in
Jerusalem according to tradition is the site where
Jesus was
crucified and
resurrected is one of the largest pilgrimage sites (
Marian shrine) in the world. , Ukraine In the spiritual literature of
Christianity, the concept of pilgrim and pilgrimage may refer to the experience of life in
the world (considered as a period of exile) or to the inner path of the spiritual aspirant from a state of wretchedness to a state of beatitude. Christian pilgrimage was first made to sites connected with the birth, life, crucifixion and resurrection of
Jesus. Aside from the early example of
Origen in the third century, surviving descriptions of Christian pilgrimages to the
Holy Land date from the 4th century, when pilgrimage was encouraged by church fathers including
Saint Jerome, and established by
Saint Helena, the mother of
Constantine the Great. Beginning in 1894, Christian ministers under the direction of
Charles Taze Russell were appointed to travel to and work with local
Bible Students congregations for a few days at a time; within a few years appointments were extended internationally, formally designated as "pilgrims", and scheduled for twice-yearly, week-long visits at each local congregation.
International Bible Students Association (IBSA) pilgrims were excellent speakers, and their local talks were typically well-publicized and well-attended. Prominent Bible Students
A. H. Macmillan and
J. F. Rutherford were both appointed pilgrims before they joined the board of directors of the
Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society of Pennsylvania; the IBSA later adopted the name
Jehovah's Witnesses and renamed pilgrims as
traveling overseers. The purpose of Christian pilgrimage was summarized by
Pope Benedict XVI in this way: Pilgrimages were, and are, also made to
Rome and other sites associated with the
apostles,
saints and
Christian martyrs, as well as to places where there have been
apparitions of the
Virgin Mary. A popular pilgrimage journey is along the
Way of St. James to the
Santiago de Compostela Cathedral, in
Galicia, Spain, where the
shrine of the apostle
James is located. A combined pilgrimage was held every seven years in the three nearby towns of
Maastricht,
Aachen and
Kornelimünster where many important relics could be seen (see:
Pilgrimage of the Relics, Maastricht). Marian pilgrimages remain very popular in
Latin America. The Catholic priest Frank Fahey writes that a pilgrim is "always in danger of becoming a tourist" and vice versa, and describes pilgrimages as journeys containing "faith expectancy", a search for wholeness, that are often solitary and employing silence to create an
internal sacred space. ==Hinduism== temple in
Robbinsville,
New Jersey, U.S., is evolving as the global mecca for Hindu pilgrimage. during
Prayag Kumbh Mela According to Karel Werner's
Popular Dictionary of Hinduism, "most
Hindu places of pilgrimage are associated with legendary events from the lives of various gods.... Almost any place can become a focus for pilgrimage, but in most cases they are sacred cities, rivers, lakes, and mountains." Hindus are encouraged to undertake pilgrimages during their lifetime, though this practice is not considered absolutely mandatory. Most Hindus visit sites within their region or locale. •
BAPS Robbinsville, New Jersey: The
Akshardham temple in
Robbinsville, New Jersey, U.S., is evolving as the global mecca for Hindu pilgrimage. •
Kumbh Mela: Kumbh Mela is one of the largest gatherings of humans in the world where pilgrims gather to bathe in a sacred or holy river. The location is rotated among
Prayagraj,
Haridwar,
Nashik, and
Ujjain. •
Char Dham (Four Holy pilgrimage sites): The famous four holy sites
Puri,
Rameswaram,
Dwarka, and
Badrinath (or alternatively the
Himalayan towns of
Badrinath,
Kedarnath,
Gangotri, and
Yamunotri) compose the
Char Dham (
four abodes) pilgrimage circuit. •
Kanwar Pilgrimage: The Kanwar is India's largest annual religious pilgrimage. As part of this phenomenon, millions of participants gather
sacred water from the
Ganga (usually in
Haridwar,
Gangotri,
Gaumukh, or
Sultanganj) and carry it across hundreds of miles to dispense as offerings in
Shiva shrines. •
Old Holy cities per Puranic Texts: Varanasi also known as Kashi (Shiva),
Prayagraj,
Haridwar-
Rishikesh (Vishnu),
Mathura-
Vrindavan (Krishna),
Pandharpur (
Vithoba),
Paithan,
Kanchipuram (Parvati),
Dwarka (Krishna) and
Ayodhya (Rama). •
Major Temple cities: Puri, which hosts a major
Vaishnava Jagannath temple and
Ratha Yatra celebration;
Katra, home to the
Vaishno Devi Temple; three comparatively recent temples of fame and huge pilgrimage are
Shirdi, home to
Sai Baba of Shirdi,
Tirumala - Tirupati, home to the
Tirumala Venkateswara Temple; and
Sabarimala, where
Ayyappan is worshipped. •
Shakta pithas: Another important set of pilgrimages includes the
Shakta pithas, where
the Mother Goddess is worshipped, the two principal ones being
Kalighat and
Kamakhya. •
Pancha Ishwarams - the five ancient Shiva temples of Sri Lanka from classical antiquity. • The
Murugan pilgrimage route of Sri Lanka, an ancient
Arunagirinathar-traversed Pada Yatra route of Tiruppadai temples includes the
Maviddapuram Kandaswamy Temple in
Kankesanturai, the
Nallur Kandaswamy temple in
Jaffna, the Pancha Ishwaram
Koneswaram temple in
Trincomalee, the
Verugal Murugan Kovil on the banks of the river
Verugal Aru, in
Verugal, Trincomalee District, the Mandur Kandaswamy temple of
Mandur (Sri Lanka),
Thirukkovil Sithira Velayutha Swami Kovil, in
Thirukkovil,
Batticaloa, the
Arugam Bay and
Panamai in Amparai district, the
Ukanthamalai Murugan Kovil, in
Okanda,
Kumana National Park and then through the park and
Tissamaharama to the deity's holiest site,
Kataragama temple,
Katirkamam, in southern Sri Lanka.
Hindu pilgrimage destinations may be holy cities (
Varanasi,
Badrinath);
rivers (the
Ganges, the
Yamuna); mountains (several
Himalayan peaks are sacred to both Hindus and Buddhists); caves (such as the
Batu Caves near
Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia); temples; festivals, such as the peripatetic
Kumbh Mela, in 2001 the biggest public gathering in history; or the tombs and dwelling places of saints (
Alandi,
Shirdi). ==Islam==