6 Places in India Where People Go to Forgive Their Past
Vaibhav Kochar | Jul 10, 2025, 21:55 IST
India offers solace for emotional healing. Varanasi helps release grief. Auroville encourages self-forgiveness. Tso Moriri provides perspective through silence. Bodh Gaya transforms past pain into wisdom. Rishikesh offers emotional space. Majuli Island allows peace to emerge naturally. These destinations aid in overcoming regrets and finding inner peace. They provide strength to confront the past and return with a lighter heart.
Some wounds aren’t on the body. They live quietly in the heart.
And sometimes, healing doesn’t come from therapy or time; it comes from a place, a moment, a surrender.
India, with all its chaos, noise, and colour, also holds secret corners of silence. Places where people don’t just travel to forget, but to forgive.
Forgive others.
Forgive themselves.
Forgive the versions of them that didn’t know better.
It isn’t about tourist spots. It’s about emotional destinations. Places where people cry without judgment. Where pain turns into peace. Where people walk in with weight and walk out with lightness.
They say if you die in Varanasi, you break the cycle of rebirth. But what if a part of you is already dead, the part that was betrayed, broken, or burdened?
Varanasi isn’t just for the dead. It’s for the living who carry grief like skin.
The ghats don’t just burn bodies, they burn regrets.
People come here after heartbreaks, deaths, divorces, or long silences with their parents. They sit on the banks of the Ganga, not to bathe, but to wash off shame. You’ll see people staring at the water for hours, because somewhere between one wave and another, they let go.
The holy rituals, the chants, the cremation fires, they remind you how small your problems are in the vastness of life and death.
And sometimes, that’s the push you need to move on.
We talk about forgiving others, but let’s be honest, the hardest person to forgive is often yourself.
Auroville is not your usual spiritual escape. It’s an experimental city built on the idea of human unity. No religion. No politics. Just people trying to unlearn everything they’ve been taught.
Many come here after losing direction, including students who have failed, professionals who have burned out, and lovers who have left someone they still love.
Auroville doesn’t ask questions. It offers stillness. Through yoga, meditation, volunteering, or just walking alone under red soil paths, you confront your inner chaos. And in that silence, you realise: "Maybe you didn’t fail, maybe you were just human."
Forgiveness starts when you drop the guilt and hug the imperfect version of you.
Pain makes noise in cities. But in Tso Moriri, it runs out of breath.
This high-altitude lake in Ladakh is not crowded. Not commercial. Not even easy to reach. But that’s the point. People who go here are not tourists, they’re pilgrims of pain.
Some come after breakups. Some after panic attacks. Some after not crying for years.
At 15,000 feet, the air is thin, but strangely healing. There’s no phone signal, no social media, no distractions. Just wind, water, mountains, and you, finally listening to yourself.
And up there, you realise how small you are, but not in a hopeless way. In a freeing way. Because if the mountains don’t care about your past, maybe you don’t have to either.
Bodh Gaya is where Gautam Buddha got enlightenment. And not because he escaped pain, but because he faced it.
That’s what this place teaches.
People come here when they’ve hit emotional rock bottom, failed marriages, family abuse, lost children, and guilt of hurting someone they loved. They sit under the Bodhi Tree not for answers, but for acceptance.
Buddha didn’t erase his past. He transformed it into wisdom.
And so do the people who sit in Bodh Gaya for days in silence. Sometimes, forgiving the past doesn’t mean forgetting it. It means seeing it as a lesson, not a punishment.
The peace in the air is not the absence of noise; it’s the presence of understanding. You come broken, but you leave built.
5. Rishikesh, Uttarakhand - Where the Soul Takes a Deep Breath
Rishikesh is not just about yoga and white-water rafting. It’s also where people come to ''breathe again.
People who were suffocating in their relationships, jobs, cities, find space here. Not just physical space, but emotional space.
They attend healing workshops, take long walks by the Ganga, sit quietly during Ganga aarti, or go to ashrams that don’t judge their tattoos or tears.
