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Yatra (Sanskrit:यात्रा,lit. 'journey, procession',IAST:Yātrā), inIndian-origin religions, Hinduism, Buddhism,Jainism andSikhism, generally means a pilgrimage[1] to holy places such as confluences ofsacred rivers,sacred mountains, places associated with Hindu epics such as theMahabharata andRamayana, andother 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]
Atīrtha-yātrā is apilgrimage to asacred 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 ofShravan is also the time of the annualKanwar Yatra, the annual pilgrimage devotees ofShiva, known asKanwaria, make to Hindu pilgrimage places ofHaridwar,Gaumukh andGangotri inUttarakhand to obtain water from theGanges River. In 2003, 55 lakh (5.5 million) pilgrims visited Haridwar.[8] OtherTirtha pilgrimages areChar Dham Yatra, which involvesBadrinath,Kedarnath,Gangotri, andYamunotri;Amarnath yatra inJammu and Kashmir.
There are numerous pilgrimage sites in India[9] andelsewhere.
Reasons for going on a yatra may be in response to one's prayers being fulfilled.[10]
In order of importance, in India there are 7Sapta Puri holy cities, 4 Dhams (Char Dham) and 12Jyotirlings devoted toShiva, 51Shakti Pithas devoted to the feminine manifestation of the god, and the importantRama circuit (Ayodhya,Chitrakoot,Hampi andRameswaram) and Krishna circuit (Braj,Kurukshetra andDwarka).
Holiest cities:Sapta Puri areAyodhya,Mathura,Haridwar,Varanasi,Kanchipuram,Ujjain andDwarka.[citation needed]Kurukshetra, includesJyotisar whereBhagavad Gita was revealed, is another holy city.[citation needed]
Holy rivers: Theghats of holiest rivers are sacred, includingGanges,Yamuna,Sarasvati River (Ghaggar River),Narmada etc.[citation needed]
Holy mountains: such asMount Kailash,[11]Badrinath,Kedarnath,Gangotri, andYamunotri,Sarasvatotri, etc.
Holytirthas (places): such asChar Dham andHimalayanChota Char Dham (Badrinath,Kedarnath,Gangotri, andYamunotri),[12] andVaranasi,Prayagraj,Haridwar-Rishikesh,Mathura-Vrindavan,Ayodhya,Ujjain,Dwarka andRameswaram.[13] See alsoTirtha and Kshetra.Shakambhari temple Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh
Holy fairs andHindu festivals: TheKumbh Mela (the "pitcher festival") is one of the holiest of Hindu pilgrimages that is held four times every 12 years[14] rotating among the four cities ofPrayagraj,Haridwar,Nashik, andUjjain. TheMahamaham in temple town ofKumbakonam is also celebrated once in 12 years. AnnualGita Mahotsav atKurukshetra,Shravani Mela atDeoghar, andPitrapaksha Mela atGaya are also notable holy fairs.
Holy temples: Examples are theChar Dham ofRameswaram,Dwarka,Puri andBadrinath;Katra, home to theVaishno Devi temple;Puri home toVaishnavaJagannath temple andRath Yatra celebration;[15]Tirumala - Tirupati, home to theTirumala Venkateswara Temple;Sabarimala home toSwami Ayyappan; the 108Divya Desams; theShakti Peethas; the twelveMaha Jyotirlingas; the sevenSapta Puri; thePancha Bhoota Stalam.
Holy processions: 'Yatra' can also be described as a procession, or any festival which figures a procession, such asKanwar Yatra andRath Yatra. In Rath Yatra, chariots are pulled in parade down the streets ofPuri inOrissa. In modern times the word can be used to denote marches or demonstrations, for political, environmental or societal causes.[16][17][18] The terms 'jatra' and 'zatra' are derived from yatra.
Holy deities:Kuladaivat Hindu families have their own family patron deity.[19] This deity is common to a lineage, a clan or a locality.
