Editorial Policy

YatraBeyond exists to be the reference for accurate devotional texts and sacred-site knowledge. These are the rules every piece of content on this platform goes through. They are not aspirations — an item that has not passed them does not publish.

Sacred texts (aartis, chalisas, stotrams, vrat kathas)

• Never from memory. Every original text is captured verbatim from a reliable open source and cross-checked against a second, independent source. A line that cannot be verified is flagged, never guessed.
• Variants are recorded, not silently chosen. Where sources disagree on a line’s wording, the variant is noted and resolved against sung tradition during human review.
• Our translations are our own. Every meaning, in every language, is written in our own words. We never copy another translation, and never copy-then-tweak one. Other translations are used only to sense-check that ours agrees in substance.
• Reverential register. Where a line addresses or describes the divine, our translations use the honorific register of each language — except where the original itself is deliberately intimate, which we preserve.
• Human review before full publication. Texts are reviewed against sung versions before the draft marking is removed. Anything not yet reviewed is clearly labelled as a draft on the page itself.

Copyright and ownership

• We reproduce only texts that are genuinely public domain (traditional, or the author died long ago), or texts we have specific authorisation to publish. Modern or sect-specific compositions with unclear ownership are held — catalogued but not reproduced — until cleared.
• Where an item is published with the rights-holder’s authorisation rather than being public domain, its provenance badge says so.
• Our own translations, transliterations, commentary, and page structure are © YatraBeyond. Personal, devotional use is free and encouraged — see the Terms of Use.

Sacred sites and history

• Every site guide cites its sources on the page, and every page carries a last-reviewed date. Scripture citations that have not been expert-verified are marked as such.
• Practical information (timings, fees, transport) is refreshed on a scheduled cycle; the last-reviewed date tells you how current a page is.
• We present traditions and cite sources; we do not adjudicate sectarian disputes or take sectarian editorial positions.
• Imagery is licensed or our own, and follows respectful-photography rules — no sanctum interiors where photography is prohibited.

Commercial separation

• No advertising on or beside prayer text — ever.
• Travel listings may carry disclosed partner or affiliate links, always separated from editorial and devotional content, and always labelled. Sponsorship, where it exists, is section-level and disclosed; it never buys placement inside editorial content.

Corrections

If you find an error — a wrong line, a variant we should know about, a stale fact — we want to hear it. Corrections are reviewed against sources and the page’s last-reviewed date is updated when a fix lands.