How the Land Becomes Sacred
Class 7 · Social Science Part 1 · 12 Questions
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?
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?
An estimated 660 million people participated in the Kumbh Mela of 2025. What proportion of the population of India is this?
Given below are the names of a few sacred groves in a few regional languages of India.
| Malayalam | kāvu |
|---|---|
| Tamil | kovilkādu |
| Kannada | devare kādu |
| Marathi | devarāī |
| Khasi (Meghalaya) | khlaw kyntang |
| Hindi (Himachal Pradesh) | dev van |
| Jharkhand | sarnā |
| Chhattisgarh | devgudi |
| Rajasthan | oraṇ |
Can you add to this?
Read the following statement by a well-known environmental thinker, David Suzuki: "The way we see the world shapes the way we treat it. If a mountain is a deity, not a pile of ore; if a river is one of the veins of the land, not potential irrigation water; if a forest is a sacred grove, not timber; if other species are biological kin, not resources; or if the planet is our mother, not an opportunity—then we will treat each other with greater respect. Thus is the challenge, to look at the world from a different perspective." Discuss in small groups. What do you think this statement means? What implication does it have for our actions with respect to the air, water, land, trees and mountains around us?
List the sacred sites in your region. Enquire into why they are considered sacred. Are there stories connected with these sacred places? Write a short essay of 150 words.
Why do you think natural elements like rivers, mountains and forests are considered sacred for the people? How do they contribute to our lives?
Why do people visit a tīrtha or other sacred sites?
How did the ancient pilgrimage routes help in fostering trade during those times? Do you think the sacred sites help in developing the economy of the region?
How do sacred places influence the culture and traditions of the people living near them?
From the various sacred sites of India, select two of your choice and create a project explaining their significance.
What is the two-fold significance of a tīrthayātrā or a pilgrimage?