Samadhis (shrines) ofSadhus (Saints):Alandi, Samadhi of Dnyaneshwar:Mantralayam, samadhi ofRaghavendra Tirtha,Belur Math which enshrine that Holy remains ofSri Ramakrishna,Sri Sarada Devi,Swami Vivekananda Puri, and other direct Disciples of Sri Ramakrishna,Tulsi Ghat,Varanasi where SaintTulsidas left his mortal coil, Samadhi Mandir of SaintKabir atGorakhpur, nearVaranasi, Panchaganga Ghat, Varanasi whereTrailanga Swami lived and left his mortal body, Karar Ashram,Puri whereSwami Sri Yukteswar Giri, attained the Mahasamadhi.[20]
A yatra or pilgrimage across a much larger area covering multiple faraway cities or sites, related to a specific deity or theme, are called the "circuit". Three most important Hindu-Buddhist "Rahtriya yatra" (national pilgrimage circuit) are related to the important figures such as Rama, Krishna, Buddha, and Guru Nanak, where they had personally visited are as follows.
48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra, phrase meaning a 48kos circumambulationparikrama of variousMahabharata-related and other pilgrimage sites, around the holy city ofKurukshetra in the state ofHaryana, India.[21][22][23][24] Within Kurukshetra, along with Brahma Sarovar, other important sites areJyotisar (place of"Gitaupadesha" - the firstUpadeśa or discourse ofBhagavad Gita by Krishna)[25][26] andSannihit Sarovar (Hindu genealogy registers of Kurukshetra are kept here).[27] Since this is a site associated with the Mahabharata, it is an important place of pilgrimage for Hindus. It is one of 3 main pilgrimage sites related to"Krishna" circuit. The other two being,"Braj parikarma" inMathura,Uttar Pradesh and "Dwarka parkarma" (Dwarkadish yatra) atDwarkadhish Temple inGujarat.
The 84-Kosi Yatra is a tradition in Hindu religion that has been there for thousands of years with the belief that it gives deliverance to the performer from the cycle of 84-Lakh Yonis (the cycle of birth and death). According to Hindu belief, the king of Ayodhya performed the "yagna" in the "treta period" at a place in Makhurha in Basti district ofUttar Pradesh which included circumnavigating the six districts in the region. Some religious leaders believe that the right place to start the parikrama should be Basti instead of Ayodhya. According to some, the dates for 84-Kosi Yatra are fixed and takes place in the month ofChaitra.
Mithila Madhya Parikrama is an annual fifteen days journey of the central part of ancientMithila. It is the ancient circular circuit of the capital city of Mithila. InTreta Yuga,Lord Rama and PrincessSita took a circle journey of the capital of Mithila after their marriage in the court of KingJanaka in Mithila. This Yatra is held every year in the month ofFalgun in Hindu calendar.
Sitamarhi Dham Parikrama is an annual nineteen days spiritual journey of some Hindu religious destinations in the region of the Sitamarhi district. It is organised to aware the importance of the Janaki Navami festival.
TheAmarnath Temple in Jammu and Kashmir is dedicated to Shiva, one of the trinity of gods. The temple is onAmarnath Peak, and is among the most famous shrines in Hinduism. Every year inside the main Amarnath cave an ice Shivalingam forms, along with two other ice formations representing Ganesha and Parvati. Amarnath yatra is held every year to pay homage to Shiva and Parvati. The temple is a very popular yatra destination for Hindus; about four lakh people visit during the season.
