UNIT 6

Structure
6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 6.5 6.6 6.7

RELIGIOUS TOURISM (PILGRIMAGE)

Objectives Introduction Historical Perspective of Religious Tourism in India Designing of Religious Tourism Product Issues and Considerations for Designing Religious Tourism Products Characteristics of Religious Tourism Let Us Sum Up Clues to Answers

6.0 OBJECTIVES
After reading this Unit, you will be able to: trace the historical significance of religion for tourism; identify some existing religious tourism products; and highlight the issues and considerations related to religious product designing.

6.1 INTRODUCTION
Religious tourists in India is a category of travellers primarily motivated by religious considerations. According to social scientists like Graburn (1977), Jafari (1987), although such journeys may be regarded as sacred by the travellers concerned but they differ from the more inclusive concept of tourism as a sacred journey. This is why as a supplier you tend to categorise these religious destinations as centres of historic and cultural attractions in association with one or more religious identities. As a supplier when you try to assess demand you are required to identify following interested segments in this type of tourism. a) Travellers performing pilgrimage, b) People attending religious meetings/discourses, and c) People travelling as participants to stage dramas and musical production like Hare Ram Hare Krishna. This Unit starts with a discussion on the historical perspective of religious tourism (pilgr image) and further goes on to mention its modern concept. Designing of religious tourism products is another aspect dealt with in this Unit.

6.2 HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE OF RELIGIOUS TOURISM IN INDIA

India is a land of pilgrimage. Travel for religious purposes has been there from the most ancient times. Practically, all religions Hindu, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism have their major and minor pilgrimage centres in different parts of the country. There are also centres of Sufism, churches and mosques that are visited by people. In fact, to a majority of domestic tourists in India pilgrimage has always been the main motivation. In our country all major temples, shrines and sacred spots are found scattered all along major riverbanks or in the hills. The confluence of holy rivers called Sangam, attract millions of tourists every year when pilgrims assemble there to take holy dip in these rivers. For example on the day of Sankranti a bath in holy Ganga water is believed to relieve a person of all the sins. Another dimension added to it is that an effort to unify the country Adi Shankaracharya established four peeth (centres) in the four corners of the country. They are Badrinath in North, Kanchipuram in South,
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Dwarkapuri in West and Jagannath Puri in East. To add to this Sringerimutt in Karnataka state is also claimed to be the sacred peeth. The Indian pilgrims travel to the holy temples, the Indian holy space called Teerth which contain the meaning of to cross. It is a clear indication that in Indian holy space something is being crossed over. Within the holy space human beings are given the chance to transcend themselves when they come face to face, in contemplation, with the divinity. The pilgrimage, instead of diminishing in our apparently ever more secular, scientific and technologically oriented world, is experiencing considerable growth. This is primarily because in religious life of an average Indian, even rivers have played a decisive role. The rivers from time immemorial have been the symbol of pur ity to humans. Among these rivers the Ganga is believed to be the most sacred for all Hindus. Innumerable holy shrines like Gaumukh, Gangotri, Devprayag, Rishikesh, Hardwar, Garmukteshwar, Kannauj, Allahabad, Varanasi, Patna and Gangasagar have come up on her banks through ages. These holy shrines attract millions of domestic pilgrims every year. On the other hand, river Yamuna is considered to be most meritorious to perform Gayatri Jap, worship of Keshav, Shiv or the Sun. The month of Kartik is pious for taking bath in Yamuna at Mathura. Traditions believe that Godavari before dividing itself into seven branches and meeting the sea, is most sacred for bath referred to as Sapta Sagar Yatra. Besides rivers, sacred shrines have been visited extensively by domestic tourists all along the periods. The twelve Jyotirlingas, five Bhutalingas and many other temples enshrining Lingas in their sanctorum are the ideal terminal destinations of domestic tourists since the time of great epics. The Jyotirlingas are at Kedarmath (Uttaranchal), Kashi Vishwanath (Uttar Pradesh), Somnath (Gujarat), Baijnath (Karnataka), Rameshwaram (Tamil Nadu), Ghushneshwar (Maharashtra), Bhimashankar (Maharashtra), Mahakaleshwar (Madhya Pradesh), Mallikarjuna (Andhra Pradesh), Omkareshwar (Madhya Pradesh), Nageshwar (Gujarat) and Tryambakeshwar (Maharashtra). The Bhutalingas are at Kalahastishwar (Vayulinga) at Kalahasti; Jambukeshwar (Appulinga) at Trichy; Arunachaleshwar (Bhatalinga) at Thriuvannamalai; Ekambareshwar (Prithvilinga) at Kanchipuram and Chidambareshwar (Akaslinga) at Chidambaram. In addition to also holy rivers and sacred shrines situated on the banks of these rivers, Shakti is also worshipped as the Divine mother, a creative power both as an enforcing discipline and for securing righteousness. There are nearly fifty-one shakti peethas all over the country. These peethas are visited by tourists throughout the year. Thus, the religious tourism is a mixture of both ancient and modern cultures, i.e., from the exodus of the past to the present day where religious tourism has become a mainstay of tourism. India is a country abounding in not only Hindu shrines but she also represents manifestations of elevating and inspiring works of Jain Tirthankars at Sravasti, Kaushambi, Hastinapur, Parasnath hills, Rajgiris, Khandgiri, Udaigiri, Khajuraho and Dilwara Temples at Mount Abu. Islami (Sufis) shrines as centres of religious influence at Ajmer (Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti), Gulbarga (Khwaja Bande Nawaj); Faridkot; Delhi (Sheikh Nizammudin Aulia); and Panipat (Shah Sharaf Bin Ali). Sikh religion though believed that real pilgrimage is inward yet their sacred shrines are located at Garhwal (Hemkund Sahib); Amritsar (Golden Temple); Taran Taaran (Anandpur Sahib), Kartarpur and Patna Sahib; Churches in Goa. At many of these centres festivals and fairs are also held.

