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Religion and spirituality, a pilgrimage is a long journey or search of great moral significance. Sometimes, it is a journey to a sacred place or shrine of importance to a person's beliefs and faith. Members of every major religion participate in pilgrimages. A person who makes such a journey is called a pilgrim.
Most Hindus who can afford to go on such journeys travel to numerous iconic sites including those below:
These Hindu pilgrimage sites can be divided into dhams, kumbhs, jyotirlingas, devi sites etc. Every category has got its own significance. It is believed that visiting char dhams help one to attain salvation. There are four dhams and twelve jyotirlings along with 51 shakti Peeths in India.
In addition to being places of ziyarat , dargahs and rauzas have often served as places for Islamic education and the training of new ulema, as centres of Sufi turuq. For example, many Sunni ulema educated in the Chishti Order were educated in Delhi, where the tomb of Nizamuddin Auliya is and where his students are well established. Movements within the ulema, such as the Deobandi or Barelvi movements, are so named because they are associated with particularly influential seminaries and madrassahs (like the Darul Uloom Deoband in Deoband, or the Urs-e-Razavi in Bareilly, the latter of which is so named because it is located at the rauza of Imam Ahmad Raza Khan).
During the Mughal era, Surat was a common port for Muslims across North and West India to depart for the Hajj.
Some other pilgrimage places in India and Nepal connected to the life of Gautama Buddha are: Pataliputta, Nalanda, Vikramshila, Gaya, Kapilavastu, Kosambi, Sanchi, Varanasi, Kesariya, Devadaha, Pava and Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, Dhauli Stupa, near Puri, Odisha, etc.
There are many places scattered across mainland India, where one can find the relics of ancient Mauryan and the Gupta Empire, who championed and help propagate the Buddhist faith across most of India, South East and far East Asian countries.
The Zoroastrians take pilgrimage trips in India to the eight Atash Behrams in India and one in Yazd.
Pathanamthitta District, is one of the 14 districts in the Indian state of Kerala. The district headquarters is in the town of Pathanamthitta. There are four municipalities in Pathanamthitta: Adoor, Pandalam, Pathanamthitta and Thiruvalla.
Angamaly is a municipality in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. It is located 20 km (12.4 mi) north of the district collectorate in Thrikkakara and about 203 km (126.1 mi) north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. Angamaly is part of the Kochi metropolitan area and is located 24 km (14.9 mi) northeast of the Kochi city centre. As per the 2011 Indian census, Angamaly has a population of 33,465 people, and a population density of 1,633/km2 (4,230/sq mi).
Alappuzha, formerly known as Alleppey, is a municipality in the Alappuzha district of Kerala, India. It is the district headquarters of the district, and is located about 130 km (80.8 mi) north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Alappuzha has a population of 240,991 people, and a population density of 3,675/km2 (9,520/sq mi).
Piravom is a municipality in the Ernakulam district of Kerala, India. It is located 22 km (13.7 mi) south of the district collectorate in Thrikkakara and about 162 km (100.7 mi) north of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram. As per the 2011 Indian census, Piravom has a population of 27,229 people, and a population density of 927/km2 (2,400/sq mi). The majority of people living in Piravom are Syrian Christians.
Kerala, a state situated on the tropical Malabar Coast of southwestern India, is one of the most popular tourist destinations in the country. Named as one of the ten paradises of the world by National Geographic Traveler, Kerala is famous especially for its ecotourism initiatives and beautiful backwaters. Kerala has unique culture and traditions coupled with its varied demography. Several international agencies ranging from UNESCO to National Geographic have recognised the state's tourism potential. Kerala was named by TIME magazine in 2022 among the 50 extraordinary destinations to explore in its list of the World's Greatest Places. In 2023, Kerala was listed at the 13th spot in The New York Times' annual list of places to visit and was the only tourist destination listed from India.
Koratty is a census town in Thrissur district in the Indian state of Kerala. It is a main centre of Marian Pilgrimage.
Ernakulam refers to the western part of the mainland of Kochi city in Kerala, India. Ernakulam is the most urbanised part of Kochi and has lent its name to Ernakulam District.
Chellanam is a village and a suburb of Kochi city in the Indian state of Kerala.
This article lists the various old and ancient churches that exist among the Saint Thomas Christians in Kerala.
