Bahá'í
Pilgrimage to Israel
Bahá'í
Pilgrimage to Israel
G.M. Viswanathan
July 24, 1994

Flower garden near the Shrine of the Báb
Abstract:
Bahá'í pilgrims have been converging at the Holy Land ever since Bahá'u'lláh
(1817-1892),
the founder of the Bahá'í Faith,
was
imprisoned in the fortress city of St. Jean d'Acre in 1868. This paper
considers Bahá'í pilgrimage in a number of its aspects.
The Holy Land's sacredness to the Bahá'í is shown to have a two-fold
origin: Bahá'í belief in the oneness of religion
and the divine origins of Judaism, Christianity,
and Islam;
and the Holy Land's association with the history
of the Bahá'í Faith.
Pilgrimage to the Bahá'í World Centre is presented as
serving a collective function in the Bahá'í international community.
The purpose of pilgrimage, the pilgrimage schedule, and some common
practices associated with pilgrimage are discussed.
It is noted that there no rituals associated with pilgrimage
in the Bahá'í Faith.
The origins, the scriptural basis, and the evolution over many decades
of Bahá'í
pilgrimage are examined.
The two Bahá'í concepts of God and the Manifestation
of God are introduced as
pertinent to a proper understanding of the religious aspect of Bahá'í
pilgrimage.
It is argued that pilgrimage in the Bahá'í Faith is
a subjective religious experience, and that pilgrimage is
primarily not a material but a spiritual journey.
It is proposed that the mystical purpose of pilgrimage is to evoke in
the pilgrim a spiritual response.
The major sites of the
Bahá'í Faith in Israel are listed, and a
brief treatment is given of the
historical
significance of the Bahá'í Holy Places in Haifa, Acre, and
the surrounding area.
The Bahá'í aesthetics of the sacred is explored. Three aesthetic
characteristics
of the Bahá'í Holy Places are discussed,
especially as they relate to the two most
important sites.
It is concluded that pilgrimage to the Holy Land
is one of the
most holy Bahá'í observances and that pilgrims constitute the
``life-blood'' of the worldwide Bahá'í community.
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G.M. Viswanathan