Monday, December 10, 2007

Spiritual India



Indian Spirituality occupies a distinct place in the evolution of human thought and has its distinctive part to play in the history of humanity. When one thinks of India, the word that strikes first is Spiritual; in fact both India and spirituality are complementary. India is not only the home of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism, but, over the ages it has also welcomed religions from Christianity to Islam to Zoroastrianism to Judaism and embraced them with as much enthusiasm as its own home-grown faiths. It is a land of inherent spirituality and people are known to travel here to find solace in its ancient wisdom since time immemorial.

Spiritualism can be defined as "connecting with your inner spirit or soul", and India certainly provides the ground where ones senses are saturated by the touch of that being called the Supernatural Power.

The real spiritual culture of India presents an individualistic process of personal transformation and reinforcement for understanding yourself, your position in the natural world, and your relationship with the Absolute. Meditation and yoga are one of the few sources, which help in self-discovery of the INNER YOU. Indian spirituality is progressively becoming admissible and attractive in the context of today's spiritual conditions.

Meditation is a mind-body remedy comprising an array of exercises, essentially concentrating our attention on something (generally our breath) for a period of time. The process is basically designed to carry us away from the impressions created by our thoughts and senses so that we are able to knowledge everything in its truest form. Spiritual Sadhana (known as Meditation in the west) is a type of Yog where we centralize our unbroken attention on spirit/God. It is one of the most illusory; most satisfying acts a human mind can luxuriate in. The more we rehearse meditation, the stronger our bondage/ connection becomes with God.


Yoga known as YOG in India, is not to break away or elope from the outside world, it is a technique which helps to acquire the attention of self and search for one's real identity. Yog asanas (postures) commonly confused with yoga as a whole in the west is just one aspect of yogic practices. The fundamental goal of Yoga, elongates beyond the development of physical and emotive well-being, it is to advance towards having a spiritual vision which further helps to transcend one's mundane existence to reach The Almighty, The Infinite and The Ultimate real. Many people relate to Yoga as an adequate way of becoming more composed and wholesome as this 5000-year-old technique calms the worked-up senses and saturates one with a sense of well-being. The most popular places for Yoga and Meditation are Kerala, Rishikesh, Dharamshala and Buddha-Bihar.

Places around the world that have unusual mystical traditions can be both physically and mentally demanding and India is no exception. It is an exotic, alluring, and wondrous country, blessed with a very exquisite, charismatic and illustrious culture that attracts every traveler. Though, it is very important to know where to go and what to see in order to boost the spiritual experiences one is looking for.

India, the birthplace of Yoga, can be experienced in the three-dimensional way. Places like Vrindavan, Mathura, Dwarka, Varanasi, Mayapuri, Puri, and others, as well as rivers like the Ganges and Yamuna, are said to exist in the spiritual realm, higher dimension, which cannot be seen. It means that these places are where the material and spiritual energies coexist and overlap. The spiritual energy may pervade the universe, but at such holy places the experiences of higher dimension are easier to attain. These places have a special meaning amongst those who can perceive this multidimensional and intangible aspect.

Rishikesh is a holy city for Hindus located in the foothills of the Himalayas in northern India. It is 24 kms away from another holy city, Haridwar, and is considered an access point for the cities that form the Chardham - Badrinath, Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Yamunotri. The sacred river Ganga (anglicised to Ganges) flows through Rishikesh, adding to its spiritual appeal and natural beauty. Several temples can also be found along the banks.

The Golden Temple located in Amritsar; Punjab is a beautiful building and the most important sacred shrine for the Sikhs, who travel from all parts of the world to pay their respects to this, their most important historic site.

Benares (also known as Varanasi) is a well known Hindu holy city in the state of Uttar Pradesh. It has been a seat of knowledge since 700 BC. Its universities attracted students from all over the then-known world.

Other popular spiritual destinations of India are Amarnath in the Himalayas in Northern India, Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, Puri in Eastern India, Vrindavan in Uttarpradesh and Kanya Kumari in Southern India, Kanchipuram in Tamilnadu and Dwarka in Gujrat.

Article Source : http://www.mustvisitindia.com/spiritual_india.html

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