There’s something raw about Rishikesh. Maybe because it doesn’t pretend. You see foreigners, monks, sadhus, college dropouts, retirees, all in the same lane, searching for peace in their way.
And in that shared search, you don’t feel so alone anymore.
Forgiveness happens naturally here. It’s like the Ganga doesn’t just wash feet, it washes heavy hearts.
Sometimes you don’t need loud healing. You just need time. And space. And sunsets.
Majuli, the world’s largest river island, is one such place. Far from the headlines, far from the rush, far from your overthinking.
People who come here are usually tired, mentally. They’ve lived too fast, cared too much, given too long. They’re not here for rituals. They’re here to rest.
Life on Majuli moves like a boat, slow, calm, and graceful. People smile more. Birds sing louder. Even the air feels less polluted — by noise, by judgment, by expectations.
And that’s when it happens, ''forgiveness without force.'' You’re not trying to heal. But it happens anyway. Because for once, you’re not chasing peace. You’re letting peace catch up with you.
It’s not the location. It’s the feeling.
These places don't promise miracles. They don’t wipe your past. But they give you the strength to stop running from it.
They teach you things therapy sometimes can’t:
If you're still carrying something heavy, a regret, a loss, a person, a version of yourself you hate, maybe it's time.
Not to run away.
But to walk somewhere that lets you come back lighter.
You don’t need a passport. You don’t need to explain.
You just need a little courage. And maybe a train ticket.
Because "sometimes, forgiving the past isn’t a decision, it’s a destination."
Explore the latest trends and tips in Health & Fitness, Travel, Life Hacks, Fashion & Beauty, and Relationships at Times Life!
And sometimes, healing doesn’t come from therapy or time; it comes from a place, a moment, a surrender.
India, with all its chaos, noise, and colour, also holds secret corners of silence. Places where people don’t just travel to forget, but to forgive.
Forgive others.
Forgive themselves.
Forgive the versions of them that didn’t know better.
It isn’t about tourist spots. It’s about emotional destinations. Places where people cry without judgment. Where pain turns into peace. Where people walk in with weight and walk out with lightness.
1. Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh - Where Endings Are Also Beginnings
Varanasi
( Image credit : Freepik )
They say if you die in Varanasi, you break the cycle of rebirth. But what if a part of you is already dead, the part that was betrayed, broken, or burdened?
Varanasi isn’t just for the dead. It’s for the living who carry grief like skin.
The ghats don’t just burn bodies, they burn regrets.
People come here after heartbreaks, deaths, divorces, or long silences with their parents. They sit on the banks of the Ganga, not to bathe, but to wash off shame. You’ll see people staring at the water for hours, because somewhere between one wave and another, they let go.
The holy rituals, the chants, the cremation fires, they remind you how small your problems are in the vastness of life and death.
And sometimes, that’s the push you need to move on.
2. Auroville, Tamil Nadu - Where You Learn to Forgive Yourself
Auroville
( Image credit : Unsplash )
We talk about forgiving others, but let’s be honest, the hardest person to forgive is often yourself.
Auroville is not your usual spiritual escape. It’s an experimental city built on the idea of human unity. No religion. No politics. Just people trying to unlearn everything they’ve been taught.
Many come here after losing direction, including students who have failed, professionals who have burned out, and lovers who have left someone they still love.
Auroville doesn’t ask questions. It offers stillness. Through yoga, meditation, volunteering, or just walking alone under red soil paths, you confront your inner chaos. And in that silence, you realise: "Maybe you didn’t fail, maybe you were just human."
Forgiveness starts when you drop the guilt and hug the imperfect version of you.
3. Tso Moriri, Ladakh - Where Silence Speaks Louder Than Pain
Tso Moriri
( Image credit : Freepik )
Pain makes noise in cities. But in Tso Moriri, it runs out of breath.
This high-altitude lake in Ladakh is not crowded. Not commercial. Not even easy to reach. But that’s the point. People who go here are not tourists, they’re pilgrims of pain.
Some come after breakups. Some after panic attacks. Some after not crying for years.
