Harmful Reverence Unregulated pilgrimages to religious sites within forest areas

Destroying the habitat and spreading filth around temple locations set in the serene depths of the Indian forests, the crush of humanity is like an unruly beast. This issue needs to be urgently restricted and regulated.

- KUNAL SHARMA AND SIVAPRASAD PULIMOOTTIL

Religious identity has been a constant feature for generations of Indians and nowhere has it been stronger than in the worship of gods and goddesses. The ancient books spoke of the divinity of the forests and records suggest that sadhus and rishis frequented them for spiritual upliftment. As the four stages of life itself suggested, people were encouraged to take up the vanaprastha ashram and take refuge in the forest in order to become detached. Hindu traditions increasingly put focus on the role of a forest to cleanse a person’s mind, and several books devoted a considerable amount of text on the benefits of a hermit-like lifestyle.

With no proper records in place, evidence from books suggest that forests became highly popular with scores of hermitages housing famous sadhus and sects. Historical interpretation now suggests that most of these ancient hermitages went on to become famous holy sites and are now thronged by thousands of people for pilgrimages.