Vraja Parikrama circuit of pilgrimage was formally established by the 16th centurysadhus ofvaishnava sampradaya with fixed routes, itinerary and rituals. The circuit covers is spread across 2500 km2 area with 84kos or 300 km long periphery extending 10 km to east and 50 km to north and west. Braj has two main types of pilgrimage circuits, the traditional longer"Braj Yatra" encompassing the whole circuit, and the other shorter significantly modified contemporary point-to-point pilgrimage to visit the main sites at Mathura, Vrindavan,Gokul,Govardhan. The former, longer traditional pilgrimage route, also includes additional sacred sitesNandgaon andBarsana with travel on foot.[28]
TheChardham or "four divine abodes" includes four major pilgrimage places in India. These includeBadrinath in the Himalayas,Dwarka in the west,Jagannath Puri in the east, andRameshwaram in the south.[5] The Char Dham is often considered the most revered sites for Hindus that have to be visited in one's lifetime. There is aChota Char Dham as well includes Yamunotri, Gangotri, Badrinath, andKedarnath situated inGarhwal Himalayas.
Deoghar means abode of the gods and goddesses. It is also known as Baidyanath Dham or Baba Dham situated on the eastern side ofJharkhand. TheBaidyanath Temple is located here containing one of the twelve ShivaJyothirlingams in India.[5] The pilgrims carry the holy water of holy river Ganges fromSultanganj's and offered to the Jyotirlingam of Shiva at Deoghar. These pilgrims called Kanwariya, reciting Bol Bam on the way of walk 109 km, The march of Kanwariya start during the holy month of Shravan the wet season each year in India.Shravani Mela is the most celebrated 30-day festival inBaidyanath Temple Temple of Jharkhand.
Mansarovar is a fresh-water lake inTibet near MountKailash, and both are places of pilgrimage attracting religious people from India and neighboring countries. The mountain is considered a sacred place in four religions: Hinduism, Buddhism,Jainism, andBon. According to Hindu mythology mount Kailash is the abode of Shiva and circumambulating Mount Kailash on foot is a holy ritual.[5] Another lake called LakeRakshastal lying close to the west of Lake Manasarovar and The Great Mount Kailash. These lakes are the source of theBrahmaputra River and theKarnali River, a tributary of the river Ganges.
TheKanwar Yatra is an annual pilgrimage of devotees of Shiva, known asKānwarias, to Hindu pilgrimage places of Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand and Sultanganj in Bihar to fetch holy waters of Ganges River. Millions of participants gathersacred water from the Ganga and carry it across hundreds of miles to dispense as offerings in their local Śhiva shrines, or specific temples such as Pura Mahadeva and Augharnath temple in Meerut, and Kashi Vishwanath, Baidyanath, and Deoghar in Jharkhand.[29]
AtKashi Yatra, it is customary for every Hindu to undergo Kashi yatra on barefoot. Pilgrims also visitGaya to doGaya Shraddha to their ancestors. Details regarding how to perform various rituals, the greatness of Kashi Kshetra.[30] Importance of Kashi yatra is said inKasi-Khand ofSkanda Purana.[clarification needed]
Pandharpur yatra is one of the most popular festivals in India.[citation needed] The annual yatra to the famousVithoba temple atPandharpur is held every year during the month of June and July. Thousands of pilgrims come to Pandharpur carryinglitters with the images ofJñāneśvar fromAlandi,Tukaram fromDehu,Eknath fromPaithan, andNivruttinath fromTrimbakeshwar. These pilgrims are referred to asVarkaris.
Among theRatha Yatra at various sacred sites, the most popular one isJagannath Rath jatra at Puri in Odisha. Other popular Rath Yatras areDhamrai Jagannath Roth,Rathayatra of Mahesh,Manipur Ratha Yatra in Manipur which was started in 19th century andISKCON Ratha Yatra in more than 100 places across the world.
The Festival of Chariots ofJagannatha is held every year at Puri in the state of Orissa. The ten-day ratha yatra commemorates Jagannath's annual visit to Gundicha Mata's temple a short distance away. Thousands of pilgrims come to Puri during the festival with a desire to help pull Jagannath's chariot with ropes. This is the only day when devotees who are normally not allowed in the temple premises, such as non-Hindus and foreigners, can get their glimpse of the deities.
Spiritual Yatra Packages
