Motorcycle diaries with Rama

Religion is mixing with leisure as Indians discover that pilgrimage spots make for memorable getaways, thanks to new-age infra, charter flights, sattvic sit-downs, luxury tents by the ghats and PR push from the Prime Minister

Dr Aparna Bandodkar, a dental surgeon from Marol, is an avid biker. Not only has she made countless trips across the country on her prized Enfield, lovingly named Bijli, she is also a prominent face of the annual Dussehra Shobha Yatra in Girgaum where she leads a group of women bikers.

What has changed over the last two years, she says, is that she is steering away from the usual adventure destinations and riding towards temples.

Dr Aparna Bandodkar and her husband Yatin Pednekar are excited to witness the consecration ceremony at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya tomorrow. Bandodkar, an avid biker, has visited scores of temples across India on her prized Enfield as part of her journey to discover her own heritage. Pics/Anurag Ahire

“There is so much history we are unaware of,” she tells mid-day, “which I have been discovering. For instance, in 2021, I visited the Ramraja Temple in Orchha, Madhya Pradesh. I learned that the king who constructed it had actually built a Chaturbhuj temple first, but his queen wanted a Ram temple. He refused initially, but then an idol of Lord Ram came floating on the river from Ayodhya, and the king could not ignore the sign.”

Bandodkar’s journey began during one of the darkest phases of her life: She was grappling with the after-effects of a spinal injury, and sought solace and healing in yoga. While reading up on it, she became interested in spirituality. The most remarkable twist of her story is that she used to be atheist.

Model and canine behaviourist Shruti Gole’s annual holiday involves a visit to a holy site. Last year, the family clubbed together Lucknow, Varanasi and Ayodhya, and she intends to go again to the latter in 2025, after hotel prices drop

The sustained conversations in the country about Hindus reconnecting with their roots and reclaiming their lost heritage has nurtured and deepened her interest. And she is not the only one. The phenomenon, known as civilisational populism, has been documented by several academics and researchers over the years. 

In February 2022, academics Raja M Saleem, Ihsan Yilmaz and Priya Chacko co-authored a paper for the European Center for Populism Studies, where they traced the rise of populism in India. 

Book reviewer Vidhya Thakkar went to Kedarnath for her 27th birthday in March last year as salve for a tough year

“Populism,” the paper stated, “draws on nostalgia to construct an idealised and, at times, sacralised lost ‘homeland’ or culture that the leader or movement promises to restore. This feature makes populism ‘a backward-looking reactionary ideology, reflecting a deep sense of nostalgia for the good old days’. This revisionist, romanticised loss of the imagined ‘golden age’ is further intensified when linked to a globalised or multicultural context. Populists, thus, develop a ‘selective deployment of the national past’ to shape this nostalgia in ‘the people’ that challenges the status quo.”

And to put money where their mouth is, systemic support has been provided to the tourism industry. The Swadesh Darshan Scheme was launched in 2014 to develop 13 thematic circuits, including the Buddhist Circuit, Krishna Circuit, Spiritual Circuit, and Ramayana Circuit. Public and corporate funding, via Social Responsibility (CSR) initiatives were pulled in to make this happen. The 2018-19 Union Budget set aside Rs 1,537 crore for integrated development of tourist circuits under two schemes: Swadesh Darshan and the Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive (PRASAD).

Mira Road resident Monika Jain was spurred to visit the Mahakal Temple in Ujjain after she saw videos of the new Ujjain Corridor. Ayodhya is on her travel list for next year

And this investment stands on sturdy research. A study in 2017 by Delhi-based Lokniti Centre for Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) found that one in four Indians was oriented towards touring religious places. Close to 60 per cent of domestic tourism is driven by this religious fervour. In 2022, India earned over R1.34 lakh crore through religious tourism to sites such as Tirupati, Varanasi, Shirdi, and Kedarnath—a 106 per cent growth from 2021. And unlike other types of travel and tourism, religious tourism targets every age and income group, claiming the largest market.

Tomorrow, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the consecration of the Ram Mandir in Ayodhya, in the presence of people from all over the world. Flights are sold out and hotels chock-full weeks in advance. The fervour is not just limited to Ayodhya. All over India, small saffron envelopes containing grains of rice are being hand-delivered door to door. Flags are being put up, decorative arches are being erected and small idols of Lord Ram have been temporarily installed in housing societies. The religion-heavy conversation has had a direct and deep positive impact on religious tourism.

Abhishek Biswas

Built at the cost of approximately Rs 1,800 crore, the temple is anticipated to attract over 1,00,000 visitors every day. To handle this footfall, the Uttar Pradesh government’s growth plan seeks investment of over Rs 85,000 crore till 2031 to develop the city. Tourism data collected by the state government holds that 23 million tourists went to Ayodhya in 2022—new records are anticipated now that the temple’s construction is complete.

