Investigating Itineraries of a Himalayan Pilgrimage: Infrastructural impacts on socio-natural experience

As part of my Honours thesis, I will conduct literature review and field research on changing practices of pilgrimage in the Indian Himalayas. Pilgrimage has historically been an important aspect of Indian religions, and has exploded in popularity with increased accessibility due to a growing middle class and improved communication and transportation infrastructures. Because much of the sacred power of Himalayan pilgrimage sites is borne out of high mountain remoteness where major rivers are sourced, I ask how modern methods of travel affect pilgrims’ social and religious experiences of pilgrimage. This research entails travelling alongside pilgrims as they ride, drive, and trek to one of Uttarakhand state’s Char Dham Yatra pilgrimage sites, one of the most popular and auspicious of emerging ‘pilgrimage circuits’ in India. I will learn about how different methods of travel, as vectors for social interaction and experiences of the environment, affect religious experience and identity.

Faculty Supervisor:

Sara Shneiderman

Student:

Partner:

Ashoka University

Discipline:

Sociology

Sector:

Tourism; Transportation (excluding aerospace); Sustainability & the Environment

University:

The University of British Columbia

Program: