The travel bug continued to bite us after our return to India, and Varanasi was next on our list. It is a place we had heard so much about, yet were a little apprehensive about going there. Very few people we knew had actually been there and each of them had a different view about it. Some said it was India’s filthiest city reeking of cow dung, others called it a city of the dead and the dying with funeral pyres lighting the skyline 24/7. Yet others called it one of the most depressing places they had ever visited. Not really a place on your must visit list.
Then we met a colleague of Nira, an American called Jill, who for the past few years had been spending her vacations working with an NGO in Varanasi. She told us that while all the above descriptions of Varanasi were indeed quite accurate, there was a lot more to Varanasi. She offered to help us get a proper feel of the city. So Tiny, I and Nira and another of her colleagues, a Thai girl named Malai set off for Varanasi one fine morning. Jill was already there and would be with us during the four or five days that we would spend there.
Going by her advice, we booked ourselves in the Hotel Holy Ganges, a local guest house right on the banks of the Holy Ganges. It was on Assi Ghat the first and southernmost of the seventy odd ghats that line the west bank of the Ganges. Our proximity to the ghats made it easy for us to simply step out of the hotel at any time of the early morning or late evening to enjoy their beauty throughout. This would not have been possible if we had been staying in some fancy star hotel in the heart of the city.
On the first evening of our arrival, we decided we should just go for a boat ride and take in the sights and the sounds of the activities around us. We would do some more detailed explorations the next day once we had a better idea of our surroundings and the city. We hired a rowing boat, and there were just us and the boatman. We went all the way to the Malviya Bridge, rowing with the current, then turned around to return against the current. The trip took close to 90 minutes, and I felt sorry for the boatman, it must have been hard work rowing. We passed by all the major ghats, viewing them from a distance, and upon our return to Assi Ghat decided to find a place for dinner. This also gave us the opportunity to walk through some of the narrow lanes around the area and see the people who lived here. There was for example a Sadhu who was living on the pavement with a monkey for a companion. There were people around him and he seemed to be having a great time chatting with them.
Jill finally brought us to a quaint little place just off one of the ghats, which apparently made the best dosas anywhere. It had a ‘Recommended by Trip Advisor’ sticker on its wall which seemed to lend it some credibility. The dosas were indeed great and we enjoyed the fare. We meandered further through more lanes, saw off Jill to her hotel and headed back to our rooms.
Some pictures from our boat ride of the first evening are below
We were up early the next morning, wanting to get the sunrise. This part of the city was awake way before we were. From our balcony, we could see a group of people doing exercises on the river bank. At Assi Ghat itself, there was a Yoga class in session, with an instructor giving lessons, and open to anybody who wished to join in. I guess besides casual observers, there were a lot of regulars too. And then of course there were the cows.
This was the time when the cows hit the road, and we could see from our vantage point, how they would knock on the door of the houses on the street with their snouts, and continue to wait while the owner brought them something to eat. Then on to the next house. Take a look in the adjoining picture.
Tiny and I headed towards the ghats as we wanted to visit the Kashi Vishwanath Temple before eating breakfast. We walked along the ghats, people were bathing, washing clothes, praying, getting shaved and starting their morning. At the Manikarnika Ghat, the unending cremation of human bodies continued unabated too.
Somewhere here, we turned upwards for the temple, but our efforts were in vain as the temple was closed for a few hours due to some VIP movement.
We decided instead to head to Kachori Galli and have a typical benarsi breakfast of Kachori and Bhaji. Back to the hotel for a bath and then for an exploration of the ghats once again.
The walk along the ghats was most enlightening. Each ghat is barely 10-20 metres across, there are no separations between ghats, one ghat just continues to the next one. But each ghat is for a different purpose. Some ghats are for bathing, some are exclusively for women, some are for washing clothes, some for offering prayers, some for festivities like weddings, and then of course the burning ghats – Manikarnika and Harshwardhan.
Take a look below at pictures of some of the different ghats
Hindus are firm believers in the cycle of reincarnation, and believe you will continue to be reborn till you have atoned for all the sins of all your past lives. Only after this will you attain final peace or moksha. But by dying in Varanasi and by being cremated here you break this vicious cycle of reincarnation and attain moksha. This belief brings many old, dying and terminally ill people, many often abandoned by their families, to Varanasi so that they can die here. There are dharamsalas, hostels and lodges which put these people up, some free out of charity, others for a fee. While in most places cremation grounds are located slightly away from the city because of the in-auspiciousness that surrounds them, in Varanasi they are located right on the ghats, in the heart of the city.