And the hospitality has cast its net wide to gather fish.

To support the new importance in this tourism sector, the Ayodhya Development Authority has cultivated five tent cities with private players. They have been strategically established at various locations by both the Shri Ram Mandir Teerth Kshetra Trust and the Ayodhya Development Authority, according to Mukesh Meshram, Principal Secretary of State Tourism.

Janhvi Kapoor and Sara Ali Khan at Kedarnath in November 2023. Observers say that watching Bollywood figures visit these destinations makes a yatra aspirational for the common man; (right) Sara Ali Khan during a temple vsit last year

One of them, Tent City Ayodhya, has been developed by Gujarat-based Praveg Ltd at Brahma Kund and Saryu, within walking distance of the Ram Lalla temple. It houses 30 to 35 air-conditioned tents, vegetarian cuisines, Ram Leela performances in the evening and shuttle services to religious places. Praveg Ltd has also developed the tent city across the Ganga from Assi Ghat in Varanasi. The most premium of the tents, the 900-sqft Ganga Darshan Villas boast private river front beach and plunge pools on the sandy banks. It was inaugurated by PM Modi in January 2023. It is not yet operational.

Earlier this year, Lemon Tree hotels announced that they are setting up a new luxury hotel in Somnath. “In general, most pilgrim locations are seeing an uptick. We already have operating hotels in key locations such as Dwarka, Katra, Haridwar, Rishikesh and Amritsar, and have also signed new hotels in Tirupati, Somnath and Badrinath,” says Mahesh Aiyer, CEO, Carnation Hotels, the management arm of Lemon Tree. “Spiritual tourism is usually less susceptible to recession and market downturns, and hence provides potential for the travel and tourism industry. With numerous pilgrim destinations in the country, a number of which have relatively fewer branded hotels, we see great potential for the growth of branded rooms, and are actively discussing and pursuing potential partnerships to establish our footprint in more cities.”

Sales professional Nimish Gandhi (standing, yellow kurta) and his entire extended family (in pic) leave for Char Dham Yatra this week. They are already looking forward to visiting the Ram Temple in Ayodhya in October

And not just hospitality, the change has seeped into the food industry as well. Earlier this month, the ITC Royal Vega group announced that their restaurant s in Chennai, Ahmedabad and Kolkata had received a certification from the Sattvik Council of India, an organisation that works with the Government of India for “food safety and regulatory compliance for vegetarian and allied adherents.” The same council also certified the Ramayana Express’ catering two years ago. 

“The increased focus on rediscovering heritage and engaging in religious tourism has indeed influenced a growing preference for vegetarian, vegan, Jain and Buddhist food,” says founder Abhishek Biswas. “Today, individuals are increasingly conscious of what they are eating and how it is processed. An individual sitting in the train or staying at a hotel during their visits to sacred sites often involves a deep connection with cultural traditions and spiritual practices. As individuals embark on these journeys, there is a heightened awareness of the need for purity and wholesomeness in every aspect of the experience, including the food consumed during the pilgrimage.”

Mahesh Aiyer, CEO, Carnation Hotels (management arm of Lemon Tree hotels)

The population concurs. While Ayodhya has been spotlighted, other religious spots, too, are seeing an uptick. 

On 17 January, the Shree Mandir Parikrama Prakalpa was inaugurated in Odisha, around Puri’s Shree Jagannath Temple. The 75-metre-wide heritage corridor has spaces marked for ceremonial processions of deities throughout the year, and for devotees to circumambulate the Shree Mandira complex. A 10-metre public convenience zone holds restrooms, drinking water facilities, cloakrooms and a police kiosk. The entire project cost Rs 800 crore, and with month-long activities to promote it, the bill comes to Rs 943 crore. They expect five lakh visitors a day, for a week.

This week, Kandivli-based sales professional Nimish Gandhi, 41, leaves for a Char Dham yatra. And later in the year, Ayodhya is on the cards. As he will be taking his aged mother and children, he has decided to visit in October, when it will be less crowded. “Of course, the atmosphere in the country helps,” he says, “And why not, if it leads you to reconnect with God and spend a few moments of solace in a temple?”

Former president Ram Nath Kovind using an Aikyam charter. The firm charters flights to Char and Do Dham. Its CEO says that the increase is triple of what it was before 2020, and much of it is thanks to PM Modi, who has visited Kedarnath five times in his two terms in office

Mira Road resident Monika Jain, too, has added Ayodhya to her next year itinerary. But, she says, it’s not just the conversations, but that the infrastructure around such sites has been upgraded, which makes travel easier and more convenient.  

