Moving God(s)ward, calculating money: Wonders and wealth as essentials of a<i>tīrtha-yātrā</i>

Glushkova, Irina

doi:10.1080/00856400600865825

Cited by 3 publications

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“…the emergence of a totally impersonal pilgrimage market, in which the control of the flow of pilgrims came to be dominated by agents...'. 64 This historical review reminds us that not only have pilgrimage and commercial paybacks always gone together, 65 but also that the historical trajectory of pandas is in many ways defined by it. In a study of a Maharastrian noble who went on a pilgrimage in the mid-nineteenth century, we find an amusing description of a Prayag panda pressuring the royal pilgrim for donations-a scene not unlike that described above.…”

Section: Historical Trajectoriesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Krishna's Curse in the Age of Global Tourism: Hindu pilgrimage priests and their trade

Aukland

2016

Mod. Asian Stud.

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This article explores the strategies of pandas (Hindu pilgrimage priests) in Vrindavan, relating changes in their trade (pandagiri) to tourism. These changes are the result of the pandas’ creative adjustments to shifting travel patterns that affect their market niche. Utilizing audio-recordings of the pandas’ guided tours, the article first portrays how pandas acquire ritual income from pilgrims by ‘inspiring’ donations of which they get a percentage. While commercial interests and economic conditions have always been crucial in shaping and perpetuating pilgrimage institutions and practices, global tourism has become an increasingly significant factor. Pandas all over India modify their services while the traditional exchange model (jajmani system) wanes. Changing travel patterns have made the guided tour a crucial component in the operation of Hindu pilgrimage. Vrindavan pandas have therefore turned into guides conducting religious sightseeing tours (darshan yatra). These tours are core to the new strategy for acquiring ritual income. To secure clients, pandas build connections with travel agencies and drivers and, in some cases, establish their own travel agencies that combine priestly and tourism services. The pandas’ own understandings of their methods and contemporary travel trends further reflect the dynamic interplay between pilgrimage and tourism in India.

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Section: Historical Trajectoriesmentioning

confidence: 99%