Hindu sacred landscapes: evolution, perspectives, contemporality, and prospects

Abstract

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.