| |
Spiritual
Tourism : an emerging crowd-puller to India and
other culture-rich countries. |
| India
has always been perceived as the communion of many
beliefs, universal truth-finder's path and a land
of inherent spirituality. This perception has been
reinforced by the many thousands of foreign tourists
to the country who return with fond memories and
individual sanctification of their weary souls having
stepped on the many legendary Indian worship sites
and pilgrimage centers. |
|
Word of mouth works for raising
public interest levels about Spiritual tourism!
Celebrity contributions to the realm of spiritual
tourism:
|
TOP |
|
India's been the hot favorite of many a global
gypsy feet owner with a penchant for rediscovering
their lost faith or simple spirituality-scouting
for inner peace since the many attractions of
our Yog-bhoomi (land of yogic science) has found
many takers in solace-seekers. The main reason
is that the ancient wisdom of Indian spirituality
has been made world-famous by famous youth icons
like Madonna, Bruce Springsteen, Sting, Meg Ryan
and other public figures. Closer home, Shiv Khera,
Swami Ramdev, Deepak Chopra and such motivating
speakers and proponents of spirituality have also
worked their verbose charms in attracting spiritual
tourism to India with the unique marketing of
brand India in discourses, seminars, public appearances
and other related outreaching measures for educating
and reviving interest in our home shores.
|
|
Tryst with spiritual tourism:
an eye-opener, mind-bender and balm to the traveler's
soul.
|
TOP |
| The fabled
exoticism and picture of near-magical divinity presented
by our country's innumerable saints and seers, in
their quest for enlightenment, has largely been
responsible for the development of various religious
monuments such as Temples, Mosques, Monasteries
etc, as has the benevolent patronage of business
persons, past rulers of state and a largely religion-oriented
Indian community. The many lavishly built and lovingly
preserved religious monuments and sites spread across
the length and breadth of the country are governed
by a kindly, universally Indian spirit of brotherhood
and the opening of these for curious visitors from
the tourism sector-thanks to the modern management
through education for right kind of cosmopolitan
existence- has resulted in giving a much-needed
boost to national tourism. |
|
Religious diversity and spiritual
unity of a country responsible for economic boost
to popularity of pilgrimage tours: secret of successful
spiritual tourism lies in variety of insight and
varied experiences it offers to the global tourist.
|
TOP |
|
If we are to take India as an example of a multi-cultural
and multi-religious secular state that gives equal
respect to all the many faiths that are honored,
be it Hinduism, Islam, Buddhism, Jainism, Zoroastrianism
or Christianity (among major religious sects)
we will arrive upon the obvious knowledge that
this thread of common brotherhood and tolerance
is the reason behind the peaceful co-existence
of their respective monuments and tourist spots
for spiritual tourism. Abundant temples, architecturally
splendid and awe-inspiring mosques; grandiose
or downright simple in elegance gurudwaras, British,
German or Goan style churches, Jewish synagogues
bearing regional touches and various other diverse
spiritual centers, all offer their own brand of
spiritual release-simply by being different in
form and similar in spirit.
|
|
Modern tourism management practices:
board and lodging; better security, easy booking,
affordable tour packages and accredited tour operators
making for greater inflow of spiritual tourism
|
TOP |
| While the
most-visited spots in India for pilgrim tours, like
holy city of Varanasi , Buddhist stupa at Sanchi
and the Jain temples at Ujjain, have already awoken
to the basic needs of security, hygiene and modern
amenities for global tourists and are working on
providing maximum comfort to spiritual journeyers
to India, others in the West, (rock cut temples
of Ajanta and Ellora near Aurangabad and the Sai
Baba Temple at Shirdi) offer short week-end packages
that are affordable and practical even on a tight
budget.
Thus, we find that spiritual tourism includes
religious absorption of a country's core philosophy
of spiritual wisdom as well as communion with
nature that could well be a much-needed break
for your soul from the travails of routine life.
After all, who wouldn't want to find an inner
sanctuary for the soul's release and be able to
carry back the essence of a journey to divinity
back home with them!
|
|
|
|
