ABSTRACT
Hinduism is not a homogeneous religious tradition; it is a pluralistic tradition without a center or a central authority or text. Diversity, multiplicity and plurality are key words for describing the mosaic of Hindu religious traditions. A characteristic feature of the promotion texts and narratives of tirthas is that every place, when described, is celebrated as the supreme salvific space and better than all others. The pilgrimage places the individual Hindu considers most important obviously depends on which god or goddess they worship or consider the most significant. Varanasi is only one of many places and represents only some of the Hindu traditions. Nevertheless, Varanasi would perhaps be the most likely candidate for being assessed as a possible “Mecca” of Hinduism. It is symptomatic of the plurality of traditions that the body of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who died in 2008, was brought by his devotees to Prayag, to the movement’s Allahabad asram, and was cremated there.
