तीर्थ (tiirth)
noun
A noun referring to a place of religious pilgrimage; it also extends figuratively to any place regarded as sacred or deeply significant.
Sense
1
:
pilgrimage site, holy place
noun, masculine
Synonyms: तीर्थ स्थान (tiirth sthaan), पुण्य स्थल (puny sthal, literary), धाम (dhaam, often used for major pilgrimage sites like Char Dham)
Frequency: medium
Cultural Note: Places like Haridwar (haridvaar), Varanasi (vaaraansii), and Rameswaram (raameshvram) are all called तीर्थ (tiirth) -- the word carries a sense of a whole sacred landscape, often centered on a river or confluence, rather than just a building. The common verb pairing तीर्थ करना (tiirth karnaa) or तीर्थ यात्रा करना (tiirth yaatraa karnaa) means 'to go on a pilgrimage.'
Common Mistakes: 1) Learners sometimes confuse तीर्थ (tiirth) with मंदिर (mandir) -- a मंदिर (mandir) is a single temple building, while तीर्थ (tiirth) refers to a whole town or site of pilgrimage, often with many temples, a river, or other sacred geography. 2) तीर्थ (tiirth) is grammatically masculine even though it names a place, so learners should not default to feminine agreement out of habit with other place-related words.
Sample Sentences:
हरिद्वार एक प्रसिद्ध तीर्थ है।
Haridwar is a famous pilgrimage site.
(haridvaar ek prasiddh tiirth hai।)
हर साल हजारों लोग इस तीर्थ के दर्शन करने आते हैं।
Every year thousands of people come to visit this pilgrimage site.
(har saal hajaaron log is tiirth ke darshan karne aate hain।)
दादी जी बुढ़ापे में तीर्थ करना चाहती थीं।
Grandmother wanted to go on a pilgrimage in her old age.
(daadii jii budhaape men tiirth karnaa chaahtii thiin।)
हम अगले महीने चार धाम की तीर्थ यात्रा करेंगे।
We will go on a pilgrimage to the Char Dham next month.
(ham agle mahiine chaar dhaam kii tiirth yaatraa karenge।)
वाराणसी और रामेश्वरम जैसे तीर्थ गंगा और समुद्र के किनारे बसे हैं।
Pilgrimage sites like Varanasi and Rameswaram are settled along the Ganges and the sea.
(vaaraansii aur raameshvram jaise tiirth gangaa aur samudr ke kinaare base hain।)
काश हम भी किसी तीर्थ की यात्रा कर पाते।
I wish we too could have made a pilgrimage to some holy site.
(kaash ham bhii kisii tiirth kii yaatraa kar paate।)
अगर पिताजी स्वस्थ होते, तो वे इस साल तीर्थ जरूर जाते।
If father had been healthy, he would certainly have gone on a pilgrimage this year.
(agar pitaajii svasth hote, to ve is saal tiirth jaroor jaate।)
इस तीर्थ में स्नान करने से पाप धुल जाते हैं, ऐसा माना जाता है।
It is believed that bathing at this pilgrimage site washes away one's sins.
(is tiirth men snaan karne se paap dhul jaate hain, aisaa maanaa jaataa hai।)
प्राचीन ग्रंथों में इस तीर्थ की महिमा का वर्णन किया गया है।
The glory of this pilgrimage site has been described in ancient texts.
(praachiin granthon men is tiirth kii mahimaa kaa varnan kiyaa gayaa hai।)
तीर्थ जाकर मन को बड़ी शांति मिली।
Going to the pilgrimage site brought great peace to my mind.
(tiirth jaakar man ko badii shaanti milii।)
Sense
2
:
figurative: a revered or sanctified place/person/thing
noun, masculine Used metaphorically for something treated with the reverence of a pilgrimage site, e.g. calling one's mother or motherland a तीर्थ (tiirth).
Synonyms: पावन स्थल (paavan sthal, literary)
Frequency: literary
Cultural Note: You'll hear this extended use in devotional or patriotic speech, like referring to one's mother as मातृ तीर्थ (maatri tiirth, 'the pilgrimage that is one's mother') -- it elevates the ordinary to the sacred, a common poetic move in Hindi.
Sample Sentences:
मेरे लिए यह पुस्तकालय ही ज्ञान का तीर्थ है।
For me, this library itself is the sacred place of knowledge.
(mere lie yah pustkaalay hii gyaan kaa tiirth hai।)
माँ को मातृ तीर्थ कहा जाता है।
The mother is called the sacred pilgrimage.
(maan ko maatri tiirth kahaa jaataa hai।)
शहीदों की यह भूमि हम सबके लिए तीर्थ बन गई है।
This land of the martyrs has become a sacred place for all of us.
(shahiidon kii yah bhoomi ham sabke lie tiirth ban gaii hai।)
काश हर घर शिक्षा का तीर्थ बन पाता।
If only every home could become a sacred place of education.
(kaash har ghar shikshaa kaa tiirth ban paataa।)
गुरु का चरण तीर्थ के समान पूजनीय होता है।
The teacher's feet are as venerable as a sacred place.
(guru kaa charan tiirth ke samaan poojniiy hotaa hai।)
कवि ने अपनी जननी को जीवंत तीर्थ कहकर संबोधित किया।
The poet addressed his mother, calling her a living sacred place.
(kavi ne apnii jannii ko jiivant tiirth kahkar sambodhit kiyaa।)
यह भूमि तब तक तीर्थ नहीं बनती जब तक कोई इसके लिए बलिदान न दे।
This land does not become a sacred place until someone sacrifices for it.
(yah bhoomi tab tak tiirth nahiin bantii jab tak koii iske lie balidaan n de।)
उस विद्वान का घर विद्या का तीर्थ माना जाता था।
That scholar's house used to be considered a sacred place of learning.
(us vidvaan kaa ghar vidyaa kaa tiirth maanaa jaataa thaa।)
Morphology
Noun
(sg.m.direct):
तीर्थ
(tiirth)
(sg.m.oblique):
तीर्थ
(tiirth)
(pl.m.direct):
तीर्थ
(tiirth)
(pl.m.oblique):
तीर्थों
(tiirthon)