Land becomes sacred through places and features associated with religious meaning - such as pilgrimage sites, holy rivers, sacred groves and mountains that are linked to beliefs, myths or holy persons.
People believe that gods, goddesses, saints or sages lived, meditated or performed miracles at these places; such associations give the land a special, divine status.
Nature itself may be treated as divine - for example, rivers like the Ganga and sacred trees like the peepul are honoured and protected as living beings.
Over time, stories, rituals, festivals and regular pilgrimages handed down through generations strengthen the sacred status of the land and encourage care and reverence.