Yatra

Yatra (, ), in Indian-origin religions, Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism, generally means a pilgrimage 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. Visiting a sacred place is believed by the pilgrim to purify the self and bring one closer to the divine. The journey itself is as important as the destination, and the hardships of travel serve as an act of devotion in themselves.

A is a pilgrimage to a sacred site. Yatri is the term for anyone who undertakes the yatra.

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. 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. 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 and elsewhere.

Types of yatras

Reasons for going on a yatra may be in response to one's prayers being fulfilled.

In order of importance, in India there are 7 Sapta Puri holy cities, 4 Dhams (Char Dham) and 12 Jyotirlings devoted to Shiva, 51 Shakta pithas devoted to the feminine manifestation of the god, and the important Rama circuit (Ayodhya, Chitrakoot, Hampi and Rameswaram) and Krishna circuit (Braj, Kurukshetra and Dwarka).

Holiest cities: Sapta Puri are Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Varanasi, Kanchipuram, Ujjain and Dwarka. Kurukshetra, includes Jyotisar where Bhagavad Gita was revealed, is another holy city.

Holy rivers: The ghats of holiest rivers are sacred, including Ganges, Yamuna, Sarasvati River (Ghaggar River), Narmada etc.

Holy mountains: such as Mount Kailash, Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri, Sarasvatotri, etc.

Holy tirthas (places): such as Char Dham and Himalayan Chota Char Dham (Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri), and Varanasi, Prayagraj, Haridwar-Rishikesh, Mathura-Vrindavan, Ayodhya, Ujjain, Dwarka and Rameswaram. See also Tirtha and Kshetra. Shakambhari temple Saharanpur, Uttar Pradesh Sacred river circuit: Yatra to and parikrama of sacred rivers include Ganges, Yamuna, Sarasvati, Narmada, etc.

Holy fairs and Hindu festivals: The Kumbh Mela (the "pitcher festival") is one of the holiest of Hindu pilgrimages that is held four times every 12 years rotating among the four cities of Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik, and Ujjain. The Mahamaham in temple town of Kumbakonam is also celebrated once in 12 years. Annual Gita Mahotsav at Kurukshetra, Shravani Mela at Deoghar, and Pitrapaksha Mela at Gaya are also notable holy fairs.

Holy temples: Examples are the Char Dham of Rameswaram, Dwarka, Puri and Badrinath; Katra, home to the Vaishno Devi temple; Puri is home to the Vaishnava Jagannath temple and Rath Yatra celebration; Tirumala – Tirupati, home to the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple; Sabarimala home to Swami Ayyappan; the 108 Divya Desams; the Shakta pithas; the twelve Maha Jyotirlingas; the seven Sapta Puri; the Pancha Bhoota Stalam.

Holy processions: 'Yatra' can also be described as a procession, or any festival which figures a procession, such as Kanwar Yatra and Rath Yatra. In Rath Yatra, chariots are pulled in parade down the streets of Puri in Orissa. In modern times the word can be used to denote marches or demonstrations, for political, environmental or societal causes. The terms 'jatra' and 'zatra' are derived from yatra.

Holy deities: Kuladaivat Hindu families have their own family patron deity. This deity is common to a lineage, a clan or a locality.

Samadhis (shrines) of Sadhus (Saints): Alandi, Samadhi of Dnyaneshwar: Mantralayam, samadhi of Raghavendra Tirtha, Belur Math which enshrine that holy remains of Sri Ramakrishna, Sri Sarada Devi, Swami Vivekananda Puri, and other direct Disciples of Sri Ramakrishna, Tulsi Ghat, Varanasi where Saint Tulsidas left his mortal coil, Samadhi Mandir of Saint Kabir at Gorakhpur, near Varanasi, Panchaganga Ghat, Varanasi where Trailanga Swami lived and left his mortal body, Karar Ashram, Puri where Swami Sri Yukteswar Giri, attained the Mahasamadhi.Yogananda, Paramahansa (1997). Autobiography of a Yogi, 1997 Anniversary Edition p. 383. Self-Realization Fellowship (Founded by Yogananda) http://www.yogananda-srf.org/ ,

Important national pilgrimage circuits of Indic-religions

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.

