Class 7 Social Science Chapter 8 NCERT Book - How the Land Becomes Sacred

 Page 1


167
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions  
8 – How the Land Becomes Sacred
How the Land  
Becomes Sacred 
CHAPTER
8
Ether, air, fire, water, earth, planets, all creatures, 
directions, trees and plants, rivers and seas, are organs 
of the supreme Lord’s body.
– Bha¯gavata Pura¯n?a
1. What is ‘sacredness’?
2. How does the land become sacred?
3. How do sacred sites and 
pilgrimage networks connect with 
the life and culture of the people?
4. What role did sacred geography 
play in the cultural integration of 
the Indian Subcontinent?
The Big 
Questions
Fig. 8.1
Chapter 8.indd   167 Chapter 8.indd   167 08-04-2025   12:53:19 08-04-2025   12:53:19
Page 2


167
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions  
8 – How the Land Becomes Sacred
How the Land  
Becomes Sacred 
CHAPTER
8
Ether, air, fire, water, earth, planets, all creatures, 
directions, trees and plants, rivers and seas, are organs 
of the supreme Lord’s body.
– Bha¯gavata Pura¯n?a
1. What is ‘sacredness’?
2. How does the land become sacred?
3. How do sacred sites and 
pilgrimage networks connect with 
the life and culture of the people?
4. What role did sacred geography 
play in the cultural integration of 
the Indian Subcontinent?
The Big 
Questions
Fig. 8.1
Chapter 8.indd   167 Chapter 8.indd   167 08-04-2025   12:53:19 08-04-2025   12:53:19
168
Exploring Society: India and Beyond | Grade 7 Part 1
LET’S EXPLORE
Do any of the pictures look familiar to you? Can you name 
similar places found in your neighbourhood?
What is ‘Sacredness’?
Sacredness can have many meanings. In the limited context of 
this chapter, sacredness is finding something of deep religious or 
spiritual significance, worthy of respect and reverence, holy or 
divine. But what is this ‘something’? It can be a special location or 
shrine that evokes such deep feelings, high thoughts or emotions. 
It can also be, as we will see in this chapter , a journey of a special 
kind (often called a ‘pilgrimage’), the route the journey takes, or 
even the very land covered. 
Sacredness, therefore, is not just connected with religion and 
spirituality, but also with geography, all sorts of traditions, and, in 
the case of India, with something more that we will discover soon.
Let us focus on sacred places first. You will find that almost every 
school of thought and religion in India has its own sacred places. 
Fig. 8.2
Chapter 8.indd   168 Chapter 8.indd   168 08-04-2025   12:53:22 08-04-2025   12:53:22
Page 3


167
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions  
8 – How the Land Becomes Sacred
How the Land  
Becomes Sacred 
CHAPTER
8
Ether, air, fire, water, earth, planets, all creatures, 
directions, trees and plants, rivers and seas, are organs 
of the supreme Lord’s body.
– Bha¯gavata Pura¯n?a
1. What is ‘sacredness’?
2. How does the land become sacred?
3. How do sacred sites and 
pilgrimage networks connect with 
the life and culture of the people?
4. What role did sacred geography 
play in the cultural integration of 
the Indian Subcontinent?
The Big 
Questions
Fig. 8.1
Chapter 8.indd   167 Chapter 8.indd   167 08-04-2025   12:53:19 08-04-2025   12:53:19
168
Exploring Society: India and Beyond | Grade 7 Part 1
LET’S EXPLORE
Do any of the pictures look familiar to you? Can you name 
similar places found in your neighbourhood?
What is ‘Sacredness’?
Sacredness can have many meanings. In the limited context of 
this chapter, sacredness is finding something of deep religious or 
spiritual significance, worthy of respect and reverence, holy or 
divine. But what is this ‘something’? It can be a special location or 
shrine that evokes such deep feelings, high thoughts or emotions. 
It can also be, as we will see in this chapter , a journey of a special 
kind (often called a ‘pilgrimage’), the route the journey takes, or 
even the very land covered. 
Sacredness, therefore, is not just connected with religion and 
spirituality, but also with geography, all sorts of traditions, and, in 
the case of India, with something more that we will discover soon.
Let us focus on sacred places first. You will find that almost every 
school of thought and religion in India has its own sacred places. 
