Pilgrimage — a journey to a sacred place as an act of devotion — is practised in every major world religion. For Muslims, Hajj to Mecca is one of the Five Pillars of Islam; for Christians, a visit to Jerusalem walks in the footsteps of Christ. All pilgrimages share the belief that sacred places hold special spiritual power.
What is pilgrimage and why do people make pilgrimages?
Pilgrimage is a journey undertaken for religious purposes — to visit a place considered sacred because of its association with God, a holy person, a miraculous event or a divine revelation. Pilgrimages differ from ordinary travel in their intention: the journey itself, as well as the destination, is an act of devotion.
People undertake pilgrimages for many reasons:
- To fulfil a religious obligation — Hajj is obligatory for Muslims who are physically and financially able to perform it
- To deepen faith — encountering a sacred place can intensify religious experience and commitment
- To seek forgiveness or healing — many pilgrims pray for forgiveness of sins or physical healing at sacred sites
- To feel connected to religious community — pilgrimage joins the individual to millions of past and present believers who have made the same journey
- To mark a life transition — pilgrimage can mark a major life change, a bereavement, or a decision to renew commitment
- To experience the "thin places" — the Celtic Christian concept of thin places — locations where the boundary between the earthly and divine feels especially close
What is the Hajj and why is it central to Islam?
The Hajj is the annual pilgrimage to Mecca (in present-day Saudi Arabia), performed in the Islamic month of Dhu al-Hijjah. It is one of the Five Pillars of Islam — obligatory for every Muslim who is physically able and financially capable. Around 2–3 million Muslims perform Hajj each year, making it the largest annual gathering of people on Earth.
The Hajj follows a set of rituals that recall the actions of the Prophet Ibrahim (Abraham), his wife Hagar and his son Ismail.
| Ritual | Significance |
|---|---|
| Ihram | Entering a state of spiritual purity; wearing simple white garments that symbolise equality before God |
| Tawaf | Circling the Kaaba (the cube-shaped structure at the centre of the Masjid al-Haram mosque) seven times anticlockwise; direction Muslims pray toward |
| Sa'i | Walking seven times between the hills of Safa and Marwa, recalling Hagar's search for water for her son |
| Standing at Arafat | The central pillar of Hajj — standing on the plain of Arafat in prayer; symbolises the Day of Judgement |
| Stoning the devil (Rami) | Throwing pebbles at three pillars (Jamarat) in Mina, recalling Ibrahim's rejection of Satan's temptations |
| Eid al-Adha sacrifice | Commemorating Ibrahim's willingness to sacrifice his son; meat distributed to the poor |
Muslims believe that a properly performed Hajj washes away all previous sins. The experience of Hajj is often described by pilgrims as transformative — an encounter with the global Muslim ummah (community) and with the presence of God.
What are Christian pilgrimage destinations and why do Christians go?
Christianity does not have a single obligatory pilgrimage, but pilgrimage has been central to Christian practice since the early centuries of the faith. Major destinations include:
Jerusalem: the city of Jesus's ministry, crucifixion and resurrection. Pilgrims walk the Via Dolorosa (the route Jesus is believed to have carried the cross), visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (built over the site of the crucifixion and empty tomb), and pray at Gethsemane.
Rome: the location of the Vatican, St Peter's Basilica and the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul. For Catholics, Rome is central to the authority of the Church and the history of Christianity.
Santiago de Compostela (Spain): the supposed burial site of the Apostle James. The Camino de Santiago (Way of St James) is walked by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims each year.
Lourdes (France): where the Virgin Mary is reported to have appeared to Bernadette Soubirous in 1858. Lourdes is associated with miraculous healings and receives around 5 million visitors per year; it is particularly associated with pilgrimage by the sick and disabled.
Walsingham (Norfolk, England): England's "Nazareth," a medieval pilgrimage site revived in the 20th century. Both Catholic and Anglican traditions maintain shrines here.
Christians hold different views on the spiritual importance of pilgrimage. Catholics, Orthodox Christians and many Anglicans place significant value on pilgrimage. Many Protestant denominations are more sceptical, arguing that God is accessible everywhere and that travelling to a particular location does not bring a person closer to God.
