Singh, Rana P.B. 1997. Sacred space- pilgrimage in Varanasi. Sacred Places, GeoS & Man: 191-207. 1 [117-97]. Singh, Rana P.B. 1997. Sacred space and Pilgrimage in Hindu society: the case of Varanasi; in, Stoddard, Robert H. and Morinis, Alan (eds.) Sacred Places, Sacred Spaces: The Geography of Pilgrimages. [Geoscience & Man, vol. 34]: pp. 191-207. Dept. of Geography and Anthropology, Louisiana State University Press, Baton Rouge, LA 70893-6010. USA. ISBN: 0-938909-66-5. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Sacred Space and Pilgrimage in Hindu Society: The Case of Varanasi Rana P.B. Singh Professor of Cultural Geography & Heritage Studies, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, UP 221005. India. Email: ranapbs@gmail.com Abstract. Pilgrimage has been one of the strongest traditions in Hindu religion since the Vedic time. In the course of time, Varanasi has been eulogized and accepted as the most sacred city in Hinduism. By the turn of the 13th century, many pilgrimage circuits and spatially manifested holy sites and shrines developed in Varanasi. The re-establishment of important pan-Indian holy sites in Varanasi makes this city a microcosm of India. Many cosmological symbols also occur, such as the 56 VinƗyaka shrines representing a multiple frame of eight directions and seven layers of the atmosphere. Similarly the five most popular pilgrimage circuits represent the five gross elements making life, according to the Hindu cosmogony. All these pilgrimage circuits are associated with the shrines referring to numerical symbolism. The pilgrimage journeys are described according to months and seasons for which specific shrines or holy spots are prescribed. To engage in the special ritual honouring the patron deity, Vishveshvara or VishvanƗtha, is the purpose for about sixty percent of the pilgrims to Varanasi; and the sacred journey around his temple is known as the “inner sanctum” route of the city. In geographic symbolism, the three forms of Shiva (with the respective segmented circuits OmkƗreshvara, Vishveshvara, and KedƗreshvara) make the shape of a trident, which is why the city is perceived as lying on Shiva’s trident. The sacred topography of the city shows one of the best known examples of mesocosm (earthly) representation interlinking macrocosm (heavenly bodies) and microcosm (individual being or deity, or inner sanctum of a temple). Key words: cosmology, circumambulatory circuits, pilgrimage, Varanasi, Shiva. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ The spatial components of pilgrimage involve more than just travelling from one’s residence to a tīrtha (sacred site); they may also incorporate elements of religious space at the pilgrimage site. In the case of Varanasi, such spatial manifestations of the sacred are expressed by pilgrim movements which reflect the patterns of urban features, the areal analogies < end of p. 191 > based on spatial transposition, and cosmological configurations (Singh 1994a). Furthermore, not only are ritualistic movements prescribed spatially but they are also related temporally to a sacred calendar (Singh 1994b). After an introductory section on the role of pilgrimages in Hinduism, this paper focuses on the expression of worship through spatial and temporal frameworks in Varanasi, the pilgrimage centre with two thousand sanctuaries and a half million images (Pavitrananda 1956, 498-99). The Role of Pilgrimages The Vedic literature (ca. 2000 - 500 B.C.) does not refer directly to pilgrimages, but travelling was considered an essential part of fulfilment (e.g., Aitareya Brāhmana, VII.15). In Vedic literature, the Sanskrit word yātrā referred to “travel” rather than “pilgrimage”, but the Puranic literature (ca. 500 B.C. - A.D. 700) did accept yātrā as meaning “pilgrimage”. YƗtrƗ, as a symbol of union and joining, has somehow or other becomes an essential part of all Hindu