ABSTRACT
Research on Hinduism and the Internet has focused in particular on the use of the Internet by Hindu organizations to disseminate information, on temples and popular pilgrimage places that often produce their own website, and on the new ritual opportunity and business model of online puja (Jacobs, 2012; Scheifinger, 2010, 2012). Another influence of Internet is changes in the way visits to the pilgrimage sites are organized and, as a consequence of this the way rituals at the sites themselves are performed, as will be demonstrated in this chapter. New communication technology is being used to propagate the pilgrimage places and for attracting pilgrims and for organizing the travel and rituals of the pilgrims. Speed is a main feature of the changes in the communication technology that is currently taking place with the Internet and mobile phone, and speed characterizes also changes in the pilgrimage traditions. Pilgrims tend to spend less time at the pilgrimage places they visit as rapid communication also seems to imply rapid visits.
