pilgrimage

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pilgrimage (dict)

A pilgrimage is a journey by a religious person to a place that is sacred according to his or her religion.

Pilgrimage in Hinduism

The first four sites in the list above together comprise the Chardham, or four holy pilgrimage destinations. It is believed that travelling to these places leads to moksha, the release from samsara (cycle of rebirths). Vrindavan is most important place of pilgrimage for every Vaishnava, especially for the followers of Gaudiya Vaishnavism who regard Krishna as the original Personality of Godhead (God). Here one can attain love of God (prema).

Pilgrimage in Buddhism

Gautama Buddha spoke of four holy sites that followers may seek.

Lumbini birth place
Sarnath (formally Isipathana) where he delivered his first teaching
Bodh Gaya place of Enlightenment
Kusinara (now Kusinagar, India) where he passed away

Tibetan buddhist pilgrimages include:

Lhasa, capital of Tibet and traditional home of the Dalai Lama
Mount Kailash
Lake Nam-tso

Pilgrimage in Judaism

See related article Three pilgrim festivals. Within Judaism, the Temple in Jerusalem was the center of the Jewish religion, until its destruction in 70 AD, and all who were able were under obligation to visit and offer sacrifices known as the korbanot, particularly during the Jewish holidays in Jerusalem. Following the destruction of the Second Temple and the onset of the diaspora, the centrality of pilgrimage to Jerusalem in Judaism was discontinued. In its place came prayers and rituals hoping for a reurn to Zion, see Jerusalem, Jews and Judaism.

Pilgrimage in Christianity

Pilgrimages were first made to sites connected with the life, birth and crucifixion of Jesus. Surviving descriptions of Christian pilgrimages to the Holy Land date from the 4th century, when pilgrimage was encouraged by church fathers like Saint Jerome. Pilgrimages also began to be made to Rome and other sites associated with the Apostles, Saints and Christian martyrs, as well as to places where there have been alleged apparitions of the Virgin Mary. The major Christian pilgrimage sites are:

Jerusalem, Israel and West Bank. Site of the teaching, trial and crucifixion of Jesus.
Rome Site of the deaths of Saint Peter, Saint Paul and other early martyrs. Headquarters of the Catholic Church.
Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Famous medieval pilgrimage, the Way of St James, to the shrine of Saint James.

Other important Christian pilgrimage sites include:

Bethlehem, Israeli occupied, under PNA. Birthplace of Jesus and King David.
Canterbury associated with St. Thomas Beckett
Croagh Patrick, Ireland. Saint Patrick.
Conques, France
Cologne, Germany. Relics of the Three Kings.
Czestochowa, Poland. Virgin Mary image.
Fatima, Portugal. Apparition of the Virgin Mary.
Glastonbury, England. St Joseph of Arimathea.
Guadalupe, Spain.
Shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe, Mexico City. Apparition of the Virgin Mary.
Kevelaer, Germany
Knock, Ireland
Lisieux, France. Saint Therese of Lisieux, burial place.
Lourdes, France. Apparition of the Virgin Mary. Place of healing.
Mount Athos, Greece. Orthodox monastic centre.
Mount Nebo, Jordan. Traditional site of the death of Moses.
Mount Sinai, Egypt, holy mountain to the ancient Hebrews, traditional site has been commemorated since time of Constantine
Nazareth, Israel, hometown of Jesus
St. Patrick's Purgatory, Donegal, Ireland
Taiz Community, France, modern monastery that actively encourages pilgrimages to it
Nidaros, Norway
Turin, Italy. Holy Shroud.
Sea of Galilee, Israel, site of Jesus' early ministry.
Vierzehnheiligen, Germany.
Walsingham, England. Virgin Mary apparition site.
Wittenberg, Germany. Church of Martin Luther and epicenter of the Protestant Reformation.

Pilgrimage in Islam

Pilgrimage to Mecca – the hajj – is one of the Five Pillars of Islam. It should be attempted at least once in the lifetime of all able-bodied Muslims. In addition to that most of the Shiite Muslims undertake a pilgrimage to the holy city of Mashhad in northeastern part of Iran.

Pilgrimage in the Bah' Faith

Bah'u'llh decreed pilgrimage in His Motherbook (Kitb-i-Aqdas) to two places: the House of Bah'u'llh in Baghdad, Iraq, and the House of the Bb in Shiraz, Iran. In two separate Tablets, known as Suriy-i-Hajj, He prescribed specific rites for each of these pilgrimages (lifting the injunction regarding the shaving of one's head for pilgrimage in the Kitb-i-Aqdas). It is obligatory to make the pilgrimage, "if one can afford it and is able to do so, and if no obstacle stands in one's way". Bah's are free to choose between the two Houses, as either has been deemed sufficient. And although women are not bound to perform pilgrimage, they are certainly not prohibited to do so. Later, `Abdu'l-Bah designated the Shrine of Bah'u'llh at Bahji (the Qiblih) as a site of visitation. No rites have been prescribed for this.

Pilgrimage in the Ancient World

Many ancient religions had holy sites, temples and groves, where pilgrimages were made.

Karnak, Egypt.
Thebes, Egypt.
Delphi, Greece. Oracle.
Ephesus Temple of Diana.
Baalbek Lebanon.

Pilgrimage in Mesoamerica

The concept of pilgrimage was also found in Pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. Important pilgrimage sites included:

Teotihuacan (still visited centuries after its buildings fell to ruin), said to be where the gods gathered to plan the creation of mankind
Chichen Itza, especially the sacred cenote, a natural well sacred to the rain god Chac, into which sacrifices were thrown.
Izamal, sacred to the creator god Itzamna
Cozumel, sacred to Ix Chel, goddess of the moon and childbirth.