Feeling there is something amiss in your religious/spiritual life? Wondering how you can relieve the stress, rediscover your faith and attain spiritual nourishment? Looking to strengthen your religious devotion? Then this calls for you to travel to some of Asia's pilgrimage sites.
If you are adhering to a certain faith, it could be one of those that have its roots in Asia. The continent is the birthplace to three monotheist faiths: Judaism, Christianity and Islam (all three in the Middle East). It is also home to Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism and Sikhism (in the Indian subcontinent). Confucianism and Taoism long existed in China, and Shintoism is deeply rooted in Japan.…show more content…
If you cannot communte, you can arrange for a tour package with one of the many travel agents in the city.
Mashhad (Khorasan Razavi, Iran)
If Jerusalem is the holiest city for the Jews, then Mashhad in Iran is the holiest to the Shiite Muslims. Literally meaning “the burning place of the martyr”, Mashhad is the site of martyrdom of one of the most revered figures in Shia Islam. The Imam Reza shrine (a complex housing the martyr's mausoleum) was later built in his honor. The shrine is one of the many shrines that Shiite Muslims visit for pilgrimage.
Mashhad is easily accessible through air travel, with domestic trips to and from Tehran and other cities and international trips to and from countries including Bahrain, UAE, Kuwait and Saudi Arabia.
Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh, India)
Varanasi is to Hinduism as Jerusalem is to the Jews. A city along the famed Ganges River of India, Varanasi is the main center of pilgrimage for Hindus from all over the world who come to pray and bath in the Ganges every year. Devout Hindus believe that by bathing or cleansing themselves in the waters of Ganges at Varanasi, they can be absolved of their sins and attain higher birth status at reincarnation, thus driving many Hindus to come to the area for their final journey in life. True to its Hindu religiosity, the city hosts a number of religious festivals every year, most importantly the Maha Shivratri, a feast dedicated to Lord Shiva.
Varanasi is also holy to the
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