Varanasi - the land of sacred light

Hello to all of YOU!!!


We heard so much about holy city of Varanasi...that we really had big expectations - dirty river, crowds of people taking baths at numerous ghats, smoke, babas, pujas, ... Another city which didn’t disappoint us.

Varanasi is generally believed to be about 3,000 years old and probably comes in the third place between the worlds oldest cities.
Varanasis culture is associated with the Ganges river and its religious importance to Hindus as a link to their spirituality. The Ganga is believed to have flown from the heaven to wash away the worldly sins of the humankind and that dying in Kashi ensures release of a person's soul from the cycle of its transmigrations. More than 1,000,000 pilgrims visit the city each year.

Life on the banks of the Ganga begins before dawn when pilgrims -men, women and children, come down to the river to wait for the sunrise.
Soon after the sunrise it's time for sellers...boatmen, flower sellers and of course sacred bulls and cows roam around. Total madness...especially on sundays! When we first arrived we thought that this »bathing thing« is nothing that SO special, but one early sunday morning after boat trip along the ghaths changed our opinion. Lots and lots and lots and lots of people. Just sitting and walking around the ghaths is so interesting that time passes by in a second.

A group of priests daily perform in the evening at this ghat "Pooja" (Worship to Fire) wherein a dedication is made to Ganga, the Sun, Agni (Fire), and the whole universe.

First few days I rested a little bit more because I twisted my ankle a little bit when I triped over one step in Agra and fall directly on the street...with full&heavy backpack on my shoulders :( Right on my nose.


I have to tell you a bit more about this extremly polluted river.
The Ganges river provides millions of Indians with an important link to their spirituality...every day about 60.000 (!) people go down to the ghats just to take a holy dip. Along the same area 30 large sewers are continuously discharging into the same river!!!! Samples from the river show the water has 1,5 million faecal coliform bacteria (per 100ml of water). For easier presentation - in water that is safe for bathing this number should be less than 500!!!!! We put only a centimeter or two of our fingers inside the water. More than enough. Even that was too much - especially when we realized how many people are cremated there. Smoke 24 hours, people grieving, canalization, garbage, maybe some dead cow... but all that really doesn't disturb pilgrims from all over India to take a bath in sacred river.

This Varanasi really is something special. Full of spiritual and interesting small nooks. We spent a couple of days just wandering around ghats&narrow streets and wondering how many sins were washed away. I can easily say that this Varanasi left big impression on me. I did not take any pictures of "burning" ghats, because it's not allowed... so you will have to check that on your own.

But I promise you that this city won't leave you without deliberation about life&death.


lots of sun&fun,


JANA

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