6.3 DESIGNING OF RELIGIOUS TOURISM PRODUCT

Designing tourism products is similar to that of consumer products. You have already studied in TS-6, various concepts and product designing model of Philip Kotler for developing any product. Just to recapitulate what you have already learnt we would like to emphasise the relevance of be Philip Kotlers model in his book Marketing for Hospitality and Tourism He has highlighted the following issues . of product development at core level:
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Core Product, Facilitating Products, and Supporting Products.

Besides to complete the product formation he has also suggested peripheral or augmented issues more particularly essential for product development in tourism services like accessibility of the product, physical environment, customer participation and interaction. Let us apply these product development issues suggested by Philip Kotler in religious tourism product designing and development on some of the existing examples of Indian religious products and analyse to what extent this model can be applicable. For this purpose, we may pick up example of traditional Char Dhams in relation to contemporary Char Dhams. Core Product Facilitating Products Supporting Products : : : Char Dhams in Himalayas (Yamunotri, Gangotri, Kedarmath and Badrinath) Accessibility by rail, road, air, dharamshalas, yatrikas and paying guest accommodation and eating joints available at and on the way to these sites. Thermal spr ings, maths, natural scenic attractions, local customs and traditions and winter sports.

As you know that India has abundance of religious centres running across the country. Therefore, you are not required to create either core or supporting products. What you need to develop/explore is just the facilitating products. Here if we pick-up the example of Badrinath, the most visited Hindu pilgrim centre, we see that core product is Badrinath Temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu. This temple is 15 metres high. Facilitating Products: Nearest airport is at Jelly Grant, 315 kms. away and nearest railway stations are at either Rishikesh (297 kms.) or Kotdwar (327 kms.). From here at regular intervals connecting bus services are available.

There are many forms of lodgings available varying from old age dharmshalas, charitable lodgings maintained by individuals private accommodations to medium size hotels promising luxury facilities. Supporting Products: Panch Dharas Panch Shilas Tapt Kund Brahma Kapal Sheshnetra Narad Kund : : : : : : Prahlad Dhara, Khoma Dhara, Urvashi Dhara, Brin Dhara, Indra Dhara Narad Shila, Varaha Shila, Garud Shila, Markandeya Shila and Nari Narsingh Shila Here pilgrims are believed to take bath before going into temple for main darshan A platform on the bank of river which is used by pilgrims to perform rites for the peace to the souls of their ancestors Site is 1.5 km. away having Sheshnags eye and Lord Vishnus sacred foot prints Located near Tapt Kund, a semi historical site from where Badrinath idol was rediscovered

