#12: Research - Sacred Places in Hinduism

1) What is it that makes a place sacred?

A sacred site is a place that is thought of as sacred (or holy) to a particular religion.

2) Are there tangible differences between a holy site and other places, or are they simply imaginary?

3) What is the difference between a Tirtha and a Kshetra?

Tirtha (IAST: Tīrtha) is a Sanskrit word that means "crossing place, ford", and refers to any place, text or person that is holy.[1][2] It particularly refers to pilgrimage sites and holy places in Hinduism as well as Jainism. A pilgrimage place or location is some Hindu texts is also referred to as Kshetra (IAST: kṣētra, Sanskrit: क्षेत्र), literally any "field, area, tract of land".[46] A kshetra denotes a holy precinct or temenos. A kshetra often refers to a collection of tirtha locations (temples, river banks) in a certain location, such as Varanasi, Hardwar, Somnath, Mathura-Vrindavan, Ayodhya, Puri and Kanchipuram, are referred to as a kshetra.[47] A kshetra may denote a place where there is a temple or where there is held to have been a person or event of sacred, religious or dharmic importance. The Kurukshetra specifically is the "field" or "precinct" where the Pandavas and Kauravas fought a religious war as told in the Bhagavad Gita section of the Mahabharata.A kshetra need not be distant permanently developed travel site, and refers to any temporary space, such as a wedding area or mandala set up for a worship, that is sacred.[48] Both yantras and mandalas are sometimes referred to as kshetras.[49][50]

4) Recreate the map above and label the seven holy cities associated with Hinduism. The Garuda Purana enumerates these seven sites as givers of Moksha: Ayodhya,Mathura, Māyā, Kāsi, Kāñchī, Avantikā (also known as Ujjain), Purī and Dvārāvatī.