Baithak

(“seat”) In the Vaishnava sect
known as the Pushti Marg, a religious community whose members
are devotees (bhakta) of the god
Krishna, the baithaks are a group of
108 sacred sites (tirthas). Each site
is somehow associated with the life
and activities of the philosopher
Vallabhacharya, the Pushti Marg’s
founder. Most of these baithaks are
in well-established sacred areas that
were considered holy long before
Vallabhacharya’s time, but the charter story for each baithak records
some activity of the philosopher in
that particular place, to further
sanctify it for his followers. These
baithaks create a sectarian network
within the existing pilgrimage
81
Baithak
places and imbue each one with
additional significance for the
Pushti Marg.