Similarly in the case of Kedarnath Core Product Facilitating Product : : Kedarmath temple with one of 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva in the country. Accessibility by air Jolly Grant airport (239 kms.); nearest railhead is either from Rishikesh (221 kms.) or Kotdwara (236 kms.); nearest bus station is Gaurikund (14 kms. trek), ponies and horses are also available for pilgrims.
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There are many forms of lodgings available varying from dharmshalas, charitable lodgings maintained by individuals to private accommodations. Supporting Products : Adi Shankacharya built the new temple of Somnath in the 8th century. Adi lies behind the Kedarmath temple.
Vasuki Tal is a lake in the midst of high rising mountains promises retreat to weary relig ious tourists Remaining two Dhams of Garhwal hills, i.e., Yamunotri and Gangotri are also holy shrines of Hindus. Yamunotri Core Product Facilitating Products : : Perennial river Yamuna (Yamunotri) Nearest airport to Yamunotri is Jolly Grant airport and nearest railhead is at Rishikesh and nearest bus point is Hanuman Chatti which is just 13 kms. from the shrine. Lodging and eating points are available all along the route between Rishikesh and Yamunotri. Non-vegetarian and alcohol is not permitted in any o the f lodging or eating points. Supporting Products Diya Shila Hanuman Chatti Didi Tal Saptrishi Kund Gangotri Core Product Facilitating Products : : Perenial Ganga (Gangotri) Nearest airport Jolly Grant which lies between Rishikesh and Dehradun, nearest railhead is at Rishikesh (249 kms.). However, buses go right up to the shrine. For lodging Government guesthouses and dharmshalas are available and for eating only dhabas (local eating joints) are available at and on the route to the shrine. Supporting Products : As the name suggests it is a holy confluence point; A temple dedicated to Bhairav Nath situated on the banks of Jahanvi river; Source of holy Bhagirathi river. To reach this point one has to trek the difficult terrain; and This is the point from where Shivalik peaks can be seen. : : : : : A rock pillar to be worshipped by every pilgrim before entering into shrine Confluence of Hanuman Ganga and Yamuna rivers It is a sacred pond and popular among Hindu pilgrims It is also a sacred pond

Kedar Ganga Sangam : Bhairongatti Gaumukh Glacier : :

Nandan Van Tapovan :

Once you go through these samples of religious tourism products, you will be in a position to design and develop other religious products whether for Hardwar, Allahabad or for that matter any religious place down in south or in west (Dwarka). However, the conceptual planning and development model would remain the same. The only underlining fact should be to integrate all available tourism resources in order to make pilgrimage (religious travel) an enjoyable visit rather than a monotonous activity. Many of the entrepreneurs at Rishikesh have started the practise of offering yoga, meditation or River Rafting on the banks of Ganga to pilgrims to make their visits more enjoyable and memorable ones. But you are required to consider various issues while designing your products.
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6.4 ISSUES AND CONSIDERATIONS FOR DESIGNING RELIGIOUS TOURISM PRODUCTS

