The role of Acharya Madhva’s pilgrimages for the Mādhvas of Udupi

Abstract

In Hinduism, pilgrimage (Sanskrit: तीर्थयात्रा, tīrtha-yātrā) is a fundamental element in the lives of devotees. Pilgrimage as an integral part of religious life is used by the followers of Hinduism as a process which promotes spiritual progress. There are many places of pilgrimage in India, as it has very rich spiritual traditions. For Mādhvas of Udupi, tīrtha-yātrās is also an undivisible part of their spiritual life. There are a few academic works (e. g. B. N. K. Sharma “The Philosophy of Madhvacharya” and “History of the Dvaita School of Vedanta and its Literature”, Vasudeva Rao “Living traditions in Contemporary Context: The Madhva Matha of Udupi”) about the ethnographic peculiarities of the Mādhva Vaiṣṇava Sampradaya , such as the description of pilgrimage practice in Madhva tradition. Acharya Madhva’s pilgrimages to Badrinath and other holy places were discussed historically by scholars, but there isn’t study on its influence and role in religious culture for the Mādhvas of Udupi. For this article the study of Narayana Panditacharya’s hagiographic work called "Madhva Vijaya" which is about the life of Madhvācārya gives an opportunity to comprehend the peculiarities of the pilgrimage practice of Madhva and it’s cultural aspects for Mādhvas of Udupi.