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Published: June 25th 2017
Varanasi at Sunrise
We took this shot from our boat, as we cruised the river very early one morning to catch the sunrise. The amount of activity on the river even in the early morning hours was considerable, but in particular the meditators and yogis were everywhere.The twenty nine hour train journey that we undertook to get to Varanasi left us understandably exhausted, and we were in no way prepared for the walk from our taxi tuk tuk drop-off point, to our hotel, with each of us having to carry our very heavy loads of luggage. We were shocked to discover at the drop off point that the tuk tuk could not, as per always, take us to our hotel doors because the streets to the hotel were too narrow for tuk-tuks to go through. Just as we were reluctantly debarking our vehicle with absolutely no idea of where to go, a young boy offered his services to guide us there. (Sadly for us, neither he nor any of his buddies were offering porter services). So our Varanasi adventure began, even before we arrived at our hotel, as we meandered for another twenty minutes through a half kilometre labyrinth of ancient, narrow, thick-walled streets heavily populated with people, animals (the usual supply of dogs, goats, and yes, cows), and of course, the odd bicycle and motorbike traveller squeezing by. We had not been in this reputedly overwhelming city for a half hour, and I was already overwhelmed.
Colorful Varanasi.
The architecture is astounding, as is the color, which is matched by the vibrancy of the activity that goes on along the river. But arrive we eventually did, and after a restful night and very late sleep-in the next day, we were ready to venture out into this city of extremes to see what trips would be laid upon us.
My son Tanner, after visiting Varanasi a couple of years ago, described it as "a full-on, in-your-face, head trip". The Lonely Planet section on Varanasi begins with two words. "Brace yourself." One of the Holy Men we encountered on the banks described it with great passion as the "City of Burning and Learning", as it is (I believe) the birthplace of Lord Shiva, the Destroyer, whose purpose is to destroy that which is, so that rebirth and regrowth can take place. Or something like that. And the Ganges is, of course, the sacred river which all Hindus must come to bathe in at least once in their lives, for to do so is to have all bad karma from past lives washed away. Then, to be cremated on the banks of the Ganges and have your ashes dispensed into the river is to end the cycle of rebirth and obtain Nirvana. That is my understanding.
We began our exploring with
Bathing in the Ganges
This was a common sight, in spite of the debris floating everywhere in the vicinity. Mind boggling. a river cruise in a small boat with a young boy who paddled us and two others along the banks to witness the action taking place that evening. We found it to be somewhat busy - there were perhaps a couple hundred other boats out as well, but did not realize until the next day that it was the Hindu New Year's Eve. In fact, we did not even know there was a Hindu calendar, and that this was the last day of the year 2069.
Our boat tour began, of course, at the burning ghat, or site where most of the cremations take place on the Ganges. We witnessed at least six burning piers from the distance of our boat that night, but returned again another evening for a much longer period to witness a more comprehensive story, which included watching a body being transported to its site, and the numerous rituals that take place in the preparation of the site and the body before it is finally laid upon the pire and the flames lit. Cremations on this site take place twenty four hours a day, every day of the year. Being an audience to the cremations
Holy Man on the Ganges
I wanted to ask him to turn around for the photo shot, but my Hindi just isn't that good, so this is it. You get the idea though, right? is not discouraged at all, but taking photographs during a ceremony is considered very offensive. I did take some photos, however, of the site itself, containing the utterly massive stockpiles of wood which might begin to convey some sense of the sheer volume. However, there is no way to prepare the Western mind - or at least not this one - for the witnessing of a human body being clearly burned just feet away from you. There are no words. But the Hindus seem to take it all in stride, birth and death being one and the same in their pursuit of Nirvana.
The next day we had the pleasure of being guided in a small group of four by our very excellent hotel tour guide and host, Mannu, whose extensive knowledge base of both old and New Varanasi, delivered with both humour and passion, allowed us insights into this city that we would never have gotten on our own. One such insight was acquired in our visit to BHU - Benares Hindu University, Benares being one of Varanasi's four names. This very modern campus of several thousand students has fifty two faculties covering all disciplines - not just
New Year's Eve in Varanasi, India.
