Happy Mood
Introduction
“The more You Travel The More You Learn”
It’s often said that the more you travel the more you learn. Travelling is an essential part of human life, without travelling life becomes very dull and boring. Humans tend to start feeling anxious and uneasy, the stresses of life engulf them if they don’t travel for a long time. However there are some people who don’t like to travel but what we are speaking about is in general.
There are different kinds of purposes for travelling it can be for religious purposes it can be for leisure and relaxation it can be for enjoyment it can be for exploring the culture , it can be for the employment purposes it can be for the business purposes etc.
In this essay however we will only focus upon the religious purpose , cultural purposes , festival based travelling & culinary purposes of travelling.
Culinary Purpose
No matter what the purpose of travelling is, people always enjoy eating food at different places and want to explore a wide variety of food which is available around the world. However there can be traveling specifically for exploring the food of that area. Generally this kind of travelling is done by chefs around the world in order to learn different kinds of food and improve their own variety. However this kind of travelling is actually from a business and professional point of view because they are involved in the business of cooking and hence they want to travel in order to improve their cooking skills learning new dishes and add a wide variety to their table.
However there are also possibilities when a normal person who is not into the profession of cooking travels chiefly to enjoy the food of a particular region.
Now we will take some examples of culinary & cultural, Religious belief travelling destinations.
India
Culinary
India is a country with the widest variety of food that is available. India is known for spicy food and tasty food and it has probably the biggest variety around the world in its food culture. Many many people from the foreign countries travel to India to explore the wide variety of food which they have heard about.
Cultural
India is a home to a wide variety of cultures, one of the purposes of travelling to the destination of India is also to observe the different cultures that exist in India. Some tourist come with the purpose of exploring the culture and obviously it is not that once you travel for a particular purpose you won’t fulfill the other purposes. A person who has traveled for exploring the food will obviously explore the culture and he can also explore the different religious places on his tour.
Religious
In India there are many religious places of different religious groups. India is a home to many religious groups. In India there are religious groups who follow Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism, Sufism, Zoroastrianism , Christianity , Judaism ,Islam. Religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Sikhism , Sufism are especially those Religions who started in this place. Apart from this also there are other Religious groups who didn’t start here but reached here because people from those Religious groups travelled here. Zoroastrianism reached India because Zoroastrians travelled to Surat & settled here. Abrahamic Faiths like Judaism Christianity and Islam also reached India because people following those religions travelled here.
Buddhism
In Bodhgaya Bihar there is a ritual religious pilgrimage for those who believe in Buddhism apart from that there are many Budhist Temples etc.
Sikhism
There are many special places for Sikhism like the Golden Temple or Sri Harminder Sahib in Amritsar of Punjab. This is a place for religious travel for Sikh community. The religious place for sikh people is called as Gurudwara. There is also Langar which means that the food is prepared & placed before Guru Granth Sahib then Prayer ( ardas) is recited asking Waheguru to bless the Food then it’s mixed with rest of the food. It’s believed by Sikhs that this food will bless all who eat it. It’s part of their Religious belief.
People around the world who want to learn about different religions and cultures tend to visit India. Also for Sikh community it’s their Religious travel. The food which is offered in the Langar is vegetarian food.
Amritsar Punjab
However one thing to note is that Amritsar is a very well known place offering the most delicious food. The food which is available in Punjab is mind blowing, so it is obvious when a person travels to Amritsar obviously tastes the yummy food available . Amritsar you can find all kind of delicious Punjabi food vegetarian and non vegetarian and it is really mouth watering just look at those beautiful dishes.
Chole Bhature
One of the most delicious food that is available in the entire India is chole bhature it is a vegetarian dish which is very yummy and very very tasty. It is often said that if you visit India you must try Chole Bhature.
Jainism
In Jainism there are chiefly two kind of branches one are those who believe in Temple which is called Derasar & one are those who are called Sthanakvasi who don’t believe in the temple. So basically among the Jain’s there are two communities one who believe in idol worship and one which does not believe in Idol Worship.
Palitana
Palitana is a place in Gujarat where many of the Jain people travel for religious purposes who believe in the derasar that is in the Jain temple. The main temple (Derasar) is located on Shatrunjay Hills . To visit the Temple on the Top of the Mountain there are there are around 5000 steps approximately, generally people go early in the morning around 4 am to 5 am to climb the mountain. It takes around 45 minutes to 1 hour for fast climbers. It can also take a long time depending upon the speed of walking.
Food
There are places available for delicious and tasty food. Also there is one place there which serves food at 1 rupees per person for Jain’s. The place is also famous for Gulkand, a sweet made from Roses which is eaten in Pan, Indian refresher eaten generally after food.
