tirtha

Tirtha is a Sanskrit term that literally means a ford or crossing, but in Indian religious usage it denotes a sacred place where one crosses from the ordinary to the sacred. In Hinduism and Jainism, tirthas are pilgrimage sites associated with water, rivers, lakes, springs, or sacred temples, and are believed to confer purification, merit, or spiritual progress. Etymologically, tīrtha combines the idea of crossing with a place destined for auspicious rites.

Significance and practices at tirthas are characterized by ritual bathing, prayers, and offerings. Bathing in the waters of a tirtha or at a sacred tank is thought to cleanse karma and prepare a devotee for further spiritual work. Many tirthas are linked to legends, saints, or events in Puranic or epic narratives, and they occupy important positions in regional religious landscapes. Tirthas can function as natural sites—river fords, confluences, springs, or lakes—or as man-made complexes that center on temples, ghats, or sacred pools.

Types and geography vary; some tirthas arise at river confluences (sangams), others at coastal or island locations, and many are associated with specific deities or historical figures. In Hinduism, prominent examples include the Triveni Sangam at Prayagraj, the Ganga ghats in Varanasi, Rameswaram, Pushkar, and Nashik; in the broader tradition, the Char Dhams and other regional tirthas are important pilgrimage destinations. In Jainism, tirthas (atlso called tirthankara sites) are pilgrimage centers such as Shikharji, Palitana, and Girnar, associated with liberation and spiritual guidance.

Today, tirtha also appears in a metaphorical sense to denote any significant crossing or turning point in a spiritual or cultural journey.