Browsing by Author "Pravin S. Rana"

Now showing 1 - 9 of 9

Cultural Diplomacy in India: Dispersal, Heritage Representation, Contestation, and Development
(Springer Singapore, 2021) Rana P. B. Singh; Pravin S. Rana
India (Bhārat), being one of the oldest cultures with continuity of traditions has introduced cultural diplomacy in the ancient past, and constantly followed the path of cultural dispersal as illustrated with the diffusion of Buddhism during the fifth-century BCE—the CE twelfth century in southeast and east Asia. One such example was marriage of princess from Ayodhya (India) to the king of Gimhae (Korea). Of course, the orientation of these diplomacies and uses changed from one dynasty to another. These dispersal and interaction lead to ‘heritage making’ in different parts. With change in ideologies by the present ruling government, representation of heritage is now superimposed by Hindu nationalism, resulting to rejuvenate Hindu temples and converting them as a cultural hub for tourism, replacing spiritual environment and religious identities, as exemplified in case of Ayodhya and Varanasi. Since 2014, the new government under their missions of (i) Heritage City Development and Augmentation Yojana (HRIDAY), and (ii) Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD), working to strengthen and promote the holy-heritage sites under pilgrimage-tourism in a sustainable way and befitting into the SDGs. However, only the time will give answer to the degree of success. © The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021.
Environment as a sacred space: Religious and spiritual tourism and environmental concerns in Hinduism
(Taylor and Francis Inc., 2021) Rana P.B. Singh; Pravin S. Rana; Daniel H. Olsen
[No abstract available]
Faith and place: Hindu sacred landscapes of India
(Taylor and Francis, 2020) Rana P.B. Singh; Pravin S. Rana
The sacred landscape combines the absoluteness of space, relativeness of places and comprehensiveness of landscape thus altogether results in a ‘wholeness’ carrying the inherent and imposed spirit of ‘holiness’, which is to be called ‘sacredscapes’, and are regulated and survived by the faith involved in and the sacred rituals. We begin the sense of our-place from the local scale and here we first experience the sacred message (spirit of place, genus loci) and power of place: place speaks, place communicates! The Matsya Purāna (c.ce 400) enumerates a large number of sacred places with descriptions of associated schedules, gestures, dreams and auspicious signs and symbols. The seven sacred cities (Sapta-purīs) include Mathura, Dvaraka, Ayodhya, Haridvar, Varanasi, Ujjain and Kanchipuram. Similarly, the twelve most important Shiva abodes are scattered all over India. The four abodes of Vishnu in the four corners of India are another group of popular pilgrimages. These are the examples of pan-Indian pilgrimage places. The chapter presents such vivid examples. © 2020 selection and editorial matter, Tim Edensor, Ares Kalandides and Uma Kothari.
Geography of Hindu Pilgrimage Places (Tīrthas) in India
(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2023) Rana P. B. Singh; Pravin S. Rana
Hindu pilgrimage, Tīrtha-yātrā, is a liminal process that establishes participation in the spiritual realm, associated with the sacred land. It engages with sacredscapes that are partly defined by the material world but rather more strongly by sacred symbols, cosmogonic and cultural astronomy, traditions, festivals, and the belief that these places are spiritual crossing places into the transcendent realms of the divine. India’s geography may be conceived as a ‘faithscape’, a nested series of pilgrimage places and their hinterlands. Topographically, pilgrimage places may be classified into three groups: (i) water sites usually associated with sacred immersion on auspicious occasions, (ii) shrines dedicated to particular deities, which are visited by pilgrims of particular sects or with particular needs, and (iii) Kshetra, sacred territory, usually defined by an archetypal mandala, travelling along which brings special merit. This chapter discusses the functioning, importance, and role of Hindu pilgrimages, concerning historical context (e.g. religious texts and their uses), contemporary situation, and the prospects on the line of sustainability and pilgrimage tourism, initiated by the government, e.g. PRASHAD, ‘Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual, Heritage Augmentation Drive’. This mission aims to fulfil one of the Sustainable Development Goals that refers to the ‘integrated development of pilgrimage destinations in planned, prioritised and sustainable manner’. This chapter synthesises all our previous works (1980–2023) in the systemic form. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG.