Maharashtra
Maharashtra has many places available for religious and cultural visit.
Sirdi Sai Baba
In Sirdi there is the Temple of Sai Baba. It is one of the most famous places in India where people travel to visit the temple of Sai Baba. There is generally lot of crowd and for the believers of the Sai Baba the Ladoo which is given as Prasad ( Prasad means Religious food offering to the Idol or image of deity, generally there is Aarti i.e. Prayer & then it’s offered )is very dear & famous. There are a lot of hotels & restaurants around the temple. Throughout the year a lot of people travel there.
Food
There are a lot of options in food. Some of the famous items are Vada Pav, Misal, Usal etc. these are just some of many items that are available to eat there.
Tirupati Balaji
In the South India, State of Andhra Pradesh there is a famous Tirupati Balaji temple where a lot of people go. It’s famous for its Ladoo Prasad & also people shaving their head as part of their Religious belief.
It is surrounded by the natural surroundings.
Dharmasthala Devasthanam
In Karnataka there is famous temple called as Dharmasthala it is one of the most visited Temple in the souther. India, the temple is located in the green surroundings of trees .
The Char Dham Yatra
The Char Dham Yatra is one of the most important pilgrimages for Hindus. It includes four places Badrinath in the north, Dwarka in the west, Puri in the east, and Rameswaram in the south. A lot of Hindu people travel to these temples as pilgrimage.
Kutch , Gujarat
Kutch is the biggest district in India, with the biggest area, it’s one of the most beautiful places in the entire India, it’s not just a beautiful place but it is a magical place with unique charm. By saying it’s a magical place I don’t mean it literally but the magic is about the irresistible charm the place holds. Once you go there you don’t want to return back.
Ranotsav
It’s in the winter season tents are built & thousands of people travel there to witness beautiful Kutch.
Food
Dabeli or Double Roti
One of the most important and the most popular fast food or dish of Kutch is dabeli. It is very delicious and tasty food.
Rangoli Restaurant
While visiting the kutch when you leave from Gandhidham railway station to come towards Mandvi than in between generally the car will stop at Rangoli restaurant. Early in the morning the beauty and the charm of the quiet place eating jalebi fafda and having a cup of tea is a magical experience.
Mandvi Beach
One of the most beautiful places in the Kutch is Mandvi beach. There is so much beauty.
Culture
It has the most beautiful culture, the most beautiful places & very nice food. The beautiful thing about the kutch is that it is so vast so peaceful you will never see that kind of calmness anywhere else. I believe the biggest problem that the people especially who are living in the cities face is being with themselves. Kutch is the most ideal place to experience it.
Goa
I believe if there is a peace of heavens on the earth then it is certainly Goa. The most beautiful place in Goa is the culture of Goa. It is a very tasty and exotic food which is always available. Those who have visited and experienced Mandvi of Kutch will experience that Goa and Mandvi of Kutch are totally identical.
Mecca
One of the most important and most visited pilgrimages around the world is Mecca and Madina. It is obligatory for all the Muslims for who have sufficient means to do the Hajj at least once in their lifetime.
Purposes
Unique
Mecca is in the Center of the World, Scientists have concluded that Mecca is the Center of the Earth. Now as there can be only one Center of anything it’s a reminder that God is only One.
Diversity
Muslims from different parts of the world travel to Mecca bring a sense of unity in diversity.
Learning
People from different parts of the world learn by observing the culture of each other.
Tolerance
When you stay there with such a vast crowd of diverse people you learn tolerance. It helps in the fight against racism.
Importance of Travelling As Per Religion
Travelling is one of the most important duties for all who have the means to travel. The purpose is that when a person travels he can see the different beautiful places created by God & learn by observing different cultures of the world .
Conclusion
In this essay we saw Travelling in the context of Cultural, Religious & Food. Without a scintilla of doubt I can confirm the purpose of All travel may be different. But ultimately food becomes part of the journey. There is a unique happiness which we get while eating food while travelling.
Just imagine & remember your experience on your last trip by Train. The same cup of Tea & Samosa could taste much more delicious if we are having it in a long distance travel train.
Forget about the same tea and samosa. Even ordinary tea & samosa will taste much better. That’s all possible because of travelling.
Religious or Non Religious Travel
The ultimate outcome of all travel is learning something new. That’s one of the purposes of Travelling.
Ultimately whatever is the purpose of travel the other purposes add up automatically knowingly or unknowingly.
Travelling is like Refreshing, Breathtaking, Mindblowing , experience we all must have whenever we get the chance to travel.
By: AMIT LAXMICHAND GALA
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