Memory, sacred landscapes and religious tourism: pilgrim perceptions in Ayodhya, India

Nature veneration, woven into mythology and enacted in ritual practices, is an intrinsic aspect of Hindu pilgrimage. Interviews with pilgrims and local devotees in Ayodhya, the city of Rama’s birth in Uttar Pradesh, revealed that their perception is shaped by place stories and images in puranic mythology and specifically Ayodhya Mahatmya, a pilgrim guide compiled at the beginning of this millennium. Nature is ‘seen’ as a medium of divine instantiation and the cultural landscape is perceived as a dham (territory of gods) and dharohar (heritage) embodying a living collective memory of places linked with the Rama legend, lost and found repeatedly in time. Ritual practices at places made auspicious by the divine presence at auspicious times enact that vision. Devotees construct meanings and develop place attachment in doing pilgrimage. These findings from the study can be the basis for a sustainable and resilient planning approach that prioritizes pilgrims’ perception of the ‘sacred’ in conservation of the cultural landscape.