Yatra
Encyclopedia
in Hinduism
and other Indian religions, generally means pilgrimage to holy places such as confluences of sacred rivers, places associated with Hindu epics such as the Mahabharata
and Ramayana
, and other sacred pilgrimage sites. Tīrtha-yātrā refers to a pilgrimage
to a holy site
, and is generally undertaken in groups. One who goes on a yatra is known as a yatri.
A yatra is a kamya ritual
; it is desirable, but not obligatory, for a Hindu to perform it. One can go on a yatra for a variety of reasons, including festivals, to perform rituals for one's ancestors, or to obtain good karma
. To traditional Hindus, the journey itself is as important as the destination, and the hardships of travel serve as an act of devotion in themselves. Visiting a sacred place is believed by the pilgrim to purify the self and bring one closer to the divine.
In present times, yatras are highly organised affairs, with specialised tourism
companies catering to the need of yatris. State
governments are sometimes involved in the organisation of annual yatras, stipulating numbers, registering yatri
s, and regulating yatri traffic. The Hindu sacred month of Shravan
is also the time of the annual Kanwar Yatra
, the annual pilgrimage of devotees of Shiva
, known as Kanwaria make to Hindu pilgrimage places of Haridwar
, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand
to fetch holy waters of Ganges River
, way back in 2003, 55 lakh pilgrims reach Haridwar. Other important Tirtha
pilgrimages are Char Dham
Yatra, which involve Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri
; Amarnath yatra in Jammu and Kashmir
.
, where 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.
Amarnath Yatra: The Amarnth temple located in Jammu and Kashmir is dedicated to one of the holy trinity God “Lord Shiva“. The temple is situated on Amarnath mountain and Amarnath caves are most famous shrines in Hinduism. Every year inside the main Amarnath cave an Ice Shiva Lingam forms, along with two other ice formations representing Shri Ganesh and Maa Parvati. Amarnath yatra is held every year to pay homage to Lord Shiva and Maa parvati. The temple is a very popular yatra destination for Hindus, about 4 lakh people visit during the season.
Pandharpur Yatra: The Palkhi Festival Of Maharashtra is one of the most popular festivals in India. The annual Pandharpur Yatra to the famous vithoba temple at Pandarpur held every year during the month of June and July. Thousands of pilgrims come to Pandharpur with carry Palkhis with the images of the saints of Maharashtra Sant Dyaneshwar from Alandi, Sant Tukaram’s from Dehu, Eknath’s from Paithan, and Nivruttinath’s from Trimbakeshwar. These pilgrims are referred to as Warkaris, they worship Vithoba an incarnation of Vishnu.
Ratha Yatra: The Festival of Chariots of Lord Jagannatha, held every year at Puri in the tribal state of Orissa. The 10 day’s ratha yatra is commemorates Lord Jagannath’s, annual visit to Gundicha mata’s temple a short distance away. Thousands of pilgrims come to puri during the festival with an desire to help pull Lords chariot with ropes. This is the only day when devotees who are not allowed in the temple premises such as non-Hindus and foreigners, can get their glimpse of the deities.
Deoghar Yatra: Om Namah Shivai ! Deoghar means abode of the Gods and Goddesses, It is also known as Baidyanath Dham or Baba Dham situated on the eastern side of Jharkhand. It is an important Hindu pilgrimage center having Baidyanath Temple one of the twelve Lord Shiva Jyothirlingams in India. The pilgrims carry the holy water of holy river Ganges from Sultanganj’s and offered to the Jyotirlingam of Lord 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 in Deoghar Baidyanath Temple of Jharkhand.
Char Dham Yatra: The Chardham belongs to four pilgrimage places in India, They are Badrinath, Dwarka, Jagannath Puri, and Rameshwaram. The Char Dham are often considered the most revered sites for Hindus that have to be visited in one’s lifetime. There is a Chota Char Dham as well inculdes Yamunotri, Gangotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath situated in Garhwal Himalayas.
Hinduism
Hinduism is the predominant and indigenous religious tradition of the Indian Subcontinent. Hinduism is known to its followers as , amongst many other expressions...
and other Indian religions, generally means pilgrimage to holy places such as confluences of sacred rivers, places associated with Hindu epics such as the Mahabharata
Mahabharata
The Mahabharata is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India and Nepal, the other being the Ramayana. The epic is part of itihasa....
and Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
, and other sacred pilgrimage sites. Tīrtha-yātrā refers to a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...
to a holy site
Tirtha
In Jainism, a tīrtha |ford]], a shallow part of a body of water that may be easily crossed") is used to refer both to pilgrimage sites as well as to the four sections of the sangha...
