A Religious Peregrination

A Religious Peregrination

Religious feelings and sentiments have taken quantum leap and I was startled at such a change. Incidentally on our religious tour to three different places located in different set ups provided me with a glimpse of the new definition of religious sentiments. In India we find people attaching great importance to religion. Eventually the three famous temples we visited were in a village, a big town and a city respectively. Though the locations are different the template of the temples are almost the same buzzing with similar activity. Religion is a great institution and in recent past this has graduated into a money minting machine. It is in hand and glove with the tourism industry that has become quite remunerative as affordability of people has also increased. More and more people have started visiting various places of significance of late. Religious tourism as an industry is catching up and growing into the most lucrative business option. Most people visit sacred places with a benevolent cause of obtaining solace and to seek peace of mind. The sole purpose of visit is defeated, if they fail to attain the same.

My intention in writing about the religious tourism is purely personal. I deeply respect the sentiments of the people. But it is so disconcerting when certain sections of  people have started making mockery of these sentiments and trying to fleece the tourists. In general people are emotionally attached with anything connected to God. It is not out of love for the Divine but out of fear. I was just wondering whether people who embark on a pilgrimage really do have a pious feeling in their heart or do they embark on those tours with a feeling that they are getting a chance to visit one more place keeping all their religious sentiments at bay. Commercial motives of the people associated with the sacred places are changing the dimensions of religious trips.

It is really so surprising that the humble values which are instilled in the name of religion are now degraded to a new low. Highest values like devotion, firm belief, trust or humility, have just eroded down the lane. The people in charge of the temples and even the priests who are given an esteemed position I think no longer deserve any respect. Their minds have become polluted. I don’t completely blame them for their business outlook because they have to make a living out of their profession. Hence they resort to all mean tricks to exploit the sentiments of the people.

It is really horrifying to find that the feeling of God’s love is replaced by God fear. Most of the people who visit temple no longer have religious fervor. The relationship with God has become long term business understanding. Earlier when the trip to a religious place was arduous people who were really desperate about seeking the Almighty’s grace would take up the task of going through those religious journeys. But now with good connectivity and better infrastructure in place, these visits have become more a matter of prestige.

Indian society is in a precarious situation where it is unable to completely neither own its traditional past nor have risen to level to embrace the sophisticated western culture. People are mediocre and unable to decide what they want or rather don’t know the best fit.

Undoubtedly India has the world’s richest traditional heritage and a glorious past. I don’t understand why we have to revel only in past and not make any efforts to take any huge step forward. When it comes to religion this kind of ambiguity is going to lead to know where. People fear God and no longer love HIM. They give a name of devotion to this fear and bask in glory of being religious and blow their trumpets as the upholders of the rituals of the religion. But when we take a deep look, is it what the religion preaches? Different religions world over preach about the highest values and principles on which we should base our life and lead a purposeful life. Hence it is always better to look inside for a greater change and peace of mind than taking shelter in rituals. It is internal cleansing which we need to redress of our mental wounds than the outer dressings of the religious rituals. It is necessary to imbibe values of the religion first to seek happiness than taking refuge in meaningless practices.

These religious practices were introduced long time back to induce some discipline in our lives which is otherwise so deregulated. Over the years all the rituals have been simulated for our own convenience and thus they lost their significance. The best way to inculcate religious spirit is by reviving our personalities and trying to follow the practices of brotherhood, love and fairness. For most of us religion is the way of life. Being contented, truthful and honest is the best way to seek the blessings of the Divine.

 A visit to a temple or sacred places should be an act of sheer devotion towards God rather than feat of wholesome entertainment. In the present world, it would be a better idea to visit all these places with a humble idea of appreciating the culture and sanctity of our country rather than seeking some religious recourse. Ancient temples were symbols of exquisite architecture, iconic construction and the engineering skills of those periods. Their marvelous grandeur would leave us spell bound. A little change in our perception and the purpose of visit would make a lot of sense as our expectations about the place wouldn’t leave us disappointed. Since the highest religious institutions have become marketing places and even the administrators of temple are attaching less preference to maintain the sanctity of the place. It will be in the best of interest to visit them as places of greater significance or places which would entail us with the knowledge of our mythology and the veracity of our legacy. Rather than paying visit to those sacred places for some spiritual quest.

 

 

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