Thumpoly is coastal town in the Alappuzha district, India, and is a well-known Christian Marian pilgrimage shrine of Kerala. Thumpoly church - is a heritage church built by the Portuguese and was established in the year 1600 with stone and wood. Thumpoly is located at a distance of 80 km from Kochi International Airport, 60 km from Cochin city, 6 km from Alappuzha city, 20 km from Cherthala, 25 km from kuttanadu, 34 km from Changanassery and 52 km from kayamkulam. It is connected to Alappuzha, Arthunkal, Kochi, Ernakulam by road and railway. It is located on the edge of NH 66 & State Highway 66. The National Highway 66 cuts through the middle of the town. The Arabian Sea is on one side, and a small lake on the other, with the beach of Chakara in Kerala. It is a natural habitat of many rare birds. Thumpoly is known for its canals, which end their course in the Arabian Sea. There are fishing villages on the beaches. The local population are also involved in coir making. Thumpoly is located on the border of Alappuzha Municipality. Thumpoly shares border with Alappuzha Municipality and Aryad Grama Panchayat. Thumpoly church is the largest landmark of Thumpoly.
Muttar is a village in upper Kuttanad, Alappuzha district of Kerala, India. It is located 10 km west of Thiruvalla on the Kidangara Neerattupuram road, surrounded by Thalavady, Neerettupuram, Kunnamkary, Chathamkary & Mithrakary.
Kadapra is a village in the Thiruvalla subdistrict of Pathanamthitta district, Kerala state, India. It shares an intradistrict river border with Nedumpuram village separated along the Manimala river towards its north and an interpenetrating intradistrict land border with Niranam village towards its west.
Christianity in the state of Tamil Nadu, India is the second largest religion in the state. According to tradition, St. Thomas, one of the twelve apostles, landed in Malabar Coast in AD 52. In the colonial age many Portuguese, Dutch, British and Italian Christians came to Tamil Nadu. Priests accompanied them not only to minister the colonisers but also to spread the Christian faith among the non-Christians in Tamil Nadu. Currently, Christians are a minority community comprising 6% of the total population. Christians are mainly concentrated in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu - Kanyakumari, Thoothukudi and Tirunelveli.
Korattymuthy at Koratty Church is the locally known name of Hail Mary or Mother Mary of Syro-Malabar Catholic community at Koratty in Kerala State, India. Korattymuthy's Shrine is famous for its annual feast with 'Poovankula', Muttilizhayal offerings.
St Mary's Metropolitan Cathedral, also known as Valiyapally, is the cathedral of the Syro-Malabar Catholic Archeparchy of Changanassery and also a Marian pilgrimage centre in Kerala, India.
This article gives a list of the territories of the dioceses of the Catholic Church in India.
Places of worship in Pala include both Christian churches and Hindu temples in Pala in the Indian state of Kerala.
St. George Forane Church, Edathua, also known as Edathua Pally is a parish of Syro-Malabar Catholic Church. Saint George is the patron saint of the church. It is one of the pilgrimage centre in Kerala located at Edathua on the bank of Pamba River in Alleppey District, Kerala. This church belongs to Archeparchy of Changanassery.
Thumpoly St. Thomas Church Marian Pilgrimage Shrine is a church in Thumpoly, Kerala, India, and is a well-known Christian Marian pilgrimage shrine of Kerala. Although this church is known in the name of Saint Thomas, it is the Mother of God, Our lady of Immaculate Conception and her feast that made Thumpoly famous. For the first time in India, the statue of the Mother of God Holy Virgin Mary was enshrined in Thumpoly Church. Even today, Thumpoly Church still following has the traditional/heritage traditional rituals. In 1585 AD, The Confraternity-Visionary Community was established in Thumpoly Church. This church is also known as "Thumpoly Pally". This Church Includes under the Diocese of Alleppey-(Roman Catholic Diocese of Alleppey ). Thumpoly Church, the second most important church in the Diocese of Alleppey, is expected to receive elevated the status of the second Minor Basilica in the Diocese. A few Christians migrated to Thumpoly in the 06th century AD and established a small thatched church called Thomapally there. Thus began the Christian tradition of Thumpoly. Thumpoly Church is one of the largest Churches built in architecture of Indo-Portuguese style in Kerala. Thumpoly is located 6 kilometers from Alappuzha city, 80 kilometers from Kochi International Airport, 60 Kilometers from Kochi -Cochin City, 20 kilometers from Cherthala, 25 kilometers from Kuttanadu, 34 Kilometers from Changanassery and 52 kilometers from Kayamkulam. This is an ancient and is a heritage church with a long tradition that was built by the Portuguese and was established in the AD 1600s(With stone and wood). It is one of the important Christian pilgrimage shrines of Kerala and Alappuzha district. It is the second most important pilgrimage or Church centre in the Diocese of Alleppey. Thumpoly church is under the protection of the Department of Archaeology.