Fig. 8.2
Chapter 8.indd   168 Chapter 8.indd   168 08-04-2025   12:53:22 08-04-2025   12:53:22
169
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions  
8 – How the Land Becomes Sacred
The places in these pictures are revered by followers of Islam, 
Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism?—?religions that 
originated outside India. People visit or congregate in these places 
for prayer and worship. Followers from other faiths also visit 
them, as can be seen at the Dargah Sharif of Ajmer (Rajasthan) or 
the Velankanni Church in Tamil Nadu. People go on pilgrimages 
to these shrines on special occasions. 
Naturally, when we turn to religions that originated in India, 
we find that they have many more sacred sites. In the case of 
Buddhism, those are often places that were visited by the Buddha 
or where his relics are kept. Among them is the Great Stupa at 
Sanchi (Madhya Pradesh), which is a relic stupa (you saw this in 
the chapter on ‘The Rise of Empires’), and the Mahabodhi Stupa 
in Bodh Gaya (Bihar), where, according to Buddhist tradition, 
the Buddha attained enlightenment. They are important sites 
for pilgrims; Bodh Gaya, for instance, receives more than four 
million visitors every year. 
In Sikhism, takhts 
are seats or 
centres of spiritual 
authority?—?for 
example, the Takht 
Sri Patna Sahib (in 
Patna), the Akal Takht 
(part of the Golden 
Temple at Amritsar, 
see Fig. 8.3), and Takht 
Sri Keshgarh Sahib 
(at Anandpur). Sikhs 
aspire to undertake 
pilgrimages to these 
places at least once in their lifetimes, as they are associated with 
important Sikh Gurus and therefore have special significance. In 
addition, Sikh tradition records pilgrimages conducted by several 
Gurus, such as Guru Nanak, to places like Haridwar, Prayag, 
Mathura, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Puri and many more, besides a few 
Muslim shrines.
Pilgrimage: 
A journey 
to a sacred 
place that is 
significant 
within a 
religion 
or belief 
system.
Shrine: 
A place 
regarded 
as holy 
because 
of its 
associations 
with 
the divine, a 
sacred relic, 
or a spiritual 
figure.
Relic: 
A part of 
a saint’s 
or other 
spiritual 
figure’s 
body or 
sometimes 
to one 
of their 
belongings 
kept as an 
object of 
reverence.
Fig. 8.3
Chapter 8.indd   169 Chapter 8.indd   169 08-04-2025   12:53:23 08-04-2025   12:53:23
Page 4


167
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions  
8 – How the Land Becomes Sacred
How the Land  
Becomes Sacred 
CHAPTER
8
Ether, air, fire, water, earth, planets, all creatures, 
directions, trees and plants, rivers and seas, are organs 
of the supreme Lord’s body.
– Bha¯gavata Pura¯n?a
1. What is ‘sacredness’?
2. How does the land become sacred?
3. How do sacred sites and 
pilgrimage networks connect with 
the life and culture of the people?
4. What role did sacred geography 
play in the cultural integration of 
the Indian Subcontinent?
The Big 
Questions
Fig. 8.1
Chapter 8.indd   167 Chapter 8.indd   167 08-04-2025   12:53:19 08-04-2025   12:53:19
168
Exploring Society: India and Beyond | Grade 7 Part 1
LET’S EXPLORE
Do any of the pictures look familiar to you? Can you name 
similar places found in your neighbourhood?
What is ‘Sacredness’?
Sacredness can have many meanings. In the limited context of 
this chapter, sacredness is finding something of deep religious or 
spiritual significance, worthy of respect and reverence, holy or 
divine. But what is this ‘something’? It can be a special location or 
shrine that evokes such deep feelings, high thoughts or emotions. 
It can also be, as we will see in this chapter , a journey of a special 
kind (often called a ‘pilgrimage’), the route the journey takes, or 
even the very land covered. 
Sacredness, therefore, is not just connected with religion and 
spirituality, but also with geography, all sorts of traditions, and, in 
the case of India, with something more that we will discover soon.
Let us focus on sacred places first. You will find that almost every 
school of thought and religion in India has its own sacred places. 
