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Yatra (Sanskrit: यात्रा, lit. 'journey, procession', IAST: Yātrā), in Indian-origin religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, generally means a pilgrimage[1] to holy places such as confluences of sacred rivers, sacred mountains, places associated with Hindu epics such as the Mahabharata and Ramayana, and other sacred pilgrimage sites.[2] Visiting a sacred place is believed by the pilgrim to purify the self and bring one closer to the divine.[3] The journey itself is as important as the destination, and the hardships of travel serve as an act of devotion in themselves.[4]
A tīrtha-yātrā is a pilgrimage to a sacred site.[5] Yatri is the term for anyone who undertakes the yatra.[5]
In present times, yatras are highly organized affairs, with specialized tourism companies catering to yatris. State governments are sometimes involved in the organization of annual yatras, stipulating numbers, registering yatris, and regulating yatri traffic.[6][7] The Hindu sacred month of Shravan is also the time of the annual Kanwar Yatra, the annual pilgrimage devotees of Shiva, known as Kanwaria, make to Hindu pilgrimage places of Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand to obtain water from the Ganges River. In 2003, 55 lakh (5.5 million) pilgrims visited Haridwar.[8] Other Tirtha pilgrimages are Char Dham Yatra, which involves Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri; Amarnath yatra in Jammu and Kashmir.
There are numerous pilgrimage sites in India[9] and elsewhere.
- ^ "Pada Yatra: Foot Pilgrimage from Jaffna to Kataragama". padayatra.org. Archived from the original on 2021-10-15. Retrieved 2021-10-03.
- ^ Juergensmeyer, Mark (2006). The Oxford Handbook of Global Religions. U.S.: Oxford University Press. ISBN 0-19-513798-1.
- ^ Timothy, Dallen J.; Daniel H. Olsen (2006). Tourism, Religion and Spiritual Journeys. Routledge. ISBN 0-415-35445-5.
- ^ Fowler, Jeaneane D. (1997). "Yatra: Pilgrimage". Hinduism: Beliefs and Practices. Sussex Academic Press. ISBN 1-898723-60-5.
- ^ a b Cite error: The named reference
:0was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Amarnath Yatra". Office of Divisional Commissioner, Jammu and Kashmir Government. Archived from the original on 2007-10-19.
- ^ Singh Ahluwalia, Manjit (1998). "Holy Chhari or Manimahesh Yatra". Social, Cultural and Economic History of Himachal Pradesh. Indus Publishing. ISBN 81-7387-089-6.
- ^ "SPOTLIGHT: The long walk for worship". Frontline. Vol. 21, no. 17. August 14–27, 2004. Archived from the original on 2010-08-06.
{{cite magazine}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ^ "List of Pilgrimage Sites in India". culturalindia.net. Archived from the original on 2021-10-03. Retrieved 2021-10-03.