
dynastic patronage in the late medieval period – such as Tirupati, the famed
pilgrimage site of the Vijayanagara kings. Still others have mushroomed into
popularity within the last century, despite claims to antiquity. Such is the
case, for example, with Sabaramala, Kerala.
The reasons for going on pilgrimage are manifold: because one has a vow
to keep if a certain wish has been granted; to seek improvement in the very
mundane aspects of life; to seek grace, immortality, or healing at the hands
of the deity; to educate oneself or one’s family as to the story of the particular
deity of the place; and many others. Serious religious activity is mixed with
recreation and play. It should be worthwhile to look more closely at one or
two pilgrimage locales.
Va ̄ra ̄n.ası ̄
Va ̄ra ̄n.ası ̄ – or Ka ̄s ́ı ̄ or Bana ̄ras, as it is also called – is one of the oldest
pilgrimage centers in the world. It is a place where Buddhist and Jain sages
visited in the sixth century BCEand today it attracts millions of pilgrims in
any given year. The sacrality of Va ̄ra ̄n.ası ̄ is based on several factors in
addition to its historical importance.^7 For one thing, the Ganges river itself
is said to be sacred, flowing, as it is believed, from the abode of the gods. But
at Bana ̄ras the river takes a special turn: it assumes the form of a crescent
and flows momentarily from south to north. It is here S ́iva is said to have
caught the Gan.ga in his hair as it was plunging out of heaven; this is why his
iconography often depicts him with a crescent in his hair. Moreover, the
ideology of the tı ̄rthaor crossing place is focused on Va ̄ra ̄n.ası ̄. A tı ̄rthais a
place where one can “cross over,” where one can experience the expiation
of sins. Here, saints and gods are said to have bathed so as to be purified
preparatory to attaining enlightenment. There are over 300 propitious
places or tı ̄rthasin Bana ̄ras alone and the riverbanks are jammed with bathers
each morning at dawn. Va ̄ra ̄n.ası ̄, further, is a major cult center for S ́iva,
known here as Vis ́vana ̄tha (Lord of all Directions). Virtually all visitors to
Bana ̄ras will visit the temple to Vis ́vana ̄tha in hopes of attaining moks.aor
ultimate liberation. Finally, Va ̄ra ̄n.ası ̄ is a place propitious for dying and
performing the rituals associated with death. Hospices dot the landscape
and funeral pyres can be seen along the river’s banks. To die here is to go
198 Religion in Contemporary India