Here we are, with the crowds of people in boats and on shore, watching the ceremonies taking place. Because these ceremonies go on every night at the same time, we had no idea that this was New Year's Eve, until the next day. Happy 2070, India! medicine and engineering - is the largest university in Asia, and every student we saw had to have an average of 90-95 percent or they would never have made the cut. In other words, it is the Harvard of India. We also visited a half dozen of the temples that are on campus, and a variety of other temples elsewhere in the city. But no tour is complete without stopping for lunch at Burger King, where the all-vegetarian menu is not quite the same as what we are familiar with back home. Our tour concluded with a guided walk through more maze-like narrow streets, vibrant with life, and I was a little disappointed we did not have the time to stop at this elegant shop filled with an array of beautiful long black dresses designed for Muslim women. Even Stan agreed that I should have one of those, being "The Woman in Black" and all, and we put it on the list of things to do tomorrow, which never did happen, as it turned out. Before we left Varanasi though, which we discovered is renowned as one of the best quality silk production centres in the world, we did manage
Ancient Palace Restoration on the Ganges
In its glory, the entire shoreline of Varanasi consisted of massive palaces of this stature. Most of them still remain, but many are visibly in disrepair. This one is being converted to a luxury hotel. to have Mannu arrange for us another personalized shopping experience with a fourth generation silk merchant and world-scale wholesaler. It was reminiscent of our delightful shopping experience in Kashmir, and yes, we did pick up just one or two beautiful silk items before we left Varanasi, our last stop in India before moving on to Nepal.
I would have loved to say that our departure from this country was as exciting as our arrival in Pondicherry six weeks earlier. Or perhaps it was, but in a much less desirable way. Unfortunately, though, I became very ill at some point during our four day stay in Varanasi, so much so that I spent the last day there feverish and sleeping, with Stan at my side providing remedies he had, as well as food and beverages suggested by the caring hotel staff. I cannot remember ever being this sick in my entire life, with fever, headache, sore muscles, and joints that screamed out when I stretched, let alone tried to walk, all combined with nausea and diarrhea. When we left the hotel to catch our train later that evening, our hotel had arranged porters for us right to the train platform,
Yoga Class on the Ganges
This class was entirely Pranayama, or breathing, and the Brahmin teacher was instructing his class of young Hindu priests in training, the instruction for which was shared via loudspeaker that echoed clearly for everyone to hear. It was exactly the same teachings that the monk in Dharamsala had shared in his class, but without the loudspeaker in a quite different setting. as I was barely able to carry myself, left alone any luggage. To say that the next twenty hours in transport in plus forty five degree temps was gruelling is a massive understatement. Although feverish, the worst had come and passed waiting at the train station in Varanasi, so I managed to sleep through the overnight train, the two hour taxi ride to the Nepali border, and the five hour taxi ride to our destination in Pokhara, Nepal. However, the two long hours at border crossings both leaving India and entering Nepal were brutal, as by then the gastric infection was playing havoc with me in full force. Suffice it to say that I left my mark as we departed India and entered Nepal. But the best part of all of this was having my lifelong partner and adventurer Stan at my side helping me through, being the amazing caregiver and man that he is, and we are both on the mend.
Now I totally understand what Stan experienced on his previous trip to India two years ago, the trip which inspired his
Delhi Belly Weight Loss Club. And what sort of adventure tale with any authenticity does not Washing Clothes in the Ganges
Washing clothes or swimming in the river happened at numerous points along the river. It was not in the least unusual for someone also to be meditating in the midst of all this activity, like the guy sitting on the pillar in the background to the left. include at least one shit story?
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Colleen
non-member comment
Thanks for calling - it was beautiful to hear your voices! We will try to melt all this snow before your return in June.Love you both to pieces.Colleen