The spiritual search of travellers to India: the philosophy and practice of a way of life (original) (raw)
Harald Pechlaner, Natalie Olbrich, & Giulia Isetti (eds.), Destination Conscience: Seeking Meaning and Purpose in the Travel Experience. Emerald Publishing Ltd., Leeds, UK. , 2024
The notion of deeper experiences of Hindu devotees inspired by divine images and sacred places has roots in the historical past, going back to the Vedic period (ca. 2500 BCE), where we find rich literature on performances, rituals and merits of pilgrimages. Considered the bridge between human beings and divinities, the experiences received are the resultant 'blissful fruit' (phala) that helps the spiritual healing of pilgrims through awakening conscience and understanding the manifested meanings, symbolism, purposes and gains. This system can be viewed concerning the ‘texts’ (the mythology, ancient text, and related narratives) and the ‘context’ (contemporality and living tradition). These rules and performances have regional perspectives of distinctions, but they also carry the sense of universality, i.e., locality (sthānic) and universality (sarvavyāpika) interfaces. The devout Hindus reflect their experiences in conception, perception, reception, and co-sharedness – altogether making the wholistic network of belief systems, i.e., the religious wholes in Hindu society. This chapter deals with four aspects: the historical and cultural contexts, the meanings and merits received, the motives and the journey and interfacing experiences. The study is based on the experiential and questionnaire-based exposition and interviews of pilgrims at nine holy places during 2015–2019 on various festive occasions and is illustrated with ancient texts and treatises. The sacred cities included are Prayagraj, Varanasi, Gaya, Ayodhya, Vindhyachal, Ganga Sagar, Chitrakut, Mathura Vrindavan, and Bodh Gaya. Keywords: Conscience, cultural context, experiential exposure, Hindu outlook, pilgrimages, ritual landscapes, sacred and profane, sacred time, tīrtha-yātrā, Sanātana Dharma.