Britain’s Pilgrim Places captures the spirit of 2,000 years of history, heritage and wonder. It is the complete guide to every spiritual treasure, including 500 enchanting holy places throughout England, Wales and Scotland and covers all major pilgrimage routes.
"Dr. Bhardwaj's in-depth study of the various aspects of the institution of pilgrimage shows that instead of being a simple practice it has been a gigantic phenomenon affecting all aspects of Indian life. . . integrating diverse forces, various cults, and numerous traditions over the ages."--Asian Student "This is the best general survey of a major religion's total pilgrimage system and the best intensive investigation of one of its subsystems. . . . Dr. Bhardwaj's book is an important step towards the recognition of a social phenomenon which has for millennia played a crucial role in the integration of religions, nationalities, and international communities. And, not least importantly, it is highly readable."--Journal of the American Academy of Religion "Detailed, accurate, and generally informative; he has succeeded in tracing, for the first time, the relationship of the rank-order or 'level' of a sacred place. . . to its degree of sanctity, type of deity, and caste and motivation of the pilgrim. . . .The implications of Mr. Bhardwaj's study are profound and necessary to the understanding of Indian religion. . . it is fascinating."--Times Literary Supplement "Here is a fine example of what the geographic study of India needs: disciplined work that shows full awareness of Indian cultural meanings. . . .it sets a worth standard."--Professional Geographer
This book offers a systematic, chronological analysis of the role played by the human senses in experiencing pilgrimage and sacred places, past and present. It thus addresses two major gaps in the existing literature, by providing a broad historical narrative against which patterns of continuity and change can be more meaningfully discussed, and focusing on the central, but curiously neglected, area of the core dynamics of pilgrim experience. Bringing together the still-developing fields of Pilgrimage Studies and Sensory Studies in a historically framed conversation, this interdisciplinary study traces the dynamics of pilgrimage and engagement with holy places from the beginnings of the Judaeo-Christian tradition to the resurgence of interest evident in twenty-first century England. Perspectives from a wide range of disciplines, from history to neuroscience, are used to examine themes including sacred sites in the Bible and Early Church; pilgrimage and holy places in early and later medieval England; the impact of the English Reformation; revival of pilgrimage and sacred places during the nineteenth and twentieth Centuries; and the emergence of modern place-centred, popular 'spirituality'. Addressing the resurgence of pilgrimage and its persistent link to the attachment of meaning to place, this book will be a key reference for scholars of Pilgrimage Studies, History of Religion, Religious Studies, Sensory Studies, Medieval Studies, and Early Modern Studies.
Here is a unique guide book that takes us on a journey across the rural and urban landscapes of Britain, and helps us to discover and explore a multitude of sacred sites: ancient stone circles and tombs, Christian and pre-Christian shrines, medieval synagogues, small country churches and much more.
... "Twenty years of photographs by photographer and anthropologist Martin Gray. Accompanying each photograph is commentary that takes us into the history, mythology and spiritual magnetism of the particular place ..."--Jacket.
The Complete American Pilgrim is a traveler's guide to 250 of the most sacred and historic religious sites in the United States. It is based on the travels and research of the author, who over the last few decades has visited countless religious sites around the world. The Complete American Pilgrim invites casual travelers and die-hard pilgrims alike to explore some of the most sacred destinations to be found in the United States. These places, chosen for their religious, historic and architectural importance encompass centuries of the American religious experience. From the historic colonial churches of New England to the magnificent missions of California, discover what hidden treasures of faith may be found in your own neighborhood.
England's rich spiritual history is portrayed in this informative pocket travel companion, covering more than a thousand places that can be visited today. Cathedrals and abbeys, simple chapels, martyrs' memorials, pilgrim shrines and famous resting places are all featured in this book which connects us to our deepest spiritual roots, reveals the vast holy land lying beneath our feet and tells the stories of the men and women who shaped it.
Examination Thesis from the year 2002 in the subject English Language and Literature Studies - Culture and Applied Geography, grade: 2,5 (B), University of Osnabrück (FB Anglistics), course: Exams, language: English, abstract: Pilgrimage, usually seen within a strictly religious context, can be more usefully viewed as a voyage motivated by emotion, a search for meaning and a craving to express one's community of belief at a special place. Therefore, the particular place is a location of spiritual union where pilgrims share transcendental experience and/or proximity to a divinity, human being or sacred event. Naturally, pilgrimage performed for religious reasons has a traditional character, but one should not assume mistakenly that sacred journeys will disappear because science and technology are expanding. Actually, our ?computer age? might increase spiritual actions and initiate an even greater longing for religious devotion. One of the main questions I will work on deals with this issue. A commonly prevalent perception still associates pilgrimage with traditional cultures and people in the ?Old World? of Europe. This shallow view does not account for the complexity of this devout act, which includes not only pilgrimage to conventional sites but also that stemming from various individual motivations....
A pithy guidebook for Buddhist pilgrims to the four holy sites of India. “The aim of all Buddhist practice is to catch a glimpse of the awakened state. Going on pilgrimage, soaking up the sacred atmosphere of holy places, and mingling with other pilgrims are simply different ways of trying to achieve that glimpse.”—from chapter 1, “Holy Buddhist Sites” Pilgrimage is a powerful method for remembering the Buddha’s teachings and putting them into practice. For Buddhists, the most important holy places are the four sites associated with the Buddha’s life: • Lumbini, where Siddhartha was born as an ordinary human being • Bodhgaya, where Siddhartha became enlightened • Varanasi (Sarnath), where the Buddha taught the path to enlightenment • Kushinagar, where the Buddha passed into parinirvana While it may be an inconvenient, chaotic, and even dangerous journey, traveling to these places can be profoundly affecting and transformative for a practitioner. In his fourth book, Dzongsar Jamyang Khyentse skillfully lays out how we can make the most of our experience as pilgrims. He explains what makes a person or place “holy,” what pilgrimage is all about, and what we can do when visiting the four holy sites of India and Nepal—or any holy place. This manual shows us how to partake in one of the most potent practices available to remind ourselves of the entirety of the Buddha’s teachings.