What is the meaning of "Tirtha"?

In Hinduism, a visit to a sacred place is referred to as a tirtha-yatra with tirtha referring to a holy place and yatra, a journey. A tirtha, which literally means water in Sanskrit, is a place where there is a lake, river, well, pond or sea, the waters of which are considered to be holy.

 India has many tirthas, such as Pushkar, Naimisharanya, Kedarnath, Kurukshetra, Badirinath, Nashik and Kailash Mansarovar. In fact, the shores of the holy rivers such as Godavari, Ganga, Yamuna, Cauvery, Krishna and Narmada too are considered important tirthas. One of the holiest tirthas is said to be Rameshwaram, located at the southernmost tip of India.

Indian scriptures say that those who make offerings and give gifts at such tirthas earn good karma. Long pilgrimages are made to these tirthas and, often, pilgrims impose several austerities on themselves – some even choose to walk long distances on foot to reach the tirthas.