Folk the world over have been journeying to sacred sites since the Bronze Age, and a new exhibition could tempt latter-day pilgrims to make the journey to Oxford, England. "Pilgrimage: The Sacred Journey" runs at the Ashmolean Museum until April 2. It includesa 15th century illuminated manuscript of Geoffrey Chaucer's
The Canterbury Tales and the 13th century casket that once held the relics of Canterbury's martyr St. Thomas Becket, as well as rare objects such as a 5th century sandstone head of the Hindu god Shiva and a 13th century Buddhist plaque from Burma, above. Pilgrim mores often included leaving behind a symbol of a request—like eyes fashioned out of silver for better vision. And, like tourists, pilgrims have been keen to bring home souvenirs, such as a 19th century miniature ivory stupa (Buddhist shrine) or a 17th century collapsible model of Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulchre.
The museum has set up an altar for members of a Hindu sect wishing to venerate one of the manuscripts on display. James Allan, director of the Ashmolean Inter-Faith Exhibition Service, which organized the show, welcomed their visits: "The tradition [of pilgrimage] becomes alive, not just theoretical." tel: (44-1865) 278000;
www.ashmol.ox.ac.uk
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