IMPACT OF RELIGIOUS TOURISM OF GOD VITTHAL TEMPLE ON SLUM DEVELOPMENT IN PANDHARPUR CITY: A GEOGRAPHICAL APPROACH
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65009/apzkea88Keywords:
Religious Tourism, Shri Vitthal Temple, Pilgrims, Slum Development, Urban Growth, Informal Settlements, Pandharpur.,,Abstract
The journey of human life has always involved movement first for survival, later for trade,
culture, and ultimately for spiritual fulfilment. As societies evolved, religious tourism
emerged as a powerful form of cultural spiritual mobility, shaping landscapes, economies,
and settlements. Pandharpur, known as the spiritual capital of Maharashtra, receives
millions of pilgrims every year who visit the sacred Shri Vitthal Rukmini Temple located
on the banks of the crescent shaped Chandrabhaga River. This massive and continuous
pilgrimage flow not only enriches the city’s religious significance but also influences its
socio economic and spatial structure. Religious tourism in Pandharpur has generated diverse
opportunities in trade, services, transport, accommodation, and informal labour markets.
However, it has also contributed to unplanned urban growth, increasing pressure on land,
inadequate housing, congestion along pilgrimage routes, seasonal population surges, and
expansion of slum pockets particularly around riverbanks, temple precincts, road corridors,
and low lying zones. Migrant labourers, vendors, temporary workers, and low income
service providers associated with pilgrimage activities often settle in informal or
substandard housing areas, accelerating slum formation and altering the geographical
character of the city. This study aims to examine how religious tourism centred around Shri
Vitthal Temple has influenced slum development patterns in Pandharpur. It analyses the
spatial distribution of slums, socio economic characteristics of slum dwellers linked to
pilgrimage based livelihoods, and the environmental challenges caused by high density
temporary and permanent settlements. The research provides a geographical assessment of
how pilgrimage driven economic opportunities and infrastructural pressures shape urban
morphology, population dynamics, and living conditions in Pandharpur. Ultimately, the
study highlights the dual role of religious tourism as a generator of livelihood and as a
catalyst of unplanned urban expansion emphasizing the need for sustainable planning
strategies to balance spiritual tourism with improved urban housing and living standards.
References
Census of India. (2011). District Census Handbook: Solapur. Directorate of
Census Operations, Maharashtra.
Census of India. (2011). Primary Census Abstract: Maharashtra. Office of the
Registrar General & Census Commissioner, New Delhi.
Government of Maharashtra. (2023). Socio Economic Abstract: Solapur District.
Directorate of Economics and Statistics, Mumbai.
Government of Maharashtra. (2022). Tourism Statistics of Maharashtra. Ministry
of Tourism, Maharashtra State.
Pandharpur Municipal Council. (2021). Annual Urban Development Report.
Pandharpur: Municipal Council Office.
Pandharpur Municipal Council. (2022). Slum Survey and Ward wise Housing
Status Report. Pandharpur: Urban Housing Department.
Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC). (2022). Religious
Tourism in Maharashtra: Status and Trends. Mumbai: MTDC Publications.
Joshi, N. (2018). Religious Tourism and Urban Development in Maharashtra.
Pune: Diamond Publications.
Bharati, S. (2019). Pilgrimage, economy and urban growth: A study of temple
towns in India. Indian Journal of Urban Studies, 45(2), 67–89.
Deshpande, A. (2020). The socio economic dynamics of slums in Indian
pilgrimage towns. Geographical Review of India, 82(3), 112–128.
Kamble, A., & Bhonsale, S. (2021). Impact of pilgrimage tourism on urban land
use in South Maharashtra. International Journal of Tourism and Social Research,
(1), 45–60.
Kulkarni, P. (2017). Sacred spaces and informal settlements: Interlinkages in
temple towns of India. Journal of Rural and Urban Planning, 9(4), 55–72.
Chandran, R. (2016). Seasonal migration and temporary slum formation in Indian
pilgrimage centres. Urban India, 36(1), 89–104.
Kumar, S. (2017). Urban Slums in India: Problems and Prospects. New Delhi:
Concept Publishing.
UN Habitat. (2016). Slum Almanac: Tracking Improvement in the Lives of Slum
Dwellers. United Nations Human Settlements Programme.
World Bank. (2020). Urbanization and Informal Settlements in South Asia.
Washington, DC: World Bank Publications.
Purohit, A., & Kulkarni, V. (2022). Pilgrim movement and urban congestion: A
case study of Pandharpur Wari. Journal of Transport Geography, 98, 103–145.
Shinde, K. A. (2012). Religious tourism and economic development: Case of
Pandharpur. Tourism Recreation Research, 37(2), 171–181.
Jadhav, R. (2021). Impact of Wari pilgrimage on Pandharpur’s local economy.
Maharashtra Journal of Regional Studies, 15(1), 52–68.
National Sample Survey Office (NSSO). (2020). Housing Conditions and
Amenities in Urban India. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation.
