pilgrimage (tīrthayātrā)
From at least the 3rd or 4th century ce onwards, a major Indian and South Asian religious activity, involving the continuous movement of millions of people for diverse and complex reasons. The literal meaning of the term tīrthayātrā is a ‘journey’ (yātrā) to a ‘ford’ or ‘crossing-place’ (tīrtha). It is the tīrtha, therefore, which is the place or object of a pilgrimage. This most commonly takes the form of a deity enshrined in, or synonymous with, a particular place or ... ...
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