PILGRIMAGE IN INDIA: ORIGINS, TRADITIONS, FEATURES

Abstract

The article considers the Indian pilgrimage as an important part of the religious life of adherents of the traditional religions of India. The problems of occurrence and development of this phenomenon are analyzed. Numerous examples show the diversity of pilgrimage in India. It is noted that the activities and heritage of pilgrims are an important material for studying the culture of this civilization. The most visited religious objects are singled out: seven sacral cities, Kumbh-Mela centers, Himalayan shrines, special sacred temples, seven sacred rivers, relics, burial places, and places for cremation of the departed Masters. For hundreds of millions of believers in India, a reverent attitude to the object of worship serves the accumulation of grace, and this or that righteous person is an intercessor who helps a person break the cycle of rebirth.

The purpose of the research is to reveal the peculiarities of Indian pilgrimage, to show the influence of historical, geographical, cultural factors on their formation. This work can be useful for solving pressing problems of interaction with representatives of the world of a deeply spiritual Indian civilization.