Invitation to World Religions

144  CHAPTER 4  Hinduism

the pyre. An ancient practice that is still often observed requires him to also crack the skull of the deceased in order to release the soul from the body. Although cremation is the typical means of disposing of the body, there are exceptions. Earth burial is practiced for babies and among some low-caste commu- nities. Saints, yogis, and ascetics are also buried. Their bodies are placed in special tombs, around which shrines are sometimes erected and worship is performed. Following the funeral ceremony, the family and home of the deceased are con- sidered to be polluted for a period of about ten days. The bereaved are expected to keep to themselves until the rites of ancestral offerings are completed. During this period, the deceased is offered balls of rice with which he or she is believed to con- struct a body in the spirit world or intermediate realm. This rite, which reflects the gestation of a human embryo for ten lunar months, may very well predate the for- mulation of a belief in reincarnation that was developed by the time of the

Upanishads. Pilgrimage

In Hinduism, sacred pilgrimage sites are believed to lie at the border between this world and that of the divine. Many of the earliest pilgrimage sites were located at sacred rivers and pools, and pilgrimage specifically involved ritual bathing as a means of purification. Some revered sites, marked by a shrine or temple, commemo- rate a sacred event or the life of a holy person. For pilgrims, these sites allow imme- diate, tangible access to the sacred. One of the most important Hindu pilgrimage sites is the sacred city of Varanasi (Benares) on the banks of the Ganges. Many Hindus believe that to die in Varanasi is to be immediately released from samsara. For this reason, many old and sick people travel to Varanasi to die. However, because the Ganges is held to be the most sacred river in India, people who are unable to go to Varanasi to die arrange to have their ashes scattered in the river. In this way, the sacred river is believed to carry the dead from this life into the divine realm. The largest pilgrimage in India is to the sacred city of Allahabad (Prayag), where the Ganges and Yamuna rivers (as well as the Sarasvati, a now-vanished river men- tioned in sacred texts) come together. To bathe at the confluence of these three rivers is considered especially auspicious. Every twelve years, the Kumbha Mela festival takes place at Allahabad. During the Kumbha Mela, the largest gathering of humans on earth takes place as pilgrims converge to bathe in the holy waters in the hope that all their sins will be washed away. There are many other important pilgrimage sites in India. Some are dedicated to the goddess Devi and are referred to as Shakti Peethas (“Seats of Power”). Still others, like the city of Vrindavan in northern India, attract devotees of Krishna, who believe that it is not only the site of the god’s birth and childhood but also where he continues to live. arise, and how do they serve the practical and spiritual needs of the visiting pilgrim? PROPERTY OF OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS How do Hindu pilgrimage practices compare to those of other religions, such as Buddhism, Islam, and Christianity? How do pilgrimage sites