Il turismo religioso nello Himachal Pradesh. Prospettive antropologiche

Abstract

This paper focuses on the dynamics of religious tourism in the State of Himachal Pradesh (north-western India), with particular reference to the Kulu district. Popularly known as «Devbhumi», «the land of Gods», the Himachal Pradesh is receiving huge tourism flows, with arrivals from both the Indian sub-continent and from abroad, because of the beauty of its landscapes but also due to its religious attractions. A peculiar religious horizon characterises this geographical and cultural context; along with a traditional religiosity, linked to the Hinduism, there are intensive practices of oracular possession cults to the main local aboriginal deities, whose temples are a place of pilgrimage.