Profile of visitors to places of worship
Unisa, S.; Somayajulu, U.V.; Das, N.C.; Kumar, A.; Ramachandran, P.
Social Action New Delhi 40(1): 57-70
1989
Document Number: 381816
A survey was conducted of visitors, including Christians, Hindus and Muslims, to religious places in India during June 1989. The sites were Mount Mary Church (Bombay), Lingaraja Temple (Bhubaneshwar), Venkateswara Temple (Tirupati), Jagannath Temple (Puri), and Haji Ali Dargah (Bombay) during June 1989. Two out of these five places of worship are revered by Christians, Hindus and Muslims. Though the local people form the majority of the visitors, people from other parts of India as well as from outside the country come to pray. Young persons come in large numbers and frequently. The visitors are from all educational levels as well as from all the occupational categories. The purpose of visits was mostly spiritual. In all three temples only high caste people are seen in large numbers. One reason for this may be financial constraints.