At any given time, there is always a funeral heading towards Manikarnika. The departed in a shroud, a simple bier, a couple of pall bearers and the body makes its arrival. It quickly joins the queue while the pall bearers go to answer another call. The negotiations between the relatives and the Dom Raja (Dom is the caste which controls the cremation and is the only caste that can carry them out) are quickly concluded and the quantity and quality of the wood to be used, and thus the price are settled and must be paid for before the cremation can be allowed. It’s usually quite smooth. Who is going to argue in a situation like this? Once settled, the body is taken down to the waterfront where it is given the traditional last bath in the Ganga. The body is then laid out on the bank, to let it dry and await its turn. Dogs, cows, goats and other four footers move freely around to see if they can grab a bite or two from the ritual materials (flowers, fruits, etc.) which are laid on the body. The body is then moved to the pyre amidst the chanting of vedas, the pyre is lit usually by the eldest son, the ceremonies commenced. The body is supposed to be allowed to burn completely and it is only after four days, once the ashes have cooled that the relatives come to collect them for the immersion. But here if the wood used is not sufficient, or if the waiting queue is long, the pyre is hosed down and the relatives told to quickly collect the ashes, go immerse them in the river and be done with. The pyre is needed to be readied for the next cremation. Often, these half burnt bodies are immersed in the Ganga, and people have been known to scream as they suddenly come across a half burnt torso floating next to their boat while taking a ride. Sigh !!
But while all this is going on one ghat, the adjacent ghat is rejoicing with drums and music as a couple is solemnizing their marriage in the presence of the Ganga. Just a little further a young family is going about with the naming ceremony of their newly born which the dancers and musicians will join in once they are done with the wedding. Elsewhere, a family sits in quiet contemplation as a priest chants prayers in memory of their departed ancestors.
One cycle of life does not wait for the other, each has its own place and runs concurrently with all the others. It is watching all this from close quarters that you become aware that birth and death and everything in between are a part of the cycle of life. Take it as it comes, without fear.
Varanasi is also a foodie’s paradise. A Kachori Sabzi is the most popular breakfast choice, and there is an entire Kachori Gali where several places serve this in the mornings. This can be followed by Lassi the thick yoghurt drink served with rich cream and dry fruit. Blue Lassi is amongst the best places to sample Varanasi’s lassi. For an evening snack you can head to the Kashi Chat Bhandar, where you’ll get am amazing variety of chats, tikkis and pani puri (gol gappe) at very reasonable prices. It’s always a little crowded, but service is fast and you won’t have to wait too long. No meal is complete without the famous Banarasi Paan. In its simplest form, it is a benarsi betel leaf (that’s the unique taste) with Katha, Chuna and supari. A benarsi will usually be chewing on one all the time, and will not hesitate to spit out the ‘peek’ (as the bright red residue is called) on to the street or anywhere else at any time.
Varanasi also draws its fair share of foreigners who come here in their usual quest seeking peace and salvation. There are a large number of places catering to their food tastes, but vegetarian only. One such place located right on Assi Ghat is the Vatika Café and Pizzeria. It’s absolutely on the rivert bank, and besides their wood fired pizzas, they also offer pastas and other continental fare. But what you must not miss out on is their Apple Pie and Ice Cream. It is heavily in demand and at times they do run out of it before the evening runs out.
Shopping is also something to be indulged in when you are here. Benares is famous for its Benarsi Silk Sarees, many of these have been carried as gifts for Heads of States. Your boatman will usually offer to take you to one of the several stores that line the banks, and it is a visit that you should make, even if just to see the variety. Besides sarees, there is also dress materials and salwar suits, essentially ladies stuff. If you are serious about buying, knowing how to haggle – or taking along somebody who knows how to – is an absolute necessity.
And then of course there is the Ganga Aarti. Held every evening at sundown at the Dashwmedh Ghat, it is a prayer to Mother Ganga to thank her for her kindness and blessings. It is held similarly in Haridwar and Rishikesh too, where the Ganga flows through. The ceremony is a visually delightful prayer invocation, performed in choreographed precision by seven young priests, to the chanting of prayers. The ceremony starts off with the blowing of the conch shell, the priests then take their positions on the seven wooden stools facing the Ganga, and start with the lighting and the waving of the incense sticks. The pace then quickens as the large brass multi-tiered lamps are lit, spreading light and smoke as they are waved around in a synchronized manner. There are several other sequences, using snake hood shaped lamps, peacock feathers and other religiously significant materials. The entire aarti sequence lasts about 45 minutes. You can watch the aarti either from a boat just across the ghat, or you can watch it from the ghat itself. We watched it on two evenings, from both sides. It was a visually and spiritually uplifting experience.
A picture is worth a thousand words, so here are a few visuals from the aarti
On the last day of our stay in Varanasi, we made a trip to Sarnath. Sarnath is about 12Kms from Varanasi and is an important place of pilgrimage for Buddhists. It is here that Buddha gave his first sermon after his enlightenment. A sapling from the tree under which he sat when he received enlightenment has been planted here too. It is now of course a full grown tree. The famous Dhamekh Stupa originally built by Ashoka in 200BC and later rebuilt in the 6th Century is located here. The excavated ruins which dot the site contain the remains of several other stupas and religious monuments dating back to these eras. We came across several Buddhists from Cambodia and Thailand and other eastern countries here.
Here are some pictures of our visit to Sarnath
On our way back, we stopped at the Sankat Mochan Temple – a temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman – and also took a drive through the campus of the Banaras Hindu University. This university was started in 1916 by Madan Mohan Malviya and counts amongst its distinguished alumni the well known poet Harivansh Rai Bachchan, father of Amitabh Bachchan.
The visit to Varanasi was a very different experience from the normal run of the mill tourist visits. Our visit reaffirmed what Mark Twain had observed about Varanasi during his visit there that ‘Benares is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of then put together’.