PrabhuBhakti Blog

Unity in diversity adds to the beauty of people of India and this diversity in customs and traditions followed by Indians since ages have contributed significantly in shaping up Hinduism and various Hindu rituals. Interaction between the members of different ethnicities resulted in creation of “Vedism” which believes in worshipping the trinity of Rain, Sun and Fire Gods. In course of time, a wide variety of religious beliefs and customs, ranging from the simple animistic worship of nature spirits in the rock, tree and river to highly codified rituals, carved their niches in the liberal platform of Hinduism.

This interesting co-existence of two approaches has left its impact on Hindu pilgrimages;. Hindu Pilgrimages are often located at the heart of the nature with the presence of one or many of the natural objects like caves, rivers etc which shows the animistic philosophy followed by the Hindu. Importance of rituals, the second important approach of Hinduism practitioners can be observed by travelling to Hindu pilgrimages.

Shiva the destroyer, Vishnu the nurturer and Shakti the creator are three main gods worshipped by the modern Hindu religious devotees. Hindu sacred places are often linked with the blessings of this trinity worshipped by the majority of devotees. Rameswaram and Tirupati in the South, Puri in the East, Badrinath, Vrindaban, Haridwar and Kumbh Mela in the North are associated with the power and glory of Lord Vishnu or His incarnations. Similarly, Lord Shiva is believed to dwell and bless the devotees visiting the sacred shrines of Kedarnath and Amarnath. Shakti, another of the main Hindu gods is associated with the holy Viashno devi cave. Balaji is another popular destination for pilgrims who believe in Lord Hanuman and sing his praise through Hanuman Chalisa.

Among the other sought after Hindu pilgrimage sites, the notable are Gangotri and Yamunatri, the sources of rivers Ganga and Yamuna respectively. The other major places of Hindu Pilgrimage include Varanasi, Nava Graha Sthala temples of nine planets, Maths started by Sri Shankracharya , the shakti peeth temples, Panch Bhutha linga temple and yes visit to 7 religious rivers of India namely Ganga , Yamuna , Godavari, Saraswati, Sarayu, Kaveri and Narmada.