The Growing Trend of Praycations: Merging Spirituality and Leisure in India’s Vacation Culture

Neeti Mehra, a 40-year-old slow living coach and sustainability strategist from Mumbai, embarked on her first “praycation” in 2020. This spiritual holiday took her and her family to Varanasi, northern India, a trip primarily intended to scatter her grandmother’s ashes in the River Ganges, following Hindu tradition. However, it morphed into a more comprehensive experience, combining spiritual rituals with cultural tours, food adventures, and hotel stays, making the journey a multigenerational holiday.

Since then, Mehra has taken other praycations throughout India, to places like Trivandrum, Odisha, and Rishikesh. These trips artfully blend visits to religious sites with culinary experiences, wellness activities, and cultural explorations, enriching the spiritual journey with added layers of depth.

Rishikesh, known as the world’s yoga capital and an ancient pilgrimage site named after Lord Vishnu, holds a special charm for Mehra. Nestled in the lap of the Himalayas with the holy Ganges flowing through it, the city offers a serene yet vibrant atmosphere that appeals to spiritual seekers.

While religious pilgrimages have been a longstanding tradition in India, a country rich with ancient civilizations and religions, recent years have seen a shift in demographics. Millennials and younger generations are increasingly planning praycations that integrate wellness activities like yoga, meditation, and Ayurvedic treatments into their spiritual journeys.

The trend is reinforced by the Indian government’s Pilgrimage Rejuvenation and Spiritual Augmentation Drive, initiated in 2015, which aims to develop infrastructure at 41 religious and pilgrimage sites. This scheme has particularly benefitted destinations like Ayodhya in Uttar Pradesh, spurring the growth of accommodation and tourism services around these locations.

Mahema Bhutia, a luxury sales and marketing consultant based in Bengaluru, is another advocate of praycations. As part of a family pact, they venture on a spiritual journey at least once a year. These trips, she says, help them stay grounded, explore unknown places, and return with a renewed sense of positivity, compassion, and self-worth.

High-end hotels have also noticed this trend, offering amenities such as private ghats and reserved seating for rituals like the Ganga aarti, as well as wellness activities to their guests. For travellers like Delhi-based software professional Swati Kumar, praycations have become an opportunity for self-care and spiritual healing.

Travel blogger Nivedith G from Bengaluru shares a similar sentiment. Born into an orthodox Tamil family, his vacations have always included pilgrimage trips to renowned temple towns, a tradition he continues with his wife.

As praycations continue to grow in popularity, they cater not only to individuals seeking spiritual growth and self-improvement but also to those who appreciate history, architecture, local culture, and food. By blurring the line between spiritual practice and vacation leisure, praycations are reshaping the landscape of travel and tourism in India, paving the way for a more integrative approach to holidays.

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