Parikrama
Parikrama or Pradakshina is clockwise circumambulation of sacred entities, and the path along which this is performed, as practiced in the Indic religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism.[1][2][3][4][5] In Buddhism, it refers only to the path along which this is performed.[3] Typically, in Indic-religions the parikrama is done after completion of traditional worship (
In Hinduism, parikrama of religious deities in a temple, sacred rivers, sacred hills and a close cluster of temples as a symbol of prayer is an integral part of Hindu worship.[3][6][7] Hindu temple architecture include various Pradakshina paths.[8] There could a parikrama path surrounding the chief deity, and several other broader paths concentric to main path through it is not uncommon to find non-concentric parikrama paths. At times the outermost parikrama path covers the whole village, town, city, thereby implying that the length of the path can stretch.[6][9] Parikrama is also done around the sacred Peepal tree, tulsi (Indian basil plant), and agni (sacred fire or the fire God),[10][11] and agni parikrama is a part of the Hindu wedding ceremony.[12][13]
Etymology
Parikrama means "the path surrounding something" in Sanskrit, and is also known as Pradakshina ("to the right"), representing circumambulation.[3] Both words are mostly used in the context of religious practice of circumambulation of sacred entities.[3][6][7]
Parikrama is defined as "Circumbulatory or pathway around the shrine of the temples by keeping time is a common form of prayer in India. It includes Narmada, Shetrunjaya, Girnar. This pathway made of stone around the shrine is called Pradakshina path."[8]
Important pilgrimage circuits of indic-faiths
See yatra circuits.
Practices of Indian-origin religions
Buddhist practice
In Buddhism circumambulation or pradakhshina has been an important ritual since early times. Sacred structures such as stupa or images have a pradakhshina path around them. The chaitya is a distinct ancient type of building that only survives in Indian rock-cut architecture, a hall with a stupa at the far end, always built with a rounded apse-like end, to allow pradakhshina.[14] A mandapa (prayer hall), added in the front transforms the original stupa into the stupa shrine — as a sacred entity which requires a circumambulatory path around it for the purpose of worship. The whole structure is planned in such a way that it becomes the centre of the mandala and symbolically represents Mount Meru.[15]
Buddhist faithful may perform pradakhshina by prostrating themselves at every step, thus greatly prolonging the process. The most extreme pradakhshina is that of the sacred Mount Kailash in Tibet, a mountain trek some 52 km (32 mi) long, at altitudes between 15,000 ft (4,600 m) and 18,200 ft (5,500 m). This may also be undertaken by Hindus and Jains, and some pilgrims progress by prostration, taking some weeks.[citation needed]
Hindu practices
Significance and symbolism of parikrama
The temple structure reflects the symbolism of the Hindu association of the spiritual transition from daily life to spiritual perfection as a journey through stages. Parikrama paths are present through which worshipers move in a clockwise direction, starting at the sanctuary doorway and moving inward toward the inner sanctum where the deity is enshrined. This represents translation of the spiritual concept of transition through levels in life into bodily movements by the worshipers as they move inwardly through ambulatory halls to the most sacred centre of spiritual energy of the deity.[16]
Number of Pradakshinas for various deities
For each deity, the minimum number of Pradakshinas to be done are specified.[citation needed]
- Ganesha: 1 or 3
- Hanuman: 3
- Shiva: half or 3
- Vishnu: 3 or 4
- Ayyappa: 5
- Subrahmanya (Kartikeya): 6
- Durga, Devi: 1, 4 or 9
- Peepal Tree: 7
- Surya : 2 or 7
The Swayambhu Agama says that doing Pradakshina 21 times to any deity is sanctified.[citation needed]
Shayana Pradakshinam
Shayana Pradakshinam is done by prostration in a lying posture. It starts with a Sashtanga Namaskara in front of the sanctum sanctorum. In Sashtanga Namaskara, the devotees have six parts of their bodies touching the ground. Thus forehead, chest, stomach, hands, knees and toes touch the ground. The folded hands will be directed always towards the deity. In this pose, the devotees circumambulate on the Pradakshina path. The relatives and friends of the devotees help them to roll around.
Shaivite Pradakshinam
In Shiva temples, the devotees start the Pradakshina as usual from the front and go clockwise until they reach the gomukhi (the outlet for abhisheka water) from the Sanctum Sanctorum. As usual the clockwise perambulation is maintained outside of the Bali stones. The drainage outlet for the ritual ablution offered on the Shiva Linga with water, milk, curd, coconut water, ghee, ashes (bhasma) etc. is not to be crossed. So the worshippers have to return in anti-clockwise direction until they reach the other side of the drainage outlet to complete the circle. During this anti-clockwise perambulation, the devotee should tread a path inside of the Bali stones. The Bali stones are always to be kept the right side of the devotees. After reaching the drainage outlet, they have to return to the front in the clockwise direction keeping the path outside the Bali stones. Thus one Pradakshina is completed.
