Trends in the Geography of Pilgrimages (Homage to David E. Sopher) An Old and Rare Book

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Culture and traditions as an integral form of the lifeworld has evolved in historical past with the growth and evolution of human civilization. Traditions are the symbolic representation of the cultural expression. According to distinctivity and diversification, in each culture there appear variety and vividity in traditions, but on the other end there also exist similarities among the various traditions of cultures of the different parts of the world. Among the visual and experiential perspectives of such similarities, the notion of pilgrimage is the most common feature. Man's dynamic movement is explicitly narrated in all the culturee through sacred journey which ultimately converges into "pilgrimage. The wish to interconnect himself with the miraculous sites, man in the pauage of time accepted pilgrimage as the fluid of receiving sacred association. That is how the theme of sacred spare and sacred time are being introduced, and the system of faith has been added to connect them together, and finally leading to express it with 'pilgrimages".

In geography there has been tradition of studying "man's traditions" and their imprints on the landscape, but the issue of pilgrimage has only recently got attention with David E. Sopher's pioneering work on "pilgrim circulation in Gujarat" (1968). It is, therefore quite fitting that the National Geographical Journal of India has released its special issue on the "Trends in the Geography of pilgrimages" (vol. 33, pt. 4, December 1987, also released as NGSI Res. Pul, no. 35, 1987).

In this direction, with the suggestion of DDDr. Manfred Buttner, the Chairman of the International Working Group on the Geography of Belief Systems (IWG-GBS), the IWG- GBS: Indian Branch has taken lead to publish a collection of articles on the geography of pilgrimages as homage to David E. Sopher (1923-1954). Thus, finally the National Geographical Journal of Indie has published this anthology as its special issue which includes an opening emay by David Sopher as "memage" for pilgrimage studies. This essay will serve as catalyst in future studies. Several new themes are discussed which would be taken as major concern in future studies like pilgrimage field, sacred regions, images of sacred place, pilgrmage and community integration, etc. His observation that "place is replaced by sacred nodes and geography itself becomes a cosmic geometry" would be taken as dictum in nearby future.

The question of "similarities' and 'integration' is the theme to be developed through the comparative scale. Nolan's attempt to compare Christian pilgrimage shrines in Western Europe and India is an example in this direction. The base of natural symbolism has been taken by her for comparison, and many contrasts are noted. She has remarked that in making typology many subjects in reference to time, myths, subjects of devotion, environmental features, etc. need to be taken.