ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the mutual transformations of ritual and landscape in the desert region of Rajasthan in contemporary north-west India. These transformations are understood in relation to the social and religious history of the area; the equally important mythical understandings of the region; recent political transformations which have taken place in India; the violence of communalism serving to divide Hindu from Muslim; environmental concerns; and the modern reworking of the caste system. Pilgrimage always involves a displacement of persons through a landscape, and this landscape is often portrayed as dangerous, physically, politically and spiritually. Every pilgrim entrusts him- or herself to the forces of nature and to the friendly disposition of the gods. The 1986 pilgrimage can also be seen as part of a more widespread effort to reinvent the traditional role of maharaja as a way of recapturing political power on the regional and national levels, in part by indirectly influencing tourism.
