"sacred geography"

6. The Sacred Geography of India

The sacred geography of India is suggested in the Mahabharata as a treasury of 270 holy places that make up India, its culture, and its religion. This geography has been recognized as sacred and holy since the first millennium BC. It is probable that the belief that India being one Motherland tied together through pilgrimage came from the establishment of the sacred geography.

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One site of the 270, the most renown, is the Prayag, which is now known as the Allahabad. This holy site is located in the crossing of the Ganges River and the Jumna River. Like the Egyptians believe in the Mound of Creation, India believes that the Prayag is the exact location where the universe was created. The holy site consists of an archaic pillar cult, marking where heaven and earth were separated, a holy, everlasting tree, and a shrine dedicated to a biblical serpent who protects the sacred tree.

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  by Katie Friedman 
  Manual Question #6 pg. 131
  Back to History 8 India Manual questions