The fundamental question could be why even someone gets drawn to a place that is sacred. What does it even mean for the visitors and the inhabitants?

In the Hindu Pilgrimage tradition, wherever a divine power is manifested and where there is birthplace of a God, it is considered sacred. One can draw an analogy of their own birthplace or of their forefathers to which they attach emotional importance. So why can’t the birthplace of the Jagannath (lord of the world) be considered sacred? He is who maintains everything in order. In the present context with phenomenological approach, we can let the people express their feelings about these places.

Here we’re taking the case of Kashi, the abode of Vishweshwar. The sacredness of a place is reflected in its symbolic expression. Of course, this symbolic expression is the aesthetics created by man themselves reflecting a sense of their gratitude to the divine beings. This anthropomorphism can only be understood by deep roots of faith because they are developed in a high state of ideology and acceptance (Singh, 1988). In Kashi, Maa Ganga is the base in all the yuga’s description of this sacred space. Its half crescent shaped flow looks like a half-moon on the forehead of Shiva. In Satyug, Kashi is on the Shiva’s trident. In Treta, the description of the place is disc shaped. In Dvapar, it is in the form of a chariot which is directed northwards indicating to Kailash as ultimate destination, symbolising the journey from ‘atman’ to ‘parmatman’. In kaliyug, it is described as taking the form of a conch shell. The two rivers in the north and the south (Varana and Asi) are compared with two arteries of Shiva’s mystical body. In the language of Yoga, they symbolise Ida and Pingala, respectively. Association of the Ganga with Brahmanal is referred as the Sushumna. Shiva himself said, “This city is my body”. Kashi can also be said to be a faithscape which has only to be understood with a personal experience. According to a folk, ‘where even a particle of dust is a miracle and precious stone, the city is famous Banaras’. One more similar saying goes as, ‘each and every particle of dust and stone in Banaras has divine possession of Lord Shiva’ (Singh, 1988). That means if you have that level of intensity of faith you can literally feel it. There is an experiential feeling of carefreeness, uniqueness, joie de vivre (masti) and pride among the inhabitants. The city is free from the ubiquitous ‘other wordly’ elements, and it emphasizes the cultivation of excellence in ‘this worldly’ life (Singh, 1988). What it means is that they are so occupied with the divinity of the place that they don’t worry about the uncertainties whatsoever that may be occurring in their life and are immersed completely in the present moment. In Yoga, this state of joie de vivre is the outcome of ‘Paramanand’ (ecstasy) (Singh, 1988).

Sacred space is also considered to be the abode of healing powers. This belief in healing powers is ultimately the reflection of the intensity of the faith that devotees have on that place. When devotees are in a state of despair, it is towards these spaces like Kashi, they turn to in hope and belief (Singh, 1988).

By seeing Varanasi, one can see as much of life as the whole Bharat can show. Moreover, it is a city as rich as all Bharat. This is so because Shiva is omnipresent. He can be felt in each and every moment and anywhere if one has the willingness. Kashi is just a reflection of the sacredness of the punyabhumi Bharat. That’s why Kashi is unique and said to be the cultural capital of Bharat and is believed to be the most sacred of all and with the power of liberating any person from the cycle of birth and death (Moksha).

But it is not an easy city to comprehend for those who stand outside the Hindu tradition. Still, there’s a living possibility for each human being to experience that divinity within them that is longing to become one with the Shiva.

References
Singh, R. P. B. (1988). The image of Varanasi: Sacrality and perceptual world. National Geographical Journal of India, 34(1), 1–32.