Holy Varanasi

Incredible India has so much to offer in terms of tourist attractions that one’s lifetime seems just too short to experience all that. But one can at least try and scout as many places as is possible and get a feel of the real India. Recently we embarked on a trip to Varanasi, deemed one of the oldest living cities in the world, and met India in its true form!

The sea of humanity, the mighty Ganges flowing by its side since time immemorial, the countless number of temples, tonsured heads, chillum-smoking sadhus, the chanting of mantras and cremation grounds where the fire never dies down, this is how we encountered Varanasi. Such is the appeal of the place that it lingers on your mind long after you’ve left the place. Varanasi, also known as Benaras and Kashi, might not be your typical holiday destination, given the pollution and the traffic snarls, but if you go there with a different mindset, your visit will indeed be rewarded!

I met my family, who came in from different places, right at the heart of the town where we were to be lodged. The narrow by-lanes and the old un-whitewashed buildings can put you off initially, but as everything starts to sink in, your love affair with the city begins!

We reached the apartment where we were put up at more or less at the same time – during the first half of the day. We took rest during the day and in the evening set off to the Dashashwamedh Ghat, which was a walking distance from our place of stay. One must not miss the opportunity of visiting the ghat in the evening when after the Ganga Aarti, thousands of earthen lamps are immersed in the waters of the holy Ganges giving a divine look to the river at dusk.

Dashashwamedh Ghat, literally meaning the ghat of ten sacrificed horses, is one of the oldest and most important ghats of Varanasi, providing a colourful river front view. Sadhus perform religious rites and hundreds of devotees flock there everyday. But beware of those people seeking donations who can drive you up the wall; unfortunately we learnt it the hard way!

We reached there just in time for the aarti. As the aarti began, men took their positions at the platform and began swinging the lamp to the tune of chantings. The choreography is excellent and worth the watch! Soon after the aarti, we too paid our homage to the Ganges by letting off floating lamp on to the waters. It was a wonderful feeling, difficult to put down in words!

The next day we decided to pay our tribute to Lord Shiva, so off we went to The Kashi Vishwanath Temple, also known as the Golden Temple, situated just close by, on way to the ghats. Shiva is the presiding deity of the city and according to legend, the first rays of light fell here after creation; hence it is also known as Kashi or ‘City of Lights’.

It is said that you get to meet God the hard way; it couldn’t have been more apt because trudging past all the mud and the queue plus the security check and the pesky monkeys to boot weren’t easy. “Don’t dare to look into the eyes of the monkey,” forewarned one of the priests. Nevertheless we were there finally!!

Exploring Varanasi’s Hindu sites, we diverted our attention to Buddhism and the following day went on an outing to Sarnath, where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon thousands of years ago. Coming to Varanasi and giving Sarnath a miss is simply not on as the latter is situated just 13 km from the former. I found it difficult to fathom as to how two places situated so close to each other can be so starkly different - the throbbing Varanasi on one hand and the serene and tranquil Sarnath on the other, one a sacred place for Hindus, the other for Buddhists.

We hired a guide to take us through the place, which has yielded a rich collection of sculptures, artifacts and edifices comprising numerous Buddha and Bodhisattva images and other ancient remains. There is also a museum which houses all the findings and excavations at Sarnath.

Also found here are the ruins of an ancient monastery and the remains of an Ashokan pillar. Near the ruins of the monastery and stupa is Mulagandhakuti Vihara, a temple dedicated to Amagarika Dharmapala, founder of the Mahabodhi Society.

The third important seat of Buddhism in the country houses some significant Buddhist monuments like the Dhamekh stupa, the Chaukhandi stupa and monasteries and temples of different schools of Buddhism from Japan, China, Thailand, Burma and others.

While here don’t forget to visit the Saree shop right at the centre which houses a variety of sarees including the famous Benarsi silk sarees. And at prices way cheaper than what it would cost you elsewhere!

It was a learning experience no doubt. But the ‘learning’ experience wouldn’t have been complete without a visit to the Benaras Hindu University (BHU), the largest residential university in Asia! So on our way back we decided to head to the BHU which has been developed as a centre for education in Indian art, music, culture and philosophy and for the study of Sanskrit. Besides the well-done-up temple, we met our one-horned rhino (it’s another thing that it was just statue) right outside the temple courtyard. At dusk we headed back to our place of stay.

Shiva Ratri’s a big affair in this holy city. We hadn’t planned it that way, but somehow it coincided with our trip which made our visit all the more worthwhile. On the occasion of Mahashivaratri, all Shiva temples of Varanasi are tastefully decorated and the city wears a festive look. To mark the same, a marriage procession of Lord Shiva is taken out from Mahamrityunjaya Temple, Daranagar to Kashi Vishwanath Temple. We walked towards the latter in the afternoon all right, but we did not anticipate what we were in for. Phew! Kumbh mela must be something like this, I thought to myself! We held onto each other lest we got lost in the melee.

We were right there amidst all the action! Camels, elephants, children all decked up as Shiva and other mythological characters, camel drawn carriages with big replica of Shiv lings. One must also marvel at the acrobatic skills of the children who displayed themselves in their fineries clinging onto whatever little support they were provided with! The colourful pageantry moved on at a snail’s pace, as people danced to the accompaniment of loud music, with even foreigners jumping into the celebrations. What a grand spectacle!

We whiled away the next two days of our stay discovering more of Varanasi, taking the rickshaw ride along the narrow gaalis (lanes), shopping, tasting the famous malais (cream) that the town is so famous for, having tea in earthen cups at roadside dhabas, among others. Despite the city’s ancient feel, Varanasi is not bereft of the modern way of life. It’s waking up to modernisation with big multiplexes cropping up, internet cafes everywhere to help you stay connected with the world outside. The city is just the right amalgam of the old and the new!

Looking back I’m glad I discovered this part of Incredible India. The forlorn lanes, dilapidated buildings, countless number of temples, old dargahs, ghats, the sea of people, the chillum-smoking sadhus, the mighty Ganges – I captured Varanasi in its true essence!