Religious Destinations - Enjoying The Second Innings Of Life & Finding It’s Essence In Travel

Traveling at the age of 60 is not what most of us would perhaps love to do. Don’t you think so? Rather people who cross a certain age limit generally tend to stay in their homes in the cozy comfort of their beds.

However, there is no particular age to set new goals and chase them whether it be traveling or committing yourself to anything else - be it a hobby or even a part-time job or business. Yes, many people aim to work even after retirement.

And regarding this, you can easily find a great number of examples which specifically showcase that old people too can indulge themselves in something substantial. And one such thing which can help them lead an interesting life in their second innings is traveling.

And for those who are above the age bar of 50-60, these are some of the religious destinations and some best places to explore.

Travel To The Pious Rameshwaram

Did you know that Rameshwaram is the place where the army of Lord Ram had built the Ram-Setu bridge? This place is also considered one of the most sacred Hindu pilgrimage sites which are known for its splendid temples and tiny fishing villages.

If you are planning to take your elderly parents on a holiday trip then Rameswaram would be indeed a great choice. At least, for me visiting this place with my grandparents was quite an experience.

Just being curious I Googled Rameshwaram and devoured all the interesting text which lay before my very eyes.

It was then that I landed on a really interesting story. It goes something like this.

The Story of Lord Rama

The very word “Rameswaram” means Lord of Lord Rama.

Can you guys imagine even Lord Rama used to worship someone!

Yes, according to the scriptures, the seventh Avatar of Lord Vishnu - Lord Rama prayed to Shiva for absolving him of any sins which he might have committed during Braham Hatya by killing Ravana.

I didn’t know that Ravana was Brahim. Did you?

As per the Puranas, it was specifically on the advice of the sages that Lord Rama wished to conduct a worship ceremony of Shivlingam. Regarding this, Hanuman, the chief lieutenant of Lord Ram was sent to get the lingam from the Himalayas. However, when he couldn’t come back in time it was then that Maa Sita prepared a lingam made out of the sands of the shores. It is believed that this is the lingam that is present to date in the sanctum of the temple.

Impeccably Spiritual Badrinath

सदुपायकथास्वपण्डितो हृदये दु:खशरेण खण्डित:। शशिखण्डमण्डनं शरणं यामि शरण्यमीरम् ॥

This Sanskrit shloka essentially means on a fundamental basis that it is Lord Shiva who can help and save humanity from evil and negativity.

I have read that Badrinath is located in the state of Uttarakhand on the banks of the Alaknanda river. Furthermore, this town lies between the Nar and Narayana mountain ranges. Some other places to discover here are Mana, Vyas Gufa, Charan Paduka, etc. And I guess, owing to this, Badrinath is a great place for elderly people to head out when they might feel bored.

The word Badri means berry. It is said that in this particular place typically badris or the berries used to grow in abundance and perhaps that was how the name “Badrinath” came into being.

And then it was somewhere in the 7th century that this particular place was re-established by Adi Shankra. In the earlier days, the pilgrims used to carry out their pilgrimages just by walking.

And after that, this temple was also repeatedly destroyed by natural calamities like earthquakes and avalanches.

Interesting fact: Did you know?

That this town consisted of the 20 odd-huts which has been used by the temple staff during the period of world war I.

Historic Dwarka

Located in the west side of Gujarat this city has been named after the word “dvar” which typically means a door or gate in the local language. This pilgrimage destination founds its confluence where the Gomti river merges into the Arabian sea and is simply a stunning site to view.

Did you know facts?

It is also believed that Dwarka city was the dwelling place of Lord Krishna and was submerged owing to the destruction done by the sea.

Dwarka also means Mokshapuri, Dwarkamati and Dwarkawati. Moreover, Krishna is also said to have reclaimed around 12 yojans of land from the sea for the purpose of creating Dwarka.

All of these facts make this an interesting pilgrimage site. And we are soon planning to go there with our grandparents. 

Omnipresent Puri

Puri is located in the state of Odisha and is considered the oldest city lying in the eastern part of the country.

The Jagannath Temple is one of the main highlights of this place. Here, you will be finding a great number of Hindu shrines like Astachandi temple, Panchatirtha temple, and many others. And the best part is that it is also specifically known for hosting the world’s largest procession which is the Rath Yatra. 

The main reason to experience this yatra is that one can free oneself from the vicious cycle of birth and death by just participating in the yatra. I can see that this has already given a boost to my grandparent's enthusiasm for visiting Puri.