10D9N-North India HINDU PILGRIMAGE

Date: 15 Mar 2024 - 24 Mar 2024Country: indiaTheme: family

Odyssey Manager™: Incredible Odyssey tours are managed by our in-house Indian Odyssey Managers, trained to serve foreign guests based on the guests’ preference, assisted by the monument guides at certain monuments. From receiving the guests from airport till their departure, Odyssey Manager™ accompanies our guests around 8-12 hours daily, to make sure all the services are provided as per itinerary and to solve the contingencies that might arise along the journey. Odyssey Manager can assist changes in itinerary or add-on visits along the way if feasible. Hindu Pilgrimage: In Hinduism, the yatra (pilgrimage) to the tirthas (sacred places) has special significance for earning the punya (spiritual merit) needed to attain the moksha (salvation) by performing the darshana (viewing of deity), the parikrama (circumambulation), the yajna (sacrificial fire offering), the Dhyana (spiritual contemplation), the puja (worship), the prarthana (prayer, which could be in the form of mantra - sacred chants, bhajan - prayer singing, or kirtan - collective musical prayer performance), the dakshina (alms and donation for worthy cause), the seva (selfless service towards community, devotees or temple), the bhandara (running volunteer community kitchen for pilgrims), etc. These sacred places are usually located on the banks of sacred waters, such as sacred rivers or their tributaries (among the Rigvedic rivers of sapta sindhu the trio ganges-yamuna-saraswati are considered most sacred), the kundas (pond or lake, among these the Lake Manasarovar is considered most scared), the ghats (water bodies with stairs such as Ghats in Varanasi), or the stepwells (among these the rani ki vav in the form of inverted temple is considered most spectacular), or the temple tanks. In order of importance, in India there are 7 Sapta Puri holy cities, 4 Dhams (Char Dham) and 12 Jyotirlings devoted to the Lord Shiva, 51 Shakti Pithas devoted to the feminine manifestation of the god, and the important Lord Rama circuit (Ayodhya, Chitrakoot, Hampi and Rameswaram) and Lord Krishna circuit (Braj, Kurukshetra and Dwarka).