Pilgrimage


Today we discussed the idea of a pilgrimage: a religious journey to a sacred place. 

Several students pointed out that a pilgrimage is a physical way for religious believers to experience the long, difficult, spiritual struggle of religious belief.

In Hinduism, many believers take a pilgrimage to the Ganges River.  Hindus believe that the water in the Ganges helps to cleanse a person's spirit. The pilgrims bathe in the river, and they also put the ashes of the deceased into the river.


Two students asked why the Ganges River, in particular, is so sacred to Hindus.  Aren't there some other rivers in India -- couldn't they be sacred, too?

This is a fantastic question.  My understanding is that the Ganges River was especially important in the birth of Indian civilization (similar to the Tigris, the Euphrates, the Nile and the Huang He Rivers in each of their civilizations).

The fertile soil along the Ganges enabled the early Indians to grow crops and develop cities.

Ever since those prehistoric times, Hindus have viewed the Ganges as a life-sustaining force, and they have associated it closely with their religious beliefs.

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