At 15,000 feet, the air is thin, but strangely healing. There’s no phone signal, no social media, no distractions. Just wind, water, mountains, and you, finally listening to yourself.
And up there, you realise how small you are, but not in a hopeless way. In a freeing way. Because if the mountains don’t care about your past, maybe you don’t have to either.
4. Bodh Gaya, Bihar - Where the Past Becomes the Teacher
Bodh Gaya
( Image credit : Unsplash )
Bodh Gaya is where Gautam Buddha got enlightenment. And not because he escaped pain, but because he faced it.
That’s what this place teaches.
People come here when they’ve hit emotional rock bottom, failed marriages, family abuse, lost children, and guilt of hurting someone they loved. They sit under the Bodhi Tree not for answers, but for acceptance.
Buddha didn’t erase his past. He transformed it into wisdom.
And so do the people who sit in Bodh Gaya for days in silence. Sometimes, forgiving the past doesn’t mean forgetting it. It means seeing it as a lesson, not a punishment.
The peace in the air is not the absence of noise; it’s the presence of understanding. You come broken, but you leave built.
5. Rishikesh, Uttarakhand - Where the Soul Takes a Deep Breath
Rishikesh
( Image credit : Unsplash )
Rishikesh is not just about yoga and white-water rafting. It’s also where people come to ''breathe again.
People who were suffocating in their relationships, jobs, cities, find space here. Not just physical space, but emotional space.
They attend healing workshops, take long walks by the Ganga, sit quietly during Ganga aarti, or go to ashrams that don’t judge their tattoos or tears.
There’s something raw about Rishikesh. Maybe because it doesn’t pretend. You see foreigners, monks, sadhus, college dropouts, retirees, all in the same lane, searching for peace in their way.
And in that shared search, you don’t feel so alone anymore.
Forgiveness happens naturally here. It’s like the Ganga doesn’t just wash feet, it washes heavy hearts.
6. Majuli Island, Assam - Where Life Slows Down and So Does Pain
Majuli Island
( Image credit : Times Life Bureau )
Sometimes you don’t need loud healing. You just need time. And space. And sunsets.
Majuli, the world’s largest river island, is one such place. Far from the headlines, far from the rush, far from your overthinking.
People who come here are usually tired, mentally. They’ve lived too fast, cared too much, given too long. They’re not here for rituals. They’re here to rest.
Life on Majuli moves like a boat, slow, calm, and graceful. People smile more. Birds sing louder. Even the air feels less polluted — by noise, by judgment, by expectations.
And that’s when it happens, ''forgiveness without force.'' You’re not trying to heal. But it happens anyway. Because for once, you’re not chasing peace. You’re letting peace catch up with you.
What These Places Have in Common
These places don't promise miracles. They don’t wipe your past. But they give you the strength to stop running from it.
They teach you things therapy sometimes can’t:
- That it’s okay to outgrow people.
- That your pain doesn’t need to be compared.
- That moving on doesn’t mean you never cared.
- That closure isn’t always a conversation. Sometimes, it’s a mountain. Or a river. Or a quiet room.
So, Maybe It’s Time You Took That Journey Too
Come on to Journey
( Image credit : Freepik )
If you're still carrying something heavy, a regret, a loss, a person, a version of yourself you hate, maybe it's time.
Not to run away.
But to walk somewhere that lets you come back lighter.
You don’t need a passport. You don’t need to explain.
You just need a little courage. And maybe a train ticket.
Because "sometimes, forgiving the past isn’t a decision, it’s a destination."
Explore the latest trends and tips in Health & Fitness, Travel, Life Hacks, Fashion & Beauty, and Relationships at Times Life!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
- Do I need to be spiritual to visit these places?Not at all, these places welcome anyone seeking peace, regardless of beliefs.
- Are these destinations suitable for solo travelers, especially women?Yes, most are safe and popular among solo travelers, including women seeking quiet reflection.
- Can visiting a place actually help with emotional healing?Yes, environment matters, silence, nature, and mindful spaces support emotional release and clarity.
- Are there affordable stays or local guides at these locations?Absolutely, all these places offer budget stays, local support, and simple living options.