Religious Tourism Products are not like holiday/leisure tourism products which are primarily targeted at the segment with plenty of disposable incomes. Moreover, tourists buying holiday/leisure tourism products desire a variety of recreational resumes at the destination. Whereas in the case of religious tourism product, core and supporting products remain the same, only the location changes. As a religious product designer and developer, you should keep the following considerations to be a successful entrepreneur/supervisor: a) Holistic approach should be adopted; b) All segments of users should be taken care of; c) Pricing should be moderately done; d) Infrastructural support should be provided; e) Environmental and cultural values should be preserved; f) Packages should be designed combining one or more of the religious products; A) Holistic Approach should be adopted while designing religious products because if you provide only temples and shrines at the destination, howsoever strong be the motivation, pilgrims tend to face boredom. Therefore, you must try to provide a combination of recreational activities along with the core products, i.e., religious shrines. For instance, if you are promoting Mahabalipuram or Kanyakumari as religious products you can also design a variety of other activities for all ages along the seashore or local crafts and customs can also be promoted as a part of total package. On the other hand, if you are packaging or promoting religious centres located in Himalayas, you may also include as the part of package soft adventurous activities like trekking, mountaineering, parasailing, paragliding, skiing etc. As a marketer or producer this approach will not only increase sale of your products but will also help you in sustaining the destination on popularity scale. B) Religious visits in India are performed by all categories of people , i.e., upmarket segment, middle class, budget class as well as by poor people. While designing/packaging the core product, facilitating product and supporting product you must keep all the classes of users in mind. In other words, if you are designing/promoting religious place like Allahabad you must not only provide accessibility by air for upmarket segment but you must also provide it by rail and road for middle class/budget class tourist. Similarly, you should not only provide lodging facilities deluxe hotels, but you are also required to plan dharamshalas and yatrikas as modes of accommodation for budget class pilgrims who constitute the majority of the religious tourist community. It may not happen that up market pilgrims get all the facilities and budget class pilgrims are even deprived of basic facilities like water, sewage or sanitation at the religious centre. In nutshell you shall design/develop your product in such a manner so that all the segments of pilgrims receive due attention and desired facilities and services at the points of their visits. This ultimately will help you in generating more revenue and improving your product line. But again all this depends on your marketing strategy, i.e., which market segment you decide to cater to. C) Pricing should be moderately done : As we know that majority of pilgrims are either form middle classes or from budget classes, therefore, pricing of your products should be done to suit their budgets. We also know that when in spite of your best efforts pricing cannot be lowered Central/State Government provides subsidy to Muslim pilgrims to perform their pilgrimage in case of Haj. Even the employees of Central/ State Governments/ Public Sector Undertakings/ Banks/ SemiGovernment/Autonomous agencies are provided Leave Travel Concessions once in every four years. Official records reveals that in 1997-98 approximately 177 million domestic travellers were recorded and 160 millions were pilgrims or religious tourists and roughly 70% of these pilgrims availed concessions. (Source: DOTs Annual Report, 1998). These statistics clearly reflect that as an intelligent product designer/provider your efforts shall be to tag your product at an affordable level and to suit the different market segments. In other words,
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prices for the same/somewhat different products/services may be differentiated on the basis of class of pilgrims, season of visit, etc. D) Success of any tourism product largely depends upon the infrastructural support, which has been provided by its designers and developers. Had Vaishno Devi Shrine been not provided with such facilitating and supporting products, millions of pilgrims would not have succeeded in visiting the shrine every year. In other words, besides accessibility, other infrastructural activities like connecting roads, sewage disposal plants, water, electricity, gasolines, telephone lines, bus terminals, railway stations, accommodation and catering units should also be planned to facilitate the visits of pilgrims. To achieve a high rate of success, carrying capacity of each religious centre must be worked out and accordingly supporting services must be provided. Nowadays, a large proportion of pilgrims mix up religious motives with recreation. So, while designing the package(s) this aspect must be given due attention. As a result, memorable and enjoyable religious visits for pilgrims can be designed. If we study trends among to religious tourists we see that they prefer to visit places which are also rich in other touristic attractions. Therefore, in order to extend their length of stay more and more facilities shall be designed. You must also remember that every extra penny spent by the tourist at the destination designed will contribute to regional development and ultimately more revenue for your company. E) Since religious tourism is based on the values, customs, practices, traditions and beliefs, you are required to upkeep and maintain them. It is only by preserving these local values and customs that you can provide a genuine and original religious tourism product. For example, if you are designing or developing a religious product for Hindu pilgrims at Char Dham, you are required to ensure that original environmental and cultural values and beliefs are preserved. You must take precautions that no such activity becomes part of your product which can hurt their feelings. Like, no merry making activity be allowed during a religious trip to any holy shrine which is a part of either of these dhams. What we see today is mushrooming of several lodging and eating centres at any particular religious destination without giving due considerations to the environmental and cultural values associated with the shrine or local people of that place. We have plenty of such examples like Vaishno Devi, Badrinath, Kedarmath, Allahabad, Rishikesh, Hardwar and many more to complete this list. F) Case of Vaishno Devi as a religious tourism product. For an illustration of the abovementioned issues, considerations and priorities for product designing, let us take this example where the core product is Vaishno Devi, shrine of Hindus. It is a well-known fact that this shrine is visited by millions of pilgrims every year. This number of pilgrims has increased over a last few years. More often than not, the decision to visit this shrine is promoted by more than just one motivation. In other words, target market segments are more than one section of the society. Thus you can target your products at pure pilgrims, or at those people who desire to mix up their religious beliefs with recreation. Later section may include honeymoon couples, parents with one child to pay their homage to Devi for fulfilling their desires or asking for blessings for a happy and prosperous life. Just as your segments are diversified so as your pricing and product development techniques. As a product designer and marketer you have following possible segments to target at: 1) Honeymoon makers; 2) Religious tourists; 3) Young parents; 4) Middle aged parents; 5) Old people; 6) Old and affluent sections; 7) Subsidies pilgrims; and 8) Students.
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When you are targeting at first category of pilgrims you must reckon the fact that religious tourism is a category of travel primarily or partly motivated by religious considerations. For this class of religious tourists comfort would be the first priority and price would not be a constraint unlike majority of religious tourists who consist of all rich, middle class and poor sections of the society. You can offer a product which may include travel by air, rail or bus and lodging arrangements offered accordingly. Some of the religious tourists, therefore, can be classified as up-market segment, viz., category 1, 3, and 6, who would like to travel by air up to Jammu or by air conditioned coaches up to Katra and would like to stay at deluxe hotels and also spending lavishly on other recreation activities. Among them who are of old age would like to hire ponies, horses or palanquins to reach to the main shrine. Here you may also consider the fact nearby touristic attractions can form part of your product package. For example, honeymooners would like to include Patnitop, Amritsar or any other similar attractions. On the other hand, pilgrims falling in categories 2, 4, 5 and 7, would most likely travel to the shrine by rail or by state run transport corporation busses. They would like to make their lodging arrangements at dharamshalas yatrikas or small budget class hotels. Their preference would also be to travel in groups so as to achieve minimised costs of their tours. For such pilgrims you must focus upon designing and developing facilities which are affordable to them and they enjoy their pilgrims. While designing this kind of product you must also remember that it is not only the product type and pricing which is important but you are also required to remember and make part and parcel of overall product the local values and local customs. In other words, whatever you earn a part of it should always be devoted towards the upliftment of the religious region. Had this not been the philosophy of entrepreneurs the whole journey to Vaishno Devi wouldnt have been so pleasure same as it is today. This also provides your company the desired publicity.

