Experts have designed these Class 7 SST Notes Chapter 8 How the Land Becomes Sacred Class 7 Notes for effective learning.
Class 7 How the Land Becomes Sacred Notes
Class 7 SST Chapter 8 How the Land Becomes Sacred Notes
Class 7 SST Chapter 8 Notes – How the Land Becomes Sacred Notes Class 7
→ Sacredness: The quality of being holy, divine, or spiritually significant, often associated with religious sites, natural elements, or rituals.
→ Pilgrimage (Tirthayatra): A journey to a sacred place for spiritual growth, worship, or fulfillment of religious duties.
→ Shrine: A holy place dedicated to a deity, saint, or religious figure, often containing relics or objects of worship.
→ Relic: A sacred object, often the bodily remains or belongings of a saint or spiritual figure, preserved for veneration.
→ Tirtha: A crossing place (literal or symbolic) where one transitions from worldly life to spiritual awakening; a sacred pilgrimage site.
→ Tirthankara: In Jainism, a spiritual teacher who guides followers across the cycle of rebirth to liberation (moksha).
→ Char Dham: Four major Hindu pilgrimage sites (Badrinath, Dwarka, Puri, Rameswaram) located in the four cardinal directions of India.
→ Jyotirlinga: Twelve sacred shrines dedicated to Lord Shiva, believed to be self-manifested (swayambhu) lingas of divine light.
→ Shakti Peetha: 51 sacred sites where body parts of the goddess Sati (a form of Shakti) fell, as per Hindu mythology.
→ Kumbh Mela: A massive Hindu pilgrimage and festival held every 12 years at four riverbank sites (Prayagraj, Haridwar, Nashik, Ujjain), where devotees bathe for spiritual purification.
→ Sacred Grove: A forest or natural area protected due to its religious significance, often home to deities and rich biodiversity (e.g., kavu in Kerala, devrai in Maharashtra).
→ Bodhi Tree: A sacred fig tree (Pipal tree, botanical name : Ficus religiosa) under which the Buddha attained enlightenment; revered in Buddhism, Hinduism, and Jainism.
→ Sacred Ecology: The belief that nature (rivers, mountains, forests) is divine, leading to practices that protect the environment.
→ Uttarapatha and Dakshinapatha: Ancient trade routes that also served as pilgrimage corridors, connecting northern and southern India.
→ Amrita: The divine nectar of immortality sought by the Gods (devas) and demons (asuras) in Hindu mythology.
→ Bhudevi: The Earth goddess in Hinduism, symbolising the sacredness of the land.
→ Sangam: The confluence of sacred rivers (e.g., Ganga-Yamuna-Sarasvati at Prayagraj), considered highly auspicious.
→ Sacred Geography: The interconnected network of holy sites, natural landmarks, and pilgrimage routes that shape cultural and spiritual landscapes.
→ Intangible Heritage: UNESCO- recognised traditions (e.g., Kumbh Mela) that are culturally significant but not physical artefacts.
→ Devas and Asuras: Celestial beings (devas) and demons (asuras) in Hindu mythology often in conflict over divine resources like amrita.
How the Land Becomes Sacred Class 7th Notes
WHAT IS ‘SACREDNESS’?
- Definition: Spiritual significance attributed to places, objects or journeys, (pilgrimage)
- Characteristics:
- Sacredness goes beyond religion and spirituality it includes places, objects, and practices that hold deep emotional and cultural meaning
- In India, sacredness is also tied to geography, such as rivers like the Ganga, mountains like the Himalayas, and forests considered holy.
- Many traditions and rituals in India reflect a unique blend of spiritual, cultural, and environmental reverence, making the idea of sacredness much broader and deeply rooted in daily life.
- Example Bhagavata Purana’s view of nature as divine manifestations.
PILGRIMAGES
- Definition: Tirthayatras (pilgrimages) are spiritual and physical journeys to sacred sites (tirthas), symbolising a transition from worldly life to spiritual awakening.
- Example:
- Hindu networks: Char Dham (four corners of India), 12 Jyotirlingas (Shiva shrines), 51 Shakti Pithas (divine mother’s body parts), and Sabarimala temple in Kerala.
