Pearson Edexcel International GCSE in Religious Studies · 4RS1 · Free · no account needed
Pilgrimage: how the six religions answer
Is pilgrimage required, and where do believers go? All six are examined on pilgrimage at Paper 2's 2.2, and the range — from an obligatory Pillar to a practice the tradition explicitly does not require — is unusually wide and genuinely instructive.
The question is Paper 1's 2.2 — Pilgrimage of Pearson Edexcel International GCSE Religious Studies (4RS1). You are examined in the religion your centre enters, so each answer below links to the full unit for that religion — the explanation, the Grade 9 notes, the sources, the misconceptions, and the Teach and Defend gates. This page is the comparison; the unit is the exam.
The six answers, side by side
Buddhism — Pilgrimage in Buddhism
Position. Not obligatory. The four sites of the Buddha's life: Lumbini/Kapilavastu, Bodh Gaya, Sarnath, Kusinara.
Inside the tradition. Additional sites of great importance in Tibetan and East Asian traditions.
Rests on. Issue 2 Paper 2 content 2.2 (Buddhism
What this cell flattens. The Buddha is recorded as recommending these places, which is why 'not obligatory' does not mean 'unimportant'.
Taught in full: 2.2 · Pilgrimage in Buddhism.
Christianity — Pilgrimage in Christianity
Position. Not required. Bethlehem, Jerusalem (Via Dolorosa, Golgotha, the Church of the Holy Sepulchre), and other sites such as Lourdes or Santiago.
Inside the tradition. Some Protestant traditions are cool towards pilgrimage as tending towards works or superstition.
Rests on. Issue 2 Paper 2 content 2.2 (Christianity
What this cell flattens. The specification names Bethlehem and Jerusalem specifically and asks for one other place.
Taught in full: 2.2 · Pilgrimage in Christianity.
Hinduism — Pilgrimage in Hinduism
Position. Not obligatory but highly meritorious. Sacred rivers, above all the Ganges at Varanasi; the Kumbh Mela.
Inside the tradition. Which tirtha matters depends on tradition and region.
Rests on. Issue 2 Paper 2 content 2.2 (Hinduism
What this cell flattens. A tirtha is a 'crossing place' — the idea is a point where the divine is more accessible, not merely a holy location.
Taught in full: 2.2 · Pilgrimage in Hinduism.
Islam — Hajj and pilgrimage in Islam
Position. Hajj to Makkah is OBLIGATORY once in a lifetime for those able — one of the Five Pillars.
Inside the tradition. Shi'a Muslims also make major pilgrimage to Karbala and Najaf.
Rests on. Islamic practice — The Five Pillars (Sunni framing); recorded in Hadith collections including Sahih al-Bukhari
What this cell flattens. Umrah is a lesser pilgrimage that can be made at any time and does not discharge the obligation.
Taught in full: 2.2 · Hajj and pilgrimage in Islam.
Judaism — Pilgrimage in Judaism
Position. Not required today. Israel and Jerusalem, especially the Western Wall; Masada.
Inside the tradition. Broadly shared; the theological significance of the land is understood differently across traditions.
Rests on. Issue 2 Paper 2 content 2.2 (Judaism
What this cell flattens. Pilgrimage was commanded to the Temple three times a year, and the Temple's destruction changed the practice fundamentally.
Taught in full: 2.2 · Pilgrimage in Judaism.
Sikhism — Pilgrimage, and whether Sikhs need it
Position. NOT required, and Sikh teaching is explicitly cool about it. The Harmandir Sahib at Amritsar is nonetheless deeply significant.
Inside the tradition. Broadly shared; visiting Amritsar is widely valued without being framed as pilgrimage in the obligatory sense.
Rests on. Issue 2 Paper 2 content 2.2 (Sikhism
What this cell flattens. The specification's own Sikh 2.2 opens on ATTITUDES to pilgrimage rather than on a site — the question is genuinely whether it matters, and the set statement 'Pilgrimage is not an important part of Sikh life' is not a provocation.
Taught in full: 2.2 · Pilgrimage, and whether Sikhs need it.
Where they agree
In all six, the value claimed for the journey is the same: leaving ordinary life, joining others doing the same, and standing where something decisive happened.
Where the real disagreement lies
Whether it is REQUIRED. Islam alone makes it obligatory; Sikh teaching is the clearest case of a tradition holding that a journey cannot do what remembrance of God does.
How to use this in the exam — and when not to
Strong for revision, and note the Sikh column carefully: it is the reason the Sikh Discuss statement on pilgrimage is a real question rather than a rhetorical one.
The other comparisons
- Death and life after death — What happens after death?
- Sanctity of life, abortion and euthanasia — Is human life sacred, and may it ever be deliberately ended?
- Relationships between rich and poor — What do believers owe the poor?
- The principal text and its authority — What is the principal text, and what authority does it carry?
- The place of worship — What is the place of worship called, and what are its key features?
- The major festivals — Which major festival does the specification name, and what does it commemorate?
- Equal rights and equal opportunities — What roles may women hold in the religious community?
- Conflict and war — May a believer fight?
- Leaders and leadership — Who has authority, and where does it come from?