Fig. 8.2
Chapter 8.indd   168 Chapter 8.indd   168 08-04-2025   12:53:22 08-04-2025   12:53:22
169
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions  
8 – How the Land Becomes Sacred
The places in these pictures are revered by followers of Islam, 
Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism?—?religions that 
originated outside India. People visit or congregate in these places 
for prayer and worship. Followers from other faiths also visit 
them, as can be seen at the Dargah Sharif of Ajmer (Rajasthan) or 
the Velankanni Church in Tamil Nadu. People go on pilgrimages 
to these shrines on special occasions. 
Naturally, when we turn to religions that originated in India, 
we find that they have many more sacred sites. In the case of 
Buddhism, those are often places that were visited by the Buddha 
or where his relics are kept. Among them is the Great Stupa at 
Sanchi (Madhya Pradesh), which is a relic stupa (you saw this in 
the chapter on ‘The Rise of Empires’), and the Mahabodhi Stupa 
in Bodh Gaya (Bihar), where, according to Buddhist tradition, 
the Buddha attained enlightenment. They are important sites 
for pilgrims; Bodh Gaya, for instance, receives more than four 
million visitors every year. 
In Sikhism, takhts 
are seats or 
centres of spiritual 
authority?—?for 
example, the Takht 
Sri Patna Sahib (in 
Patna), the Akal Takht 
(part of the Golden 
Temple at Amritsar, 
see Fig. 8.3), and Takht 
Sri Keshgarh Sahib 
(at Anandpur). Sikhs 
aspire to undertake 
pilgrimages to these 
places at least once in their lifetimes, as they are associated with 
important Sikh Gurus and therefore have special significance. In 
addition, Sikh tradition records pilgrimages conducted by several 
Gurus, such as Guru Nanak, to places like Haridwar, Prayag, 
Mathura, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Puri and many more, besides a few 
Muslim shrines.
Pilgrimage: 
A journey 
to a sacred 
place that is 
significant 
within a 
religion 
or belief 
system.
Shrine: 
A place 
regarded 
as holy 
because 
of its 
associations 
with 
the divine, a 
sacred relic, 
or a spiritual 
figure.
Relic: 
A part of 
a saint’s 
or other 
spiritual 
figure’s 
body or 
sometimes 
to one 
of their 
belongings 
kept as an 
object of 
reverence.
Fig. 8.3
Chapter 8.indd   169 Chapter 8.indd   169 08-04-2025   12:53:23 08-04-2025   12:53:23
170
Exploring Society: India and Beyond | Grade 7 Part 1
Pilgrimages
Many Indians undertake ti¯rthaya¯tr a¯ s or pilgrimages to various 
sacred sites ( ti¯rthas) during their lifetime. This ancient and 
continuous tradition of pilgrimage is not just a physical journey 
but also an inner journey that requires a specified code of 
conduct.
For at least 3,000 years, and with no modern means of 
transportation available, Indians have been crisscrossing the 
Subcontinent, resulting in its entire geography being considered 
sacred. We will return to this soon.
Ti¯rtha : 
Literally, a 
place where 
one can cross 
a river or 
other body 
of water. 
Symbolically, 
it becomes a 
place where 
one can 
cross from 
the ordinary 
worldly life 
to a higher, 
spiritual 
life. Such 
places are 
held in high 
reverence 
and regarded 
as sacred.
 India has, for ages past, been a country of pilgrimages. 
All over the country, you find these ancient places, from 
Badrinath, Kedarnath and Amarnath, high up in the snowy 
Himalayas down to Kanyakumari in the south. What has 
drawn our people from the south to the north and from 
the north to the south in these great pilgrimages? It is the 
feeling of one country and one culture.
?—?Jawaharlal Nehru, 1961
Here’s an excerpt from the writings of Dharampal, a historian 
and thinker: 
“I was travelling from Gwalior to Delhi … when I met a group of 
people … about twelve of them, some three or four women and 
seven or eight men ... They said that they had been on a pilgrimage, 
three months long, up to Rameswaram, among other places. They 
came from two different villages north of Lucknow. They had 
various bundles of things and some earthen pots with them ... They 
had taken all the necessities for their food—atta, ghee, sugar—
with them … I asked them, “You are going to Delhi now?” “Yes!”, 
they replied. “You will stop in Delhi?” “No, we only have to change 
trains there. We’re going to Haridwar! ... We don’t have time … We 
have to go to Haridwar. And then we have to get back home.”