- Buddhism Bodh Gaya (Buddha’s enlightenment site), Sanchi Stupa (relics).
- Sikhism: Takhts like the Golden Temple, Akal Takht.
- Jainism: Girnar, Shatrunjaya Hills (associated with Tirthankaras).
- Impact: Pilgrims travel across India, fostering cultural integration through shared experiences despite linguistic and regional diversity.
More Sacred Sites
- Many Hindu, folk and tribal traditions regard natural elements such as rivers, mountains, trees and animals, and stones as sacred and worthy of worship.
- This comes from the belief that all of nature holds a divine presence, with the Earth herself revered as Mother Earth or Bhudevi.
BECOMING AWARE OF SACRED GEOGRAPHY
India’s sacred geography through different religious sources, show how each tradition has created distinct yet interconnected spiritual landscapes across the subcontinent.
- Char Dham: The four abodes established by Adi Shankara to create a spiritual map of India.
- Jyotirlingas: The 12 self-manifested Shiva lingams that emerged as pillars of cosmic light, marking places where Shiva appeared to devotees.
- Shakti Peethas: The 51 sites where the body parts of Goddess Sati fell during Lord Shiva’s tandava (cosmic dance of destruction), each representing a unique aspect of feminine divinity.
As pilgrims, traders, scholars and travellers journeyed to these sites, they encountered diverse cultures and shared ideas, goods, and beliefs, and the integration of the Indian subcontinent.
SACRED ECOLOGY
- Tirthas are mostly located near rivers, lakes, forests or mountains. Punyakshetra (sacred space) is seen as sacred place where nature, culture, and spirituality connect, encouraging the protection of nature.
Rivers and Sangams (Confluence of rivers)
- Rivers: Worshipped since Vedic times (e.g., the Ganga, Yamuna), with rituals invoking their holiness.
- Sangams: Confluences like Prayagraj (where the Ganga, Yamuna, Sarasvati meet) host the Kumbh Mela, which attracts millions of devotees. UNESCO recognises Kumbh Mela as intangible cultural heritage of humanity.
MOUNTAINS AND FORESTS
- Symbolism: Mountains (e.g., Mount Kailash) are gateways to divinity; hilltop temples (e.g., Vaishno Devi) test pilgrims’ resolve.
- Conservation: Forests linked to deities (e.g., the Toda sacred peaks) protect ecosystems.
TREES, FORESTS AND SACRED GROVES
Scared groves are special forests where rural and tribal communities protect and preserve the forest from misuse, hunting and tree felling.
- Sacred Groves such as Kerala’s kavu, Jharkhand’s sarna and Maharashtra’s devrai serve as vital ecological preserves, protecting biodiversity, medicinal plants and endangered species.
- Sacred trees (peepal/banyan) and animals (blackbuck, turtles) are conserved through ritual-based bans on hunting and harvesting.
- Sacred groves often have small ponds that help save water. Some are lost to farming and industry, but many are still protected.
From Pilgrimage to Trade
- Merchant-Pilgrims: Many traders doubled as devotees, combining business with spiritual journeys by trading along pilgrimage routes.
- Trade Routes as Pilgrimage Paths: Ancient routes like the Uttarapatha (Northern Route) and Dakshinapatha (Southern Route) served dual purposes—facilitating both commerce and spiritual journeys, as traders carried goods like pearls, coins, gold and diamonds while visiting sacred sites.
SACRED GEOGRAPHY BEYOND INDIA
- Sacred geography exists worldwide, not just in India.
- Taranaki Maunga mountain has been granted legal recognition as a living entity in New Zealand, due to efforts of its indigenous people (The Maoris).
- Considering our ancestors, the voices of nature- mountains, rivers, groves etc. Protects sacred places from destruction and exploitation.
Restoring and Conserving the Sacred
- In the name of development and self-sustainability, our relationship with nature has, drained.
- There are still people who raise voices and protest against normalising deforestation and uprooting their values. They promote collective efforts to guard our sacred places.