What are the main pilgrimage sites in other religions?
Judaism: Jewish pilgrimage traditionally went to the Temple in Jerusalem. After the Temple's destruction in 70 CE, the Western Wall (the only remaining structure of the Temple Mount) became the primary focus of Jewish prayer and pilgrimage. Jerusalem remains central to Jewish religious identity.
Hinduism: Hinduism has an extensive pilgrimage tradition. Varanasi (Benares) on the Ganges River is the holiest city in Hinduism — dying or being cremated there is believed to bring moksha (liberation from the cycle of rebirth). The Kumbh Mela, held every 12 years at Prayagraj (Allahabad), is the world's largest religious gathering, attracting tens of millions of pilgrims. Other major sites include Tirupati, Mathura, Vrindavan and Haridwar.
Sikhism: the Golden Temple (Harmandir Sahib) in Amritsar, Punjab, is the holiest site in Sikhism — built in the 16th century at the time of Guru Ram Das. Unlike some religious sites, the Golden Temple has four doors (representing openness to people from all four directions), and its langar serves tens of thousands of free meals daily to visitors of all faiths. Pilgrimage is not obligatory in Sikhism but visiting the Golden Temple is considered deeply meaningful.
Buddhism: major Buddhist pilgrimage sites follow the life of the Buddha. Lumbini (Nepal, birthplace), Bodh Gaya (India, where he attained enlightenment), Sarnath (India, first teaching), and Kushinagar (India, where he died) are the four most sacred. Pilgrimage to these sites is considered meritorious and spiritually beneficial.
Frequently asked questions
Is pilgrimage equally important in all religions?
No. Pilgrimage is most structurally central to Islam (where Hajj is a religious obligation) and to Hinduism (where pilgrimage is deeply embedded in religious practice and culture). In Christianity, the importance of pilgrimage varies greatly by denomination — it is significant for Catholics, Orthodox Christians and many Anglicans, but less so for most Protestant traditions, which emphasise the direct relationship between the individual and God. Judaism's Temple pilgrimage cannot be performed today since the Temple no longer exists; the Western Wall is a focus for prayer and visits but is not a formal pilgrimage obligation. Buddhism and Sikhism treat pilgrimage as spiritually beneficial but not obligatory.
What can pilgrimage teach us about religious identity?
Pilgrimage is a powerful expression of religious identity for several reasons: it is physically demanding (which demonstrates commitment), it joins the individual to a community of millions of past and present pilgrims, it takes place at sites whose history is central to the religion's narrative, and it marks the pilgrim as someone who has made their faith a lived reality rather than merely a belief. For many pilgrims, the experience transforms their sense of identity — they return with a deeper sense of connection to their tradition and its global community.
What challenges do modern pilgrims face?
Modern pilgrimage faces practical, commercial and environmental challenges. The Hajj requires enormous logistical management — Saudi authorities manage one of the world's most complex crowd safety operations. Stampedes have killed hundreds of pilgrims at Hajj in past decades. Commercial development around sacred sites (hotels, shops, restaurants catering to pilgrims) can feel at odds with the spirit of devotion. Climate change creates specific problems: Mecca is experiencing rising heat stress during Hajj, with temperatures regularly exceeding 40°C; Lourdes has faced flooding; glacier loss in the Himalayas threatens water supply for Varanasi. Environmental impact of millions of pilgrims also attracts criticism.
Does the physical journey matter, or could someone go on a "virtual pilgrimage"?
This is a genuine theological debate that was sharpened by the COVID-19 pandemic, when physical pilgrimage was impossible and some religious bodies offered virtual equivalents. Most religious traditions value the physical journey as an important part of the spiritual experience — the effort, discomfort and commitment involved in actual travel are seen as spiritually meaningful. Islam's requirement that Hajj pilgrims be physically present cannot be substituted by virtual means. Christianity's views vary: some argue God is equally accessible online; others argue that physically walking the Via Dolorosa or visiting the Holy Sepulchre has irreplaceable spiritual value. The question ultimately touches on fundamental theological issues about whether God's presence is bound to particular places.
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