Chapter 8.indd   170 Chapter 8.indd   170 08-04-2025   12:53:23 08-04-2025   12:53:23
Page 5


167
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions  
8 – How the Land Becomes Sacred
How the Land  
Becomes Sacred 
CHAPTER
8
Ether, air, fire, water, earth, planets, all creatures, 
directions, trees and plants, rivers and seas, are organs 
of the supreme Lord’s body.
– Bha¯gavata Pura¯n?a
1. What is ‘sacredness’?
2. How does the land become sacred?
3. How do sacred sites and 
pilgrimage networks connect with 
the life and culture of the people?
4. What role did sacred geography 
play in the cultural integration of 
the Indian Subcontinent?
The Big 
Questions
Fig. 8.1
Chapter 8.indd   167 Chapter 8.indd   167 08-04-2025   12:53:19 08-04-2025   12:53:19
168
Exploring Society: India and Beyond | Grade 7 Part 1
LET’S EXPLORE
Do any of the pictures look familiar to you? Can you name 
similar places found in your neighbourhood?
What is ‘Sacredness’?
Sacredness can have many meanings. In the limited context of 
this chapter, sacredness is finding something of deep religious or 
spiritual significance, worthy of respect and reverence, holy or 
divine. But what is this ‘something’? It can be a special location or 
shrine that evokes such deep feelings, high thoughts or emotions. 
It can also be, as we will see in this chapter , a journey of a special 
kind (often called a ‘pilgrimage’), the route the journey takes, or 
even the very land covered. 
Sacredness, therefore, is not just connected with religion and 
spirituality, but also with geography, all sorts of traditions, and, in 
the case of India, with something more that we will discover soon.
Let us focus on sacred places first. You will find that almost every 
school of thought and religion in India has its own sacred places. 
Fig. 8.2
Chapter 8.indd   168 Chapter 8.indd   168 08-04-2025   12:53:22 08-04-2025   12:53:22
169
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions  
8 – How the Land Becomes Sacred
The places in these pictures are revered by followers of Islam, 
Christianity, Judaism and Zoroastrianism?—?religions that 
originated outside India. People visit or congregate in these places 
for prayer and worship. Followers from other faiths also visit 
them, as can be seen at the Dargah Sharif of Ajmer (Rajasthan) or 
the Velankanni Church in Tamil Nadu. People go on pilgrimages 
to these shrines on special occasions. 
Naturally, when we turn to religions that originated in India, 
we find that they have many more sacred sites. In the case of 
Buddhism, those are often places that were visited by the Buddha 
or where his relics are kept. Among them is the Great Stupa at 
Sanchi (Madhya Pradesh), which is a relic stupa (you saw this in 
the chapter on ‘The Rise of Empires’), and the Mahabodhi Stupa 
in Bodh Gaya (Bihar), where, according to Buddhist tradition, 
the Buddha attained enlightenment. They are important sites 
for pilgrims; Bodh Gaya, for instance, receives more than four 
million visitors every year. 
In Sikhism, takhts 
are seats or 
centres of spiritual 
authority?—?for 
example, the Takht 
Sri Patna Sahib (in 
Patna), the Akal Takht 
(part of the Golden 
Temple at Amritsar, 
see Fig. 8.3), and Takht 
Sri Keshgarh Sahib 
(at Anandpur). Sikhs 
aspire to undertake 
pilgrimages to these 
places at least once in their lifetimes, as they are associated with 
important Sikh Gurus and therefore have special significance. In 
addition, Sikh tradition records pilgrimages conducted by several 
Gurus, such as Guru Nanak, to places like Haridwar, Prayag, 
Mathura, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Puri and many more, besides a few 
Muslim shrines.
Pilgrimage: 
A journey 
to a sacred 
place that is 
significant 
within a 
religion 
or belief 
system.
Shrine: 
A place 
regarded 
as holy 
because 
of its 
associations 
with 
the divine, a 
sacred relic, 
or a spiritual 
figure.
Relic: 
A part of 
a saint’s 
or other 
spiritual 
figure’s 
body or 
sometimes 
to one 
of their 
belongings 
kept as an 
object of 
reverence.