Hindu Pilgrimages (India) and Religious Functionaries
(Springer, 2023) Rana P. B. Singh; Pravin S. Rana
The role of Hindu functionaries (‘religious workers’) is of vital importance in maintaining and continuity of traditions through caring, promoting, and sustaining the religious and pilgrimage rituals and associated festivities, which altogether promote pilgrimage and religious tourism. Such groups include a variety and distinctive types of functionaries, specialized in various activities involved in pilgrimages; they are broadly categorized into two groups, i.e., sacred site operators, and pilgrimage operators. At some pilgrimage places, like Varanasi and Gaya, the specialized functionaries deal with ancestral and post-creation rites. A case study of religious trust, specialized in arranging pilgrimage, reveals that faith is the essential part that has developed and continued in the family tradition for generations. Increasing consciousness to maintain Hindu identity, the pilgrimage is becoming more popular, resulting thereby strong acceptability and support to pilgrimage functionaries. © 2023, The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
Hindu sacred landscapes: evolution, perspectives, contemporality, and prospects
(Edward Elgar Publishing Ltd., 2025) Rana P.B. Singh; Pravin S. Rana
In Hindu traditions, the concept of sacred landscape has its roots in the Vedic literature (around 2500 BCE), which continued through different phases with associated mythologies, festive traditions, and, contemporarily, as part of religious journeys and pilgrimage-tourism. The reverence, location, interconnectedness, and sequences in these cultural performances are integral parts of the sacred landscapes. Different contexts like routes, places, riverbanks, sages, and natural phenomena symbolise Hindu pilgrimage. The typology of sacred places is described in ancient texts on the scale of geographical location, merit, spirit of place, and intensity of power and is further reflected in the frame of three tiers (i.e., Pan-India, regional, and local). According to ancient folklore, seven sacred places liberate the soul; that's how they attract vast masses of pilgrims. Over time, a series of purposive or divinely associated sacred places have evolved and are part of contemporary pilgrimages; most have archetypal representations and mythic stories. This chapter will broadly discuss the issues of evolution, spatial orientation, taxonomy, sacred geography, and prospects for future developments. © The Editor and Contributors Severally 2025.
Indian sacred natural sites: Ancient traditions of reverence and conservation explained from a Hindu perspective
(Taylor and Francis, 2016) Rana P. B. Singh; Pravin S. Rana
The concept of sacred natural landscape refers to a complex cultural mosaic of relationships between time and space, sacrality of nature and overall the encompassing manifestation of transcendence of man. Man since time immemorial has been trying to make a strong bridge between conscious mind and super-conscious divine. The idea of nature and human integrity in Hindu thought depends upon ways in which people see and experience themselves, their sense of attachment to nature, and their ways of maintaining this. It is through symbolism, the main expression of mythological understanding, that one can gain insight into the relationships of humanity to nature. © 2016 Bas Verschuuren and Naoya Furuta, selection and editorial material; individual chapters, the contributors.
Kāshī, the City of Vishvanātha and Jñānavāpī: Succession, Sustenance, and Resurrection to Sustainability
(Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, 2025) Rana P.B. Singh; Pravin S. Rana
The Vishvanātha temple is Varanasi’s most important sacred site, which has recorded so many ups and downs in history—the history of destruction and resurrection. Varanasi is known as the cultural capital of India, and Vishvanātha is its patron deity. Only a century later, on 25th August 1777, by the patronage of Queen Ahilyabai Holkar (CE 1725–1795) of Indore, the present temple of Vishvanātha was initiated and completed and consecrated on the festive occasion of Shiva’s marriage—Maha Shivaratri in 1780! Over time, many shrines and temples have been built or reconstructed in the vicinity due to spatial transposition. Also, several old ones were revitalised under the patronage of landlords and kings. Consequently, a mass of illegal encroachments and buildings grew in the name of serving Vishvanātha, and within the houses, shrines were constructed, and folk mythologies were superimposed to raise the image under upward mobility. In the recent development under the Kāshī Vishvanātha Temple Corridor (KVTC), the sacred landscapes have noticed significant changes, where modernisation is accepted while maintaining the old traditions. Using maps and photographs, this chapter narrates the story of Succession to Sustenance, and from Resurrection to Sustainability concerning Vishvanātha Temple Kshetra (territory), Varanasi. © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.
SACRED WATER POOLS OF HINDU SACREDSCAPES IN NORTH INDIA; [Sveti vodeni bazeni hinduističkih svetih krajolika u sjevernoj Indiji]
(Croatian Ethnological Society, 2021) Rana P.B. Singh; Pravin S. Rana; Sarvesh Kumar
The basic metaphysical frame of life in ancient India, that of sacred water (pavitra jala) and the notion that "Water itself is life" (jala hī jivan hai), can be illustrated with case studies of two cities. Settled continuously since 1000 BCE, the cities of Varanasi and Ayodhya have been eulogized as the salvific holy-heritage cities in India known for their ritualscapes associated with sacred waters and pools. According to the ancient treatises and tales, there were fifty-four sacred tanks (kunds) and wells (kūpas) in each of these cities, and they became important sites for purification rituals, pilgrimage, healing and festive celebration by devout Hindus. After providing descriptions of the sacred water pools, this essay in part explores traditions associated with a water-pool sacred to the Sun god in both the cities. More broadly, using ancient texts, present participatory surveys, and ethnological narration, the essay considers the long-lived sacrality of water pools in these holy cities and current development strategies involving them. © 2021 Croatian Ethnological Society. All rights reserved.