, and is generally undertaken in groups. One who goes on a yatra is known as a yatri.
A yatra is a kamya ritual
Ritual
A ritual is a set of actions, performed mainly for their symbolic value. It may be prescribed by a religion or by the traditions of a community. The term usually excludes actions which are arbitrarily chosen by the performers....
; it is desirable, but not obligatory, for a Hindu to perform it. One can go on a yatra for a variety of reasons, including festivals, to perform rituals for one's ancestors, or to obtain good karma
Karma
Karma in Indian religions is the concept of "action" or "deed", understood as that which causes the entire cycle of cause and effect originating in ancient India and treated in Hindu, Jain, Buddhist and Sikh philosophies....
. To traditional Hindus, the journey itself is as important as the destination, and the hardships of travel serve as an act of devotion in themselves. Visiting a sacred place is believed by the pilgrim to purify the self and bring one closer to the divine.
In present times, yatras are highly organised affairs, with specialised tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
companies catering to the need of yatris. State
States and territories of India
India is a federal union of states comprising twenty-eight states and seven union territories. The states and territories are further subdivided into districts and so on.-List of states and territories:...
governments are sometimes involved in the organisation of annual yatras, stipulating numbers, registering yatri
Yatri
Yatri, Kathryn Taussig, is the world’s foremost Glass Armonica musician in the genre of New Age and healing music. Her CDs are distributed in 35 countries around the world and she has been featured on such nationally syndicated radio shows as Music From the Hearts of Space and Echoes...
s, and regulating yatri traffic. The Hindu sacred month of Shravan
Shravan
Shravan is a Sanskrit word, which literally means listening.* Shravanam is one of the nine most important angas of bhakti.Shravan Kumar belonged to the time when King Dashratha ruled Ayodhya. He was born of poor and blind parents, but they had brought him up remarkably well. He was strong healthy...
is also the time of the annual Kanwar Yatra
Kanwar Yatra
The Kānvar Yatrā or Kavad Yatra is annual pilgrimage of devotees of Shiva, known as Kānvarias, to Hindu pilgrimage places of Haridwar, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand to fetch holy waters of Ganges River, Ganga Jal, which is later offered at their local Shiva temples...
, the annual pilgrimage of devotees of Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
, known as Kanwaria make to Hindu pilgrimage places of Haridwar
Haridwar
Haridwar is an important pilgrimage city and municipality in the Haridwar district of Uttarakhand, India...
, Gaumukh and Gangotri in Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand
Uttarakhand , formerly Uttaranchal, is a state in the northern part of India. It is often referred to as the Land of Gods due to the many holy Hindu temples and cities found throughout the state, some of which are among Hinduism's most spiritual and auspicious places of pilgrimage and worship...
to fetch holy waters of Ganges River
Ganges River
The Ganges or Ganga, , is a trans-boundary river of India and Bangladesh. The river rises in the western Himalayas in the Indian state of Uttarakhand, and flows south and east through the Gangetic Plain of North India into Bangladesh, where it empties into the Bay of Bengal. By discharge it...
, way back in 2003, 55 lakh pilgrims reach Haridwar. Other important Tirtha
Tirtha
In Jainism, a tīrtha |ford]], a shallow part of a body of water that may be easily crossed") is used to refer both to pilgrimage sites as well as to the four sections of the sangha...
pilgrimages are Char Dham
Char Dham
The Chota Char Dham , is an important Hindu pilgrimage circuit in the Indian Himalayas...
Yatra, which involve Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri and Yamunotri
Yamunotri
Yamunotri is the source of the Yamuna River and the seat of the Goddess Yamuna in Hinduism. It is situated at an altitude of in the Garhwal Himalayas and located approximately North of Uttarkashi, the headquarters of the Uttarkashi district in the Garhwal Division of Uttarakhand, India...
; Amarnath yatra in Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir
Jammu and Kashmir is the northernmost state of India. It is situated mostly in the Himalayan mountains. Jammu and Kashmir shares a border with the states of Himachal Pradesh and Punjab to the south and internationally with the People's Republic of China to the north and east and the...
