Abstract

The article focuses on LGBTQ+ pilgrims to Ayodhya, a holy and rapidly secularizing pilgrimage location, and the expressions of spirituality and identity as constructing the form of resiliency. Usually, the term pilgrimage denotes some form of heteronormative belonging and the context of this study is how (some) gay people, who may (or may not) consider themselves religious, renegotiate religion and place to create community, healing, and self-affirmation. Using a mixed-method analytical approach, the study incorporates qualitative narratives with quantitative assessments of psychological resilience gathered from 100 LGBTQ+ participants through an online survey. To guarantee privacy and voluntary participation, ethical permission and participant agreement were acquired before to data collection. Structural equation modelling (SEM) is used together with exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis to show inter construct links between spirituality, identity, and well-being. Results indicate that spiritual involvement inside the growing pilgrimage environment of Ayodhya improves emotional resiliency by promoting symbolic affiliation and cultural bargaining. Illustrating hybrid forms of queer spirituality, identity affirmation negotiates the connection between faith and psychological strength. Data were collected through field-based primary research using online Google Forms and snowball sampling. This study makes a contribution to inclusive tourism studies by positioning queer embodiment within sacred geography, and applies resilience theory to the intersection of religion, identity and changes to urban inheritance.

Keywords: LGBTQ+ tourism; spirituality; resilience pathways; identity negotiation; inclusive pilgrimage; Ayodhya; queer belonging.