6.5 CHARACTERISTICS OF RELIGIOUS TOURISM

As in other categories of tourism, there are also wide variations in the practices of religious tourism. For example, within same religion there are perceptions related to high or low value related to religious travels. Among Hindus visit to Kailash Sarovar is of highest value and visit to Amarnath is of great value whereas visit to Badrinath, Kedarnath is of some value. Therefore, within the percept of each religion is a range of religious travel. Some are believed to be more significant and rewarding from spirituality point of view than others (Eickelman and Piscaton, 1990). From this one thing it becomes clear that religious tourism is spiritually purposive. With the objective of attaining one or more of the below stated purposes of the travel, viz.: a) To perform pilgrimage as an act of worship: It is a widely acknowledged fact that majority of the religious travel is an act of worship and salvation barring Muslim and Jews who perform their religious travel to Mecca (Haj) and Jerusalem, respectively as conditionally obligatory. In both the religions, belief goes that all healthy and financially capable of undertaking such travel must visit the holy shrine at least once in their life time. b) To express gratitude, confess sin and to perform a vow: Everyone of us face such crises in our life when we are not able to resolve our problems through worldly means, most of us tur n to divine help. A visit to sacred site devoted to god/goddess we believe in, to facilitate communication with the ruling deity of the shrine for such help. Here believers confess and express their gratitude as well as declare new resolutions for a more blessed life in the future. c) To achieve social and spiritual salvation: Socially, taking religious trips is a mark of piety which carries significance in almost all societies. Most particularly among Hindus a visit to holy places is one of the means for accumulating religious merits whereas among Buddhists it is considered to be the first stop towards enlightenment. Another aspect related to their characteristic is this that among all religions it is common to find older members performing pilgrimage as a stage of retiring from social life and as a mark of final departure from this world. d) To commemorate and celebrate certain religious events: Every religion has myths and rituals associated with certain events that are regarded as sacred among the believers. For example, when Lord Ram returned to Ayodhya, when Lord Krishna was born, when Christ was reborn, when Prophet Mohammad was born or died all these events are carefully documented in our mythologies or other
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sacred tenets such events are re-enacted during religious festivities to commemorate these events. Over the years, of course, a new colour has been added to these events. e) To be in communication with co-religionists: This motivation/purpose of religious travel is applied on most of the religious meetings which can be missionary or religious visits (pilgrimages). In fact, in all modern religions/religious beliefs one of the most expressed purposes of pilgrimage is to provide an occasion for social gathering of fellow believers. In nutshell it must be clear to you now that a great deal of travel is required to accomplish the above mentioned religious purposes. It would be important for you to know as a religious product designer/ developer that some of these travels are also sponsored by the organiser but most of the religious tourism is comprised of individually initiated trips, either aiming at fulfilment of religious obligation or may be a journey in support of any of the causes mentioned above.

Check Your Progress 1) Discuss evolutionary stages of religious tourism in Indian societies. ... ... ... ... 2) What are the various considerations while designing religious tourism products? ... ... ... ...

6.6 LET US SUM UP

With the passage of time religious tourism has gradually evolved from its stoic and ascetic character in the past to become a partially hedonistic pursuit. While the growing trend in travel implies a corresponding growth in religious tourism, this growth is likely to b augmented further by the shift in e consumer tastes in favour of spiritual pursuit. The factor which supports the optimism is that it is only within the last decade or so that the religious authorities in India have begun to preach on the spiritual virtues and to listen to these religious gurus, people in large number have started moving from one place to another. Thus, in the coming days, religious tourism, like other segments of travel is also likely to assume cyclical growth patterns. However, as a product designer/ developer you must remember that religious tourism in the form of pilgrimage contributes both economically and culturally to the countries and communities where holy sites are located be it India, Mecca, Jerusalem or Nepal.

6.7 CLUES TO ANSWERS

Check Your Progress 1) Refer Sec. 6.1. 2) Refer Sec. 6.4.

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