Glimpses Of World Religions

Author(s): Gunvant Barvalia
Publisher: Navbharat Sahitya Mandir

Page 29

16
Glimpses of World Religions
For the Hindus, holy pilgrimage-centres are Rhishikesh, Prayāga, Somnāth, Amarnāth, Badrināth, Käshi or Benāras, Dwārika, Mathurā, Vrundavan, Jagannathpuri, Rameshwar, Tirupati Balaji, Nathdwara etc. Places like Pawagadh, Ambāji, Vaishnodevi, etc. are the temples of Goddesses. The Swaminarayan temples are situated at many places like Gadhada, Vadtal etc. The Festivals of Hindu Dharma
The festivals or celebrations play a very prominent part in a man's life. The festivals do a laudable, praiseworthy service of providing refreshed vitality, joy, enthusiasm, alacrity as well as freshness. Removing the monotony of an individual's life, a valuable service of filling it with new zest, new consciousness or spirit and infusing a new life, is rendered by the festivals.
The Indian civilization has very nicely planned of the festivals of each and every religion and this is true not only for India's religions, but also true for any religion of the world; a nice order is seen. Either Dharma or Devotion (Bhakti) is normally found occupying a certral place in the festivals; but its more particular object or aim is to instil a new spirit, a new joy in the life of a person.
You will hardly find a month, from amongst the twelve months, in the Hindu religion which has no festival. In the case of some months, there might be even more than one festival and in the month of Aswin or 'Aaso' there is a chain of festivals. From the auspicious starting of the New Year, the festivals also make a beginning, as it were, and the festivals come to an end with the lights of the series of lamps ! Between these two extremes, each and everyone is full of joy and loves the joyous world of various festivals.
At a time, when the people had very few means whereby they could have entertainment along with the spiritual bliss, these