Current Issues in Tourism
Editor: C. Michael Hall (Department of Management, College of Business and Economics, University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand) and Chris Cooper (Foundation Professor of Tourism, University of Queensland, Australia) Michael and Chris are joint editor of the book series Aspects of Tourism. Reviews Editor John Jenkins (University of Newcastle, NSW, Australia)
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Volume: 7 Number: 1 Page: 44–65
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Religion, Heritage and Travel: Case References from the Indian Himalayas
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Sagar Singh
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Pilgrimage in India is almost as old as Indian civilisation. From detailed study of proto-historic archaeological sites, it is clear that the Hindu practice of mass bathing in rivers/tanks/reservoirs on
auspicious occasions dates back to, and derives from, similar practice in the Indus Valley/Harappan Civilisation, i.e. sometime between the third millennium and the first millennium before the Christian
era (BC) (Kaur, 1985; Misra, 1992; Sharma, 1983, 1987). There is little evidence of travel at that time, but the seeds of Indian pilgrimage were sown about then. Hindu pilgrimage has retained many common
features through time and space, including the practice of travelling to bathe and pray at sacred places, and it has some features that link it to folk traditions other than those that can be attributed
to the Indus Valley/Harappan Civilisation or of the so-called 'Aryans', who are supposed to have landed in India later. Therefore, a study of tribal and Hindu pilgrimages would clarify how religion, heritage
and travel are linked, and put pilgrimage and tourism in India in the correct perspective.
Keywords: ANTHROPOLOGY OF TOURISM, HINDU CULTURE, HIMALAYAN PILGRIMAGES
© Multilingual Matters 2004
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