areas, one of the most common themes
is the claim that the merit from religious
acts performed at place X (the physical
tirtha) equals that of a thousand (or a
million, or a billion) such religious acts
done in ordinary places. The rarefied
atmosphere at tirthas has a similar effect
on evil acts, multiplying their conse-
quences manifold. In this way the action
of a tirtha can be compared to that of a
microphone; just as a microphone mag-
nifies any sound, whether harsh or
pleasant, in the same way a tirtha mag-
nifies, for good or ill, the conse-
quences of any action. The pilgrimage
literature thus commonly reminds peo-
ple of the religious merit that their acts
can bring, and it warns them that care-
less or evil actions can have equally
severe consequences. For this reason,
people performing religious pilgrimage
(tirthayatra) were encouraged to live an
austere, self-conscious life, both to save
themselves from any lapses and to make
the journey a self-conscious process of
transformation. For further information
see Diana Eck, Banaras, 1999; E. Alan
Morinis, Pilgrimage in the Hindu
Tradition,1984; A. W. Entwistle, Braj,
1987; Ann Grodzins Gold, Fruitful
Journeys,1988; and Peter van der Veer,
Gods on Earth,1988.
Tirtha Dashanami
One of the ten divisions of the
Dashanami Sanyasis, renunciant
asceticswho are devotees (bhakta) of
the god Shiva. The Dashanamis were
supposedly established by the ninth-
century philosopher Shankaracharya,
in an effort to create a corps of learned
men who could help revitalize Hindu
life. Each of the divisions is designated
by a different name—in this case, tirtha
(“sacred site”). On initiation, new mem-
bers are given this name as a surname to
their new ascetic names, thus allowing
for immediate group identification.
Aside from their individual identity,
these ten “named” divisions are divided
into four larger organizational groups.
Each group has its headquarters in
one of the four monastic centers
(maths) supposedly established by
Shankaracharya, as well as other partic-
ular religious associations. The Tirtha
Dashanamis belong to the Kitawara
group, which is affiliated with the
Sharada mathin the city of Dwaraka,
on the shore of the Arabian Sea. The
Tirtha division is unique in that it is one
of the few that will initiate only brah-
mins. (The other such divisions are
Saraswati, Ashrama, and part of the
Bharatiorder.)Tirtha Shraddha
Name for a particular type of shraddha
(ancestral memorial rite) performed
when visiting a pilgrimage place
(tirtha). A shraddha has two major fea-
tures: symbolically feeding one’s ances-
tor(s) by offeringballs of cooked grain
(pindas), and feeding real food to a
group of brahminsrepresenting one’s
ancestors. Tirtha shraddhas belong to a
class of action known as occasional
actions (naimittika karma) because
they are incumbent only under certain
conditions. Under ordinary circum-
stances one would not have to perform
this action, but it becomes required
when one visits a pilgrimage place. The
traditional pilgrimage literature, much
of it clearly written by the brahmins who
received such meals and other gifts, is
emphatic that this obligation should not
be neglected.Tirthayatra
(“Journey to a tirtha”) The general term
denoting religious pilgrimage, which is
seen as an act generating considerable
religious merit (punya). The major focus
of such travel was a visit to a “crossing
place” (tirtha), a sacred site or person
through which one could more easily
communicate with the worlds beyond.
One of the major themes in the tradi-
tional pilgrimage literature was the
inherent holiness of whatever place was
being described at that time, which
was invariably described as bringingTirthayatra