Pilgrimage to such places has long been popular. It is felt that there is a great merit in visiting them. The religious atmosphere and the knowledge that one is at the very place trodden by the great figures of the earlier times and by the countless Jain pilgrims inspire the feelings of reverence. The pilgrims who make their way to the sacred places may be the monks, nuns, solitary lay individuals, families or large organized groups. For some the journey may mean real hardship financially.
Many wealthy people undertake the praiseworthy task of helping others to go on pilgrimage.
Sometimes a wealthy Jain will organize a major pilgrim 'caravan'. A pilgrimage led by a prominent businessman of Ahmedabad some fifty years ago involved nearly 15,000 people including four hundred monks and seven hundred nuns. Thirteen hundred bullock carts, as well as the trucks transported the tents, cooking equipment and the pilgrims' baggages. When they camped at the night the rows of tents, the lights, and the women performing religious dances and singing the songs, gave the camp the immage of a small town. Nowadays, of course, some large groups of pilgrims travel by the modern transport.