Tirtha

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Tirtha ( Sanskrit , n., तीर्थ, tīrtha , “ford”, “transition”) denotes a holy place in Hinduism that is closely connected to water. This is generally a place of pilgrimage . However, the term was also extended to religious texts, to certain points on the hand (e.g. Brahma tirtha on the ball of the thumb) and to other objects that are considered particularly pure and sacred.

Originally a tirtha was actually just a ford on a river, i.e. a place where you could safely cross from one side to the other. This idea was carried over to the metaphysical level. Here a tirtha represents a transition point or a junction between different worlds. In these places the borderline is very narrow and permeable, so it is easier for people to achieve redemption ( moksha ) at a tirtha , on the other hand the gods like to rise here from above.

From these special places a sacred geography has been established throughout India. Four Pan-Indian tirthas are known, residences of the gods who border the land ( Badrinath in the north, the Jagannath temple in the east, Rameswaram in the south, Dvaraka in the west). Other famous tirthas are the twelve Jyotirlingas of Shiva , the Shakti-pithas for the goddess Shakti , the four places of the Kumbh Mela ( Haridwar , Prayaga , Nasik , Ujjain ) or the seven cities of redemption ( Ayodhya , Mathura , Haridwar, Varanasi , Kanchipuram , Ujjain and Dvaraka).

The pilgrimage ( tirtha-yatra ) to the various tirthas is closely related to this sacred geography . It has been documented since the Mahabharata and the Puranas extol the resulting religious merit. It is not subject to any caste or gender-specific restrictions and it combines cultural elements of old folk traditions with Brahmanism . In tirthas one observes the execution of brahmanic rites such as the sacrifice in the fire ( homa ), ancestral rites ( sraddha ), morning and evening meditation ( sandhya ) and popular folk practices such as worship ceremonies ( puja ), singing religious songs together ( kirtana ), devout listening mythological stories or religious processions ( jatra ). In today's Hinduism, the pilgrimage has a central position as an expression of religiosity.

literature

  • Bhardwaj, SM: Hindu Places of Pilgrimage in India . Berkeley: University of California Press, 1973.
  • Eck, Diana L .: "India´s Tirthas: 'Crossings' in Sacred Geography". History of Religions 21.1981: 323-344.
  • Kane, Primary: History of Dharmasastra . Vol. IV, Poona: Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, 1953.