For example, she went to Ujjain last year after videos of the new Mahakal Corridor were shown on the news. The Corridor, which covers nearly 200 idols, was constructed at a cost of Rs 351 crore and thrown open to the public in 2022. “It was beautiful,” she says. “My daughter is very young right now and I am uncomfortable with crowds. But next year, I am definitely going to Ayodhya.”

With the increased footfalls come the increased facilities and opportunities, with a twist—heritage walks, tent cities, chartered helicopter tours and cycle tours.
In 2021, the Uttar Pradesh state culture department and the Ayodhya district administration announced six religious-cultural tours and heritage walks spanning 10 km to 170 km. The annual Deepotsava has been getting Ayodhya a lot of attention. This year, it set a new Guinness World record with 22.23 lakh diyas lit. 

Since COVID, there has been a surge in religious pilgrimage to the already popular sites of Char and Do Dham, and is seeing a mixed crowd of young and old people. Mayank Verma, Head of Operations at Aikyam General Aviation that charters flights to Char Dham, among other pilgrimage places, says that the increase is as much as triple of what it was before 2020. “Much of this is due to PM Modi,” says Sanjiv Kashyap, CEO, Aikyam General Aviation. The Prime Minister has visited Kedarnath five times in his two terms in office, and an unprecedented number of tourists have followed to the Char Dhams of Kedarnath, Badrinath, Yamunotri and Gangotri. This season, the number is at nearly 30 lakh.

To Verma, the trend is also set, at least for the young, by the frequent visits by film celebrities. Akshay Kumar for one, visited Badrinath-Kedarnath in May last year. Janhvi Kapoor started the year with a visit to Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam on January 5, and in November last year, was seen at Kedarnath with friend and actor Sara Ali Khan. “With this surge,” says Verma, “facilities at these places—roads, hotels, connectivity—keep improving every year.”

The Gole family makes it a point to include a visit to a religious site into their annual family holiday. Especially to those connected to Lord Shiva. Last year, while they were headed to Varanasi, they decided to stop by at Lucknow and Ayodhya. “We thought we’d see the temple as it was being constructed,” says 32-year-old model and canine behaviourist Shruti Gole. She travelled with her mother, father, brother and sister-in-law from Pune and Panchgani in August last year. “We were a bit afraid to go before, due to security issues, and when we went, the hospitality arrangements were not so good. We will surely go in 2025, because the prices for everything will be too high this year.”

Arti Agarwal and her husband have already planned their trip to Mangalore and Udipi in March. On the itinerary are temples dedicated to the Sri Krishna Matha and the Kullur Mookambika Temple. Udipi city is home to eight mathas. Agarwal has always been a spiritual tourist, and chronicles her pilgrimages on Instagram as My Yatra Diary (@artisdiary). The 37-year-old moved from her native Rajasthan to Bhayendar 14 years ago, and says she has seen in spurt in religious tourism—gauging by the inquiries and followers on social media—in the past two years. “I think more people, even young ones, enjoy a touch of spirituality to their travel these days. And the government is also investing in building suitable infrastructure. For instance, last year, an International Temples Convention and Expo was held in Varanasi in July that was attended by delegates from all over the world to exchange ideas and ‘discuss key factors to empower the temple management ecosystem’.”

Vidhya Thakkar had a tough 2022 and wanted to do something peaceful for her birthday in March. “I felt like getting closer to God,” says the Kandivli resident. So she, her parents, her 23-year-old brother, aunt and uncle went on a Char Dham trip and brought in her 27th birthday in March 2023 at Kedarnath. A part of the trip, Kedarnath to Badrinath, was by helicopter. “I felt so free and so much at peace,” she says. This year, she’s already set her sights on Brindavan and Ayodhya. “We’re already excited by looking at the pictures of the temple and the light show,” she says, “and plan to go around Diwali.”

Bandodkar, meanwhile, is busy packing for Ayodhya. She says it [the visit] was “written” [in her destiny]. “We got flight tickets at the last minute and even accommodation was sorted—a new Airbnb opened up the same day that I went online to look,” she tells us excitedly.

She and her husband are excited to attend the consecration, and Bandodkar has already made up her mind to go back to Ayodhya with Bijli at a later date. “I’ve been biking since 2012,” she says. “Today, I feel as if this is the reason why I fell in love with biking in the first place.”

Rs 1.34L cr
Amount India earned in 2022 from religious tourism to sites like Tirupati, Varanasi, Shirdi and Kedarnath—a 106 per cent jump from 2021

200
Number of idols Ujjain’s new Mahakal Corridor covers; it was constructed at a cost of R351 crore and thrown open to the public in 2022

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