A legend related to goddess Parvati (Shiva's wife) and her two sons illustrates the importance of Pradakshina or Parikrama. It is said that the goddess asked her two sons to circumambulate the universe to gain worldly knowledge. While her first son Kartikeyan spent decades to go round the world on his peacock, her second son Ganesha walked a full circle around his mother and justified his action by stating that the World was contained within the figure of the mother. This legend justifies the importance that Hindus attach to the practice of Parikrama, and also the importance of motherhood in Hindu psychology. Another version of the same story replaces the figure of Parvati with Shiva himself.[10]
Comparison with non-Indic religions
Like Parikrama in Hinduism, Muslims perform circumambulation around
Sites
Hindu locations
Ayodhya parikrama
In the temple city of
Girnar parikrama
Lili Parikrama or Girnar Parikrama is a seven-day festival held at Mount Girnar in Junagadh district of Gujarat, India. The pilgrimage involves a climb of 10,000 steps to reach the top to the sacred Mount Girnar venerated by both Hindus and Jains. The Jains call it Mount Girnar. Devotees from all over the country participate in the festival. Of the seven peaks of Girnar, five are important viz., Ambamata, Gorakhnath, Augadh, lord Neminatha Tonk or Guru Dattatreya as known by Hindus and Kalika. Bhavnath Shiv temple, Bhartruchari cave, Sorath Mahal, Bhim Kund and Shiv Kund. Devotees visit these sacred places during the parikarama.[20]
Govardahan hill parikrama
Govardana Parikrama [circumambulation — going 21 kilometres (13 mi) around the hill] is a sacred ritual performed by many believers as spiritual purification. There is no time limit for performing this Parikrama, but for those who perform the dandavata (full prostration) Parikrama, an arduous form which may take weeks and sometimes even months to complete. Dandavata Parikrama is performed by standing in one spot, offering obeisances like a stick (danda) by lying flat on the ground and then continuing, contiguously, until the entire route is covered. It is also said that some sadhus (Hindu holy men) perform 108 obeisances in one spot before moving to the next. This can take a number of months to complete.[21]
This ritual of Parikrama is considered to be even better if it is done with milk. A clay pot filled with milk, with a hole at the bottom, is carried by the devotees in one hand and a pot filled with dhoop (incense smoke) in another. An escort continuously fills up the pot with milk until the parikrama is completed. Parikrama is also done with candy being handed out to children, en route.[22] The divine tree 'Kalpavriksha' planted by GreenMan Vijaypal Baghel at each Kunda of this parikrma route, not only Kalpavriksha, he is planting with dedication much more others traditional & medicinal flora's species around holy Govardhan hill likely 'Tridev Vriksha', paras peepal, Rudraksha, Kadmba, pakad, vat vriksha etc. who have spiritual and religious values to make Green Parikrma. Parikrama of Govardhana hill starts at the Manasi-Ganga Kund (lake) and then after having darsan of Lord Harideva, from Radha-kunda village, where the Vrindavan road meets the parikrama path. After parikrama of 21 kilometres, covering important tanks, shilas and shrines such as Radha Kunda, Syama Kunda, Dan Ghati, Mukharavinda, Rinamochana Kunda, Kusuma Sarovara and Punchari, it ends at Mansi Ganga Kund only.[21]
Kurukshetra parikrama
Narmada parikrama
The importance of the
During the Narmada Parikrama, devotees have to pass through a place called Shulpaneshwar ki Jhari, a religious place in Gujarat with links dating back to the
Vraja Mandala parikrama
Since 500 years
Vrindavan parikrama
Vrindavan Parikrama is a spiritual walk undertaken by devotees around
Barsana Parikrama
Barsana Parikrama is a spiritual walk undertaken by devotees around
See also
- The Archaeology of Hindu Ritual
- Culture of India
- Hindu pilgrimage sites in India
- Kumbh Mela
- List of Hindu festivals
- Religious tourism in India
- Tourism in India
- Yatra
- Girivalam
References
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- ISBN 978-0-19-969930-8.
- ^ a b c http://www.hindunet.org/faq/fom-serv/cache/31.html Archived 2017-01-15 at the Wayback Machine Why do we perform Pradakshina or Parikrama?
- ^ a b http://www.hinduism.co.za/kaabaa.htm Kaaba a Hindu Temple?Hindus invariably circumambulate around their deities
- ^ a b Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent — glossary
- ^ "Architecture of the Indian Subcontinent – glossary". indoarch.org. Retrieved 2007-01-10.
- ^ a b http://www.kamat.com/indica/culture/sub-cultures/pradakshina.htm The Concept of Pradaksina
- ^ "Darbashayanam". Archived from the original on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2008-10-20.
- ^ Some reflections on fire in Hindu and other wedding ceremonies, and on Agni Pradakshina, circling the fire.
- ^ "Some reflections on fire in Hindu and other wedding ceremonies, and on Agni Pradakshina, circling the fire". Retrieved 2007-01-11.
- ISBN 0140081445
- ISBN 978-81-7024-639-8.
- ISBN 0-226-53230-5.
- ISBN 0-340-60901-Xpage 76
- ISBN 978-0-313-36025-1.
- ^ Ayodhya
- ^ throng Mount Girnar for the 7-day fest
- ^ a b c d http://www.girirajji.com/goverdhan-parikrama.html Archived 2008-05-16 at the Wayback Machine Goverdhan Parikrama, Govardhan Parvat Parikrama, Govardhan Hill Parikrama, Parikrama of Goverdhan, Parikrama of Govardhan Parvat, Parikrama of Govardhan Hill
- ^ Know Thyself: July 2006
- ^ "Kurukshetra map". kurukshetra.nic.in. Archived from the original on 25 June 2016. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
- ^ "Haryana Tourism". Retrieved 24 July 2016.
- ^ "Development of all pilgrimage sites located within a radius of 48 kos (miles) of Kurukshetra would be carried out". Chief Minister's Office, Haryana. 11 October 2015. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
- ^ "The 48 Kos Kurukshetra Region". harekrsna.com. Retrieved 24 July 2016.
- ^ Narmada Parikrama
- ^ Dhar District – Geography Archived 2008-10-15 at the Wayback Machine. Gyandoot.net. Retrieved on 2013-12-23.
- ^ Parikrama
- ^ Of Vrindavan
- ^ Of Vrindavan