Class 7 Social Science — Chapter 8: How the Land Becomes Sacred

What you'll learn

• ▸The Concept of Sacredness
• ▸Sacred Sites of Different Religions in India
• ▸The Tradition of Pilgrimage (Tīrthayātrā)
• ▸Sacredness in Nature
• ▸Sacred Geography and Pilgrimage Networks
• ▸Cultural Integration through Pilgrimage
• ▸Key Terms in Sacred Traditions

Chapter Summary

--- PAGE 1 --- How the Land Becomes Sacred Ether, air, fire, water, earth, planets, all creatures, directions, trees and plants, rivers and seas, are organs of the supreme Lord's body. – Bhāgavata Purāṇa CHAPTER 8 Fig. 8.1 The Big Questions 1. What is 'sacredness'? 2. How does the land become sacred? 3. How do sacred sites and pilgrimage networks connect with the life and culture of the people? 4. What role did sacred geography play in the cultural integration of the Indian Subcontinent? 0781CH08 --- PAGE 2 --- LET'S EXPLORE Do any of the pictures look familiar to you? Can you name similar places found in your neighbourhood? What is ‘Sacredness’? Sacredness can have many meanings. In the limited context of this chapter, sacredness is finding something of deep religious or spiritual significance, worthy of respect and reverence, holy or divine. But what is this ‘something’? It can be a special location or shrine that evokes such deep feelings, high thoughts or emoti…

Practice Questions from this Chapter

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1. Explain sacredness in simple terms. Get Solution →
2. Name three types of holy sites. Get Solution →
3. Describe an ancient pilgrimage journey. Get Solution →
4. What is the definition of a 'pilgrimage' according to the text? Get Solution →
5. According to the provided text, what is a 'relic'? Get Solution →
6. The Mahabodhi Stūpa in Bodh Gaya marks the place where, according to Buddhist tradition, the Buddha... Get Solution →
7. What is the literal meaning of the word 'Tirtha'? Get Solution →
8. The 'Pandharpur wari', an 800-year-old annual pilgrimage tradition, takes place in which Indian state? Get Solution →

Did you know?

• 💡 Ancient Mesopotamians considered certain numbers to be sacred.
• 💡 Navigators once used stars to guide their long sea voyages for exploration.
• 💡 Many ancient cultures worshipped specific rivers or mountains as living deities.
• 💡 The oldest known travel guide was for pilgrims visiting sacred sites in ancient Greece.
• 💡 Some cultures used specific rocks or stones as powerful sacred objects for rituals.

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