Fig. 8.3
Chapter 8.indd   169 Chapter 8.indd   169 08-04-2025   12:53:23 08-04-2025   12:53:23
170
Exploring Society: India and Beyond | Grade 7 Part 1
Pilgrimages
Many Indians undertake ti¯rthaya¯tr a¯ s or pilgrimages to various 
sacred sites ( ti¯rthas) during their lifetime. This ancient and 
continuous tradition of pilgrimage is not just a physical journey 
but also an inner journey that requires a specified code of 
conduct.
For at least 3,000 years, and with no modern means of 
transportation available, Indians have been crisscrossing the 
Subcontinent, resulting in its entire geography being considered 
sacred. We will return to this soon.
Ti¯rtha : 
Literally, a 
place where 
one can cross 
a river or 
other body 
of water. 
Symbolically, 
it becomes a 
place where 
one can 
cross from 
the ordinary 
worldly life 
to a higher, 
spiritual 
life. Such 
places are 
held in high 
reverence 
and regarded 
as sacred.
 India has, for ages past, been a country of pilgrimages. 
All over the country, you find these ancient places, from 
Badrinath, Kedarnath and Amarnath, high up in the snowy 
Himalayas down to Kanyakumari in the south. What has 
drawn our people from the south to the north and from 
the north to the south in these great pilgrimages? It is the 
feeling of one country and one culture.
?—?Jawaharlal Nehru, 1961
Here’s an excerpt from the writings of Dharampal, a historian 
and thinker: 
“I was travelling from Gwalior to Delhi … when I met a group of 
people … about twelve of them, some three or four women and 
seven or eight men ... They said that they had been on a pilgrimage, 
three months long, up to Rameswaram, among other places. They 
came from two different villages north of Lucknow. They had 
various bundles of things and some earthen pots with them ... They 
had taken all the necessities for their food—atta, ghee, sugar—
with them … I asked them, “You are going to Delhi now?” “Yes!”, 
they replied. “You will stop in Delhi?” “No, we only have to change 
trains there. We’re going to Haridwar! ... We don’t have time … We 
have to go to Haridwar. And then we have to get back home.”
Chapter 8.indd   170 Chapter 8.indd   170 08-04-2025   12:53:23 08-04-2025   12:53:23
171
Our Cultural Heritage and Knowledge Traditions  
8 – How the Land Becomes Sacred
LET’S EXPLORE
 Æ Read the excerpt. What are your observations? Locate the 
route the group must have taken from Rameswaram to 
Haridwar. Why do you think the group was going straight 
to Haridwar instead of stopping at Delhi? 
 Æ In ancient times, when people were travelling from 
Madurai in Tamil Nadu to Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, 
what languages would they come across? How would they 
communicate with people in those places? Where would 
they stay? What food would they eat?
In the Jain tradition, the ti¯ rthas are associated with places where 
the T i¯ rthankar as attained liberation or where significant events 
of their lives occurred. Trees, ponds, hills and mountains that the 
Ti¯rthankaras visited or meditated at are also considered sacred. 
Examples of such places include Mount Abu, Girnar and the 
Shatruñjaya hill in Saurashtra (Gujarat). 
Another example is the pilgrimage to Sabarimala temple 
(Kerala), dedicated to the deity Ayyappa, which draws over ten 
million devotees every year. This hilltop shrine was traditionally
Ti¯rthankara: 
Literally, 
someone 
who makes a 
ti¯rtha, that is, 
who guides 
the crossing 
from ordinary 
to higher life. 
In Jainism, the 
Ti¯rthankaras 
are the 
supreme 
preachers of 
dharma.
reached by an immensely 
difficult trek through hills and 
forests. Such a challenging 
approach, common to 
many hilltop or mountain 
shrines all over the country, 
symbolises the difficulties of 
the inner path, with natural 
landmarks along the route 
being considered sacred.
Fig. 8.4. Pandharpur wa¯ri¯, 
an 800-year-old tradition in 
Maharashtra. Wari¯ means a 
pilgrimage that is held regularly, 
in this case annually. Pilgrims 
walk in large groups for 21 days 
to the famous Vithoba temple in 
Pandharpur . 
Chapter 8.indd   171 Chapter 8.indd   171 08-04-2025   12:53:24 08-04-2025   12:53:24