Pilgrims and Priests as Links Between a Sacred Center and the Hindu Culture Region: Prayag's Magh Mela Pilgrimage (Allahabad, India).

Abstract

Hinduism, despite its lack of formal organization, has unified a large region of the Indian subcontinent for three to four thous and years. Its persistence may be due in part to the pilgrimage tradition which validates the circulation of believers to the religious centers from all portions of the cultural region. To investigate this hypothesis, the study examines the spatial organization and operation of one large Hindu pilgrimage--the annual Magh Mela pilgrimage to the confluence of the holy(' )Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Sarasvat(')i rivers at Prayag (Allahabad, India). Data, collected there between December 1978 and April 1979, include 1696 interviews with pilgrims sampled from streams of pilgrims on their way to the bathing site, 697 interviews with pilgrims selected by state of origin, 95 interviews with pilgrimage priests, and transcriptions from several of the geographically organized pilgrimage records kept by the pilgrimage priests. Additional interviews with officials, the analysis of official documents, and the examination of the epic, Puranic, as well as popular religious literature concerning the pilgrimage site, document the manner in which Hindu myths are currently re-enacted in the temples and in the annual religious fair held at Prayag. These data support the hypothesis that Prayag is a cultural hearth, a center for the development, communication, and diffusion of Hindu culture. Geographical analysis of the places from which Prayag's pilgrims come, and analysis of linguistic and religious sub-regions represented by the pilgrims, show that Prayag's pilgrimage region overlaps broadly the entire Hindu culture region. Providing structure to the pilgrimage and organizing the participation of the pilgrims, the pilgrimage priests oversee the performance of sacred rituals and play a vital role in the publicity and management of the annual religious fairs. Their activities, such as the geographical division of India into client-territories marked by flags, their acceptance of donations, and their keeping of pilgrimage records for client-families, influence the participation of a significant proportion (at least two-thirds) of the pilgrims who come to stay at Prayag. The evidence gathered at Prayag supports the thesis that the Hindu tradition is maifested in the sacred center, shared by Hindus living in the pilgrimage region, and maintained by a communications network of pilgrims and priests.