ABSTRACT
Traditions of pilgrimage to powerful places are of great importance in several of the religious traditions of South Asia but in the Hindu traditions such powerful places are believed to be not only sacred space. The concept of salvific space points to the fundamental fact that pilgrimage places were established as, and were accepted to be, sources of salvation in Hinduism. Assumptions of the pilgrims are always subject to change, and doubt and uncertainty are probably inherent in all lived religions. Performance of the ritual of tirthayatra is not required for the attainment of moksha, but when performed, it is in the traditions of salvific space presented as a sufficient means to attain whatever one wishes. Kuruksetra can serve as an example of the idea of salvific space. Liberation, states a verse in the Puranas, is attainable in four ways: by means of knowledge of brahman, by performance of sraddha in Gaya, death while defending cattle and residence in Kuruksetra.
