The verdant and beautiful Kerala, well known for its flora and fauna and for its rich tradition of temples, has today become one of the must see destinations in the world. Temples have always been an integral part of the culture and tradition of Kerala. This small state has become famous for its efforts to preserve the ancient culture of the big temples as well as the small family shrines, keeping their rich variety and tradition intact. These temples play an important role in spreading the greatness of Kerala in countries all over the world. Temples of Kerala have never been mere places of worship; they have played a pivotal role in the social, financial, cultural and educational fields of the state. For the rehabilitation of the poor and the deprived many schemes have been implemented by the temples like providing food and shelter to the needy. Today, if there is a great progress in the field of tourism, the temples have certainly contributed much to it. A large number of foreigners come to the state to study and understand Kerala’s traditional temple arts like Kathakali, Chakiarkoothu, Ottamthullal etc. On the happy occasion of bringing out this book, we have endeavored to include details of the prominent Ayyappan temples outside Kerala, along with those of the great temples within the state. The intention is to make this a comprehensive reference book for all well-known temples in India. May all our readers be blessed by the Almighty with peace, prosperity and good health.

This study involves a fourteen-hundred-kilometer-long pilgrimage around Japan's fourth largest island, Shikoku. In traveling the circuit of the eighty-eight Buddhist temples that make up the route, pilgrims make their journey together with Kobo Daishi (774-835), the holy miracle-working figure who is at the heart of the pilgrimage. Once seen as a marginal practice, recent media portrayal of the pilgrimage as a symbol of Japanese cultural heritage has greatly increased the number of participants, both Japanese and foreign. In this absorbing look at the nature of the pilgrimage, Ian Reader examines contemporary practices and beliefs in the context of historical development, taking into account theoretical considerations of pilgrimage as a mode of activity and revealing how pilgrimages such as Shikoku may change in nature over the centuries. This rich ethnographic work covers a wide range of pilgrimage activity and behavior, drawing on accounts of pilgrims traveling by traditional means on foot as well as those taking advantage of the new package bus tours, and exploring the pilgrimage's role in the everyday lives of participants and the people of Shikoku alike. that have shaped it in the past and in the present, including history and legend; the island's landscape and residents; the narratives and actions of the pilgrims and the priests who run the temples; regional authorities; and commercial tour operators and bus companies.

This innovative collaborative work—the first to focus on Buddhist tourism—explores how Buddhists, government organizations, business corporations, and individuals in Asia participate in re-imaginings of Buddhism through tourism. Contributors from religious studies, anthropology, and art history examine sacred places and religious monuments as they have been shaped and reshaped by socioeconomic and cultural trends in the region. Following an introduction that offers the first theoretical understanding of tourism from a Buddhist studies’ perspective, early chapters discuss the ways Buddhists and non-Buddhists imagine concepts and places related to the religion. Case studies highlight Buddhist peace in India, Buddhist heavens and hells in Singapore, Thai temple space, and the future Buddha Maitreya in China. Buddhist tourism’s connections to the state, market, and new technologies are explored in chapters on Indian package tours for pilgrims, thematic Buddhist tourism in Cambodia, the technological innovations of Buddhist temples in China, and the promotion of pilgrimage sites in Japan. Contributors then situate the financial concerns of Chinese temples, speed dating in temples in Japan, and the diffuse and pervasive nature of Buddhism for tourism promotion in Ladakh, India. How have tourist routes, groups, sites, and practices associated with Buddhism come to be possible and what are the effects? In what ways do travelers derive meaning from Buddhist places? How do Buddhist sites fortify national, cultural, or religious identities? The comparative research in South, Southeast, and East Asia presented here draws attention to the intertwining of the sacred and the financial and how local and national sites are situated within global networks. Together these findings generate a compelling comparative investigation of Buddhist spaces, identities, and practices.

EDITORS’ INTRODUCTION BACKGROUND This is a great academic solace to see the Volume on Buddhist Approach to Responsible Consumption and Sustainable Development which covers Sub-Theme Five of UNDV 2019 Academic Conference. REVIEW OF CONTENTS The World of Today is suffering from the crisis of consumerism. The first paper on a Buddhist Perspective on Overconsumption and Its Negative Effects towards Society and Environment deals with it specifically in the reference of consumption beyond requirements which is generally termed as overconsumption. Such human tendency leads to negative impact on the entire force of nature and the environment. How the Buddhist principles guide us to live a better life where there is least effect on the environment and society is well explained in this paper. The second paper in this volume, entitled Attaining a Sustainable Society through the Teachings of the Khandhaka of the Theravāda Vinaya Piṭaka is a vivid example of the benefits which one can derive from our ancient Pali literature. While studying the Theravada Vinaya Pitaka, the author explores the specific words of the Buddha in the Khandhaka which hint at the possibility of sustainability and development going together without harming other societal components. Though the Vinaya being a Pitaka for monastics, it still is highly useful for the laity as well. The paper, Buddhist Ethics in the Establishments of Green Tourism is a unique academic contribution. Here, the writer states that the Buddha’s life and principles make us learn a lot as how green methods must be applied in our day-to-day life. The damage being caused by the genre called DEVELOPMENT needs to be controlled and for this, the words of Master exhibits his proximity to protect nature, humanity and the world order.

This handbook is a comprehensive study of the archaeology, social history and the cultural landscape of the Hindu temple. Perhaps the most recognizable of the material forms of Hinduism, temples are lived, dynamic spaces. They are significant sites for the creation of cultural heritage, both in the past and in the present. Drawing on historiographical surveys and in-depth case studies, the volume centres the material form of the Hindu temple as an entry point to study its many adaptations and transformations from the early centuries CE to the 20th century. It highlights the vibrancy and dynamism of the shrine in different locales and studies the active participation of the community for its establishment, maintenance and survival. The illustrated handbook takes a unique approach by focusing on the social base of the temple rather than its aesthetics or chronological linear development. It fills a significant gap in the study of Hinduism and will be an indispensable resource for scholars of archaeology, Hinduism, Indian history, religious studies, museum studies, South Asian history and Southeast Asian history. Chapters 1, 4 and 5 of this book are available for free in PDF format as Open Access from the individual product page at www.routledge.com. They have been made available under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 4.0 license.

Forges innovative connections between monastic archaeology and heritage studies, revealing new perspectives on sacred heritage, identity, medieval healing, magic and memory. This title is available as Open Access.

The Routledge Handbook of Religious and Spiritual Tourism provides a robust and comprehensive state-of-the-art review of the literature in this growing sub-field of tourism. This handbook is split into five distinct sections. The first section covers past and present debates regarding definitions, theories, and concepts related to religious and spiritual tourism. Subsequent sections focus on the supply and demand aspects of religious and spiritual tourism markets, and examine issues related to the management side of these markets around the world. Areas under examination include religious theme parks, the UNESCO branding of religious heritage, gender and performance, popular culture, pilgrimage, environmental impacts, and fear and terrorism, among many others. The final section explores emerging and future directions in religious and spiritual tourism, and proposes an agenda for further research. Interdisciplinary in coverage and international in scope through its authorship and content, this will be essential reading for all students, researchers, and academics interested in Tourism, Religion, Cultural Studies, and Heritage Studies.