Travelling to Seek God
Perhaps the greatest pilgrimage is not towards a shrine, but towards the world that God created.
“See, feel and experience the world created by God for you.”
Travel. Travel as much as you can.
Go to Kashmir and play in the snow.
Travel to Ladakh and experience the raw grandeur of nature.
Explore the unexplored corners of Himachal Pradesh.
Seek adventure in the breathtaking Spiti Valley.
Walk through the spectacular Valley of Flowers.
Discover the untouched beauty of India’s Northeast.
Stand before the magnificent forts built by our warrior kings.
Look upon the giant dams built by our engineers with a sense of wonder.
If fortune allows, travel beyond India.
Lose yourself among the ancient ruins of Greece.
Explore the historical towns and the breathtaking coastline of Croatia.
Visit Norway, one of the most naturally beautiful countries on Earth. Its magnificent fjords leave you speechless as the sea winds deep between towering snow-covered mountains, while glacial waterfalls add an almost magical touch.
Go to Iceland to witness nature in its rawest form.
Travel to Peru and hike through the Andes to discover the remarkable legacy of the Incas.
Explore Patagonia, stretching across Chile and Argentina, where endless mountain trails, dramatic fjords and the magnificent Perito Moreno Glacier redefine the meaning of wilderness.
Stand at the Argentina-Brazil border and witness the thunderous majesty of Iguazu Falls.
Sail to Antarctica, where drifting icebergs and distant penguins remind you how small humanity truly is.
Visit Japan to admire its cherry blossoms and the timeless beauty of Mount Fuji. More importantly, observe a civilisation that has quietly transformed civic sense into an art form, making you realise how much there is still to learn.
If you are physically fit, begin with hikes close to your hometown.
If you are ambitious, remember this:
The mountains of the world are calling you.
Climb as many as life permits.
But wherever you travel, do not merely visit places.
Experience people.
Walk through their streets.
Listen to their music.
Admire the beauty of their language, even if you cannot understand a single word.
Speak to shopkeepers about their lives.
Talk to strangers, if they are willing.
Eat the local food instead of searching for Indian cuisine.
Travel is not about collecting destinations.
It is about collecting perspectives.
“The world is not merely meant to be seen. It is meant to be experienced.”
See, feel and experience the world created by God for you.
And yet, most of us, having done little of this, spend our time, money and devotion seeking God inside temples, churches and masjids.
There is something deeply moving about these sacred places.
The chanting.
The ringing of bells and singing bowls.
The profound silence.
The fragrance of incense, flowers and candles.
The sight of countless devotees with unwavering faith written across their faces.
All of it gently hypnotises us into believing that God is present there… in that place… in person.
But religious institutions are not run by God Himself.
As they grow larger with increasing numbers of devotees, they inevitably require administration.
Administration creates organisations.
Organisations are run by human beings.
And human beings inevitably carry with them their virtues, weaknesses, ambitions and flaws.
History therefore records examples of administrative failures, financial mismanagement and even misappropriation of funds.
There have also been documented instances of child abuse within churches in parts of the Western world, and the radicalisation of impressionable youth in some madrasas. Added to this is the weaponisation of faith by politicians.
Time and again, God’s name has been used to control, divide and harm.
But is God truly confined to places built in His name?
He is not.
Every major religion teaches that God is omnipresent.
He is in the mountains.
In the waves gently embracing the shore.
In the cool evening breeze.
In the songs of birds.
In the quiet greenery that survives even amidst crowded cities.
In waterfalls and tiny streams.
In clouds kissing mountain peaks.
In the vastness of the night sky.
He is everywhere.
And perhaps most importantly…
He is already within you, waiting for you to take the first step.
“To realise the grandeur of God, experience His creations before you finally meet their Creator.”
To understand the magnificence of God, you need not search endlessly for Him.
You simply need to experience His creation, whatever you can, before your own journey comes to an end.
For perhaps, when you finally stand before Him, He may ask only one question.
“Did you appreciate and enjoy My creations?”
What will your answer be?
© Shashikant Dudhgaonkar
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Thanks for reading. It’s a bit long.
Great article. I liked it.
I love traveling. Travelling to countryside. Fortunately my profession demands. I enjoy.
Most of the dams built in hills. Beautiful nature. Visiting west coast. Dandakaranya. Beautiful Rivers. Waterfalls. Geological features. Virgin sites. Less of civilization.
Even some temples on my way. So far so good.
Couldn’t see foreign soil. No luck. Used to dream till recent. No hopes further. Dreams also stopped now. No repent.
Mera Bharat Mahan.
Thanks a lot for your comment in detail
I appreciated how you beautifully mentioned to experience spirituality and the essence of God is in fact seeing the world that was created by God and appreciating the splendour and peace in it.
Thanks a lot for your beautiful comment. And thanks for reading my article.