NCERT Class 7 Social Science Exploring Society India and Beyond Part 1 Chapter 08 How the Land Becomes Sacred PDF Download

Chapter 8: How the Land Becomes Sacred

Ether, air, fire, water, earth, planets, all creatures, directions, trees and plants, rivers and seas, are organs of the supreme Lord's body.

- Bhagavata Purana

The Big Questions

1. What is 'sacredness'?
2. How does the land become sacred?
3. How do sacred sites and pilgrimage networks connect with the life and culture of the people?
4. What role did sacred geography play in the cultural integration of the Indian Subcontinent?

[Figure 8.1: Sacred sites and pilgrimage locations, See in your textbook]

Let's Explore

Do any of the pictures look familiar to you? Can you name similar places found in your neighbourhood?

What is 'Sacredness'?

Sacredness can have many meanings. In the limited context of this chapter, sacredness is finding something of deep religious or spiritual significance, worthy of respect and reverence, holy or divine. But what is this 'something'? It can be a special location or shrine that evokes such deep feelings, high thoughts or emotions. It can also be, as we will see in this chapter, a journey of a special kind (often called a 'pilgrimage'), the route the journey takes, or even the very land covered.

Sacredness, therefore, is not just connected with religion and spirituality, but also with geography, all sorts of traditions, and, in the case of India, with something more that we will discover soon.

Let us focus on sacred places first. You will find that almost every school of thought and religion in India has its own sacred places.

[Figure 8.2: Various sacred places across religions in India, See in your textbook]

The places in these pictures are revered by followers of Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism - religions that originated outside India. People visit or congregate in these places for prayer and worship. Followers from other faiths also visit them, as can be seen at the Dargah Sharif of Ajmer (Rajasthan) or the Velankanni Church in Tamil Nadu. People go on pilgrimages to these shrines on special occasions.

Teacher's Note

Notice that sacred places exist across many religions, not just Hinduism. When you answer questions about sacred sites in India, remember to mention examples from Buddhism, Sikhism, Christianity, Islam and other traditions. This shows you understand that sacredness is not limited to one faith.

Naturally, when we turn to religions that originated in India, we find that they have many more sacred sites. In the case of Buddhism, those are often places that were visited by the Buddha or where his relics are kept. Among them is the Great Stupa at Sanchi (Madhya Pradesh), which is a relic stupa (you saw this in the chapter on 'The Rise of Empires'), and the Mahabodhi Stupa in Bodh Gaya (Bihar), where, according to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha attained enlightenment. They are important sites for pilgrims; Bodh Gaya, for instance, receives more than four million visitors every year.

In Sikhism, takhts are seats or centres of spiritual authority - for example, the Takht Sri Patna Sahib (in Patna), the Akal Takht (part of the Golden Temple at Amritsar, see Fig. 8.3), and Takht Sri Keshgarh Sahib (at Anandpur). Sikhs aspire to undertake pilgrimages to these places at least once in their lifetimes, as they are associated with important Sikh Gurus and therefore have special significance. In addition, Sikh tradition records pilgrimages conducted by several Gurus, such as Guru Nanak, to places like Haridwar, Prayag, Mathura, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Puri and many more, besides a few Muslim shrines.

[Figure 8.3: The Golden Temple at Amritsar, See in your textbook]

Teacher's Note

When the textbook says Bodh Gaya receives "more than four million visitors every year," this tells you how important that site is to Buddhists worldwide. In exam questions, such numbers are often clues to the significance of a place. Use them to explain why a shrine matters to followers of a faith.

Key Points

• Sacredness refers to places, journeys or lands that hold deep religious or spiritual significance and are worthy of respect and reverence.
• Many religions that originated outside India - such as Islam, Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism - have sacred shrines in India that are visited by pilgrims on special occasions.
• Religions that originated in India, particularly Buddhism and Sikhism, have numerous sacred sites linked to spiritual figures or events in their traditions.
• Pilgrimage - a journey to a sacred place - is an important practice across many religions and connects people to their faith and spiritual heritage.

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