.
Other meanings
'Yatra' can also describe a procession, or any festival which figures a procession, such as Rath YatraRath Yatra
Ratha Yatra is a huge Hindu festival associated with Lord Jagannath held at Puri in the state of Orissa, India during the months of June or July. Most of the city's society is based around the worship of Jagannath with the ancient temple being the fulcrum of the area...
, where chariots are pulled in parade down the streets of Puri in Orissa
Orissa
Orissa , officially Odisha since Nov 2011, is a state of India, located on the east coast of India, by the Bay of Bengal. It is the modern name of the ancient nation of Kalinga, which was invaded by the Maurya Emperor Ashoka in 261 BC. The modern state of Orissa was established on 1 April...
. In modern times the word can be used to denote marches or demonstrations, for political, environmental or societal causes.
The terms 'jatra
Jatra
Jatra can mean:* Jatra street festival* Jatra street festival or Carnival* Jatra form of entertainment* Jatra...
' and 'zatra
Zatra
Zatra is the Konkani language term for the pilgrimage festivals celebrated at Hindu temples in Goa; the Hindi and Marathi language equivalents are Yatra and Jatra....
' are derived from yatra.
Famous Hindu Yatra
Mansarovar Yatra: Mansarovar is a beautiful and highest fresh-water lake in the world situated in Tibet. Mount Kailash, a place of pilgrimage attracting religious people from India and neighboring countries. The Mount Kailash is considered a sacred place in four religions Hinduism Buddhism, Jainism and Bon. According to Hindu mythology mount Kailash is the abode of Lord Shiva and circumambulating Mount Kailash on foot is a holy ritual. Another lake called Lake Rakshastal lying close to the west of Lake Manasarovar and The Great Mount Kailash. These lake are the source of the Brahmaputra River and the Karnali River a tributary of the Holy river Ganges.Amarnath Yatra: The Amarnth temple located in Jammu and Kashmir is dedicated to one of the holy trinity God “Lord Shiva“. The temple is situated on Amarnath mountain and Amarnath caves are most famous shrines in Hinduism. Every year inside the main Amarnath cave an Ice Shiva Lingam forms, along with two other ice formations representing Shri Ganesh and Maa Parvati. Amarnath yatra is held every year to pay homage to Lord Shiva and Maa parvati. The temple is a very popular yatra destination for Hindus, about 4 lakh people visit during the season.
Pandharpur Yatra: The Palkhi Festival Of Maharashtra is one of the most popular festivals in India. The annual Pandharpur Yatra to the famous vithoba temple at Pandarpur held every year during the month of June and July. Thousands of pilgrims come to Pandharpur with carry Palkhis with the images of the saints of Maharashtra Sant Dyaneshwar from Alandi, Sant Tukaram’s from Dehu, Eknath’s from Paithan, and Nivruttinath’s from Trimbakeshwar. These pilgrims are referred to as Warkaris, they worship Vithoba an incarnation of Vishnu.
Ratha Yatra: The Festival of Chariots of Lord Jagannatha, held every year at Puri in the tribal state of Orissa. The 10 day’s ratha yatra is commemorates Lord Jagannath’s, annual visit to Gundicha mata’s temple a short distance away. Thousands of pilgrims come to puri during the festival with an desire to help pull Lords chariot with ropes. This is the only day when devotees who are not allowed in the temple premises such as non-Hindus and foreigners, can get their glimpse of the deities.
Deoghar Yatra: Om Namah Shivai ! Deoghar means abode of the Gods and Goddesses, It is also known as Baidyanath Dham or Baba Dham situated on the eastern side of Jharkhand. It is an important Hindu pilgrimage center having Baidyanath Temple one of the twelve Lord Shiva Jyothirlingams in India. The pilgrims carry the holy water of holy river Ganges from Sultanganj’s and offered to the Jyotirlingam of Lord 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 in Deoghar Baidyanath Temple of Jharkhand.
Char Dham Yatra: The Chardham belongs to four pilgrimage places in India, They are Badrinath, Dwarka, Jagannath Puri, and Rameshwaram. The Char Dham are often considered the most revered sites for Hindus that have to be visited in one’s lifetime. There is a Chota Char Dham as well inculdes Yamunotri, Gangotri, Badrinath and Kedarnath situated in Garhwal Himalayas.