Hindu circuit, many of which are also related to greatest Hindu empires and dynasties. Fairs and festivals Kumbh Mela Barahachhetra – a semi-Kumbh Mela in Sunsari Nepal Mahamaham – the Tamil Kumbh Mela Gita Mahotsav Maghi – a Sikh festival recognised by Guru Amar Das Pushkaram – the river festivals of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana Pushkar Fair – the springtime fair in Rajasthan, includes the tradition of a dip in the Pushkar lake Krishna circuit: This prikarma entails the Vraja Parikrama, 48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra, Dwarka, Bhalka (place of death of Krishna). Rama circuit – Ram Van Gaman Path: This prikarma entails Ayodhya, Chitrakoot, Hampi and Rameswaram. Sapta Puri, 7 holiest Hindu cities in India viz. Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Varanasi, Kanchipuram, Ujjain, Dwarka. Shakta pithas Shiva circuits Char Dham, holiest pilgrimage circuit of 4 sites viz. Badrinath, Dwaraka, Puri and Rameswaram. Chota Char Dham, smaller pilgrimage circuit of 4 sites in Uttarakhand viz. Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarnath, and Badrinath. Maha Jyotirlinga, 12 holiest Shiva lingam temples in India. Mount Kailash and Lake Manasarovar yatra circuit. Buddha circuit: These prikarma entails the following: places Lord Buddha stayed, Buddhist pilgrimage sites in India and Nepal which cover prominent historic Buddhist sites at Lumbini, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Sravasti (Jetavana), Rajgir Hills, Kurukshetra (Bodh Stupa on bank of Brahma Sarovar, pilgrimage undertaken by Buddha), Shrughna (Yamunanagar, vihara visited by Buddha for sermon), Adi Badri (saraswati udgam sthal and vihara visited by Buddha), Parinirvana Stupa (place of death and nirvana of Buddha at Kushinagar, and Sankissa. Japan has but many Buddhism related pilgrim yatras, such as Shikoku Pilgrimage, eighty-eight temples pilgrimage in the Shikoku island, Japan 100 Kannon Pilgrimage. Sikh circuit: This prikarma entails the following: Panj Takht, namely Golden Temple, Takht Sri Patna Sahib, Nanded Hazur Sahib, Takht Sri Damdama Sahib Bhatinda, and Anandpur Sahib. Guru Nanak's birth and death places at Gurdwara Janam Asthan and Kartarpur Corridor (both in Pakistan), his travels called udasi. Martyrs's places at Gurudwara Sis Ganj Sahib and Fatehgarh Sahib of martyrdom of Guru Tegh Bahadur and children of Guru Gobind Singh respectively by Muslim rulers for refusing to convert to Islam. Place of pilgrims by Sikh Gurus: Kurukshetra, Kapal Mochan, Paonta Sahib, etc. Capitals of important Sikh states: Lahore (capital of largest Sikh state of Maharaja Ranjit Singh) and Lohgarh (capital of Sikh state founded by Baba Banda Bahadur in Yamunanagar). Fateh Burj at Chapar Chiri where Banda bahadur defeated mughals in Battle of Chappar Chiri and avenged murder of Sikh gurus and their children. Jain circuit: Many of the Jain tirthas are related to the Tirthankara, or they are among the newly constructed largest Jain temples.

Famous yatras

48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra

48 kos parikrama of Kurukshetra, phrase meaning a 48 kos circumambulation parikrama of various Mahabharata-related and other pilgrimage sites, around the holy city of Kurukshetra in the state of Haryana, India. Within Kurukshetra, along with Brahma Sarovar, other important sites are Jyotisar (place of "Gitaupadesha" – the first Upadeśa or discourse of Bhagavad Gita by Krishna)Jyotisar Kurukshetra district website. and Sannihit Sarovar (Hindu genealogy registers of Kurukshetra are kept here). 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" in Mathura, Uttar Pradesh and "Dwarka parkarma" (Dwarkadish yatra) at Dwarkadhish Temple in Gujarat.

84 Kosi Parikrama

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 of Uttar 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 of Chaitra.

Mithila Madhya Parikrama

Mithila Madhya Parikrama is an annual fifteen days journey of the central part of ancient Mithila. It is the ancient circular circuit of the capital city of Mithila. In Treta Yuga, Lord Rama and Princess Sita took a circle journey of the capital of Mithila after their marriage in the court of King Janaka in Mithila. This Yatra is held every year in the month of Falgun in Hindu calendar.

Sitamarhi Dham Parikrama

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.

Amarnath Yatra

The Amarnath Temple in Jammu and Kashmir is dedicated to Shiva, one of the trinity of gods. The temple is on Amarnath Peak, and is among the most famous shrines in Hinduism. Every year inside the main Amarnath cave an ice Shiva lingam 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.

Brij Yatra

Vraja Parikrama circuit of pilgrimage was formally established by the 16th century sadhus of vaishnava sampradaya with fixed routes, itinerary and rituals. The circuit covers is spread across 2500 km2 area with 84 kos 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 sites Nandgaon and Barsana with travel on foot.Janet Cochrane, 2008, Asian Tourism: Growth and Change , page 249.

Char Dham Yatra