Bengali Vaishnava Homelands

Abstract

This essay examines how Bengali Vaishnavas relate to physical and spiritual “homelands,” particularly places like Mayapur, Navadvīpa, and Vṛndāvana. Fuller explores how these sacred geographies, though geographically distant, are narratively and ritually collapsed into each other to form an emotionally resonant spiritual landscape. The idea of homeland becomes a multi-dimensional concept, blending mythic memory, scriptural authority, sectarian identity, and postcolonial imagination. The study draws on pilgrimage practices, temple networks, and ritual language to trace how Vaishnavas reterritorialize space in alignment with divine presence.