Without ever experiencing a place first hand it's natural to develop a snap-shot in your mind of what daily life might look like there. Few places turn out to be exactly what you imagine; not necessarily disappointingly so...just different. Varanasi has proved to be the exception to the rule...at least in my version of it. This was the stereotypical image of India that I had imagined. What reminded me most of my pre-conceived notion was the colors: the sarees, boats, buildings, people, face paint, 
and the sunset bouncing off the Ganges. Varanasi, situated on the Ganges River is said to be one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, dating to more than 1000 BC. Though not the only city on the Ganges, the city of Shiva is by far the most holy. Hindus from across the country journey here to bathe and pray in the many ghats along the muddy waters [A ghat is basically a set of stairs leading down to the river] of which there are over 80. Some serve as burning ghats where the recently deceased are cremated. Hindus believe that by dying in Varanasi and/or being cremated along the Ganges one is relieved of the cycle of reincarnation. As a result, there are many hospices where Hindus from around the country come to spend their final days. Anyone can watch the cremations, which continue uninterrupted for 24 hours...so I was told. Women typically don't attend the cremation and the men overseeing the burning display little emotion. In fact, there are so many random people there that it's hard to tell who's family, and who's a bystander-like myself. The bodies are tightly bound in what appeared to be a gold metallic paper and then bathed in the Ganges before being placed on the wood for cremation. It takes 3 hours for a body to burn completely and over 2000kg of wood is used in the process (not sure on the Kg, as I might have misunderstood my informant's English). It is common law that pictures not be taken of the process out of respect for the deceased and family members. The main ghat, Dasaswamedh - pictured above, is the most active for bathing/praying and plays host to the nightly ganga aarti ceremony. I'm not exactly sure what the purpose of the ceremony is but it's safe to assume that it somehow pays homage to the mother Ganges and Brahman (God). It began with some poor singing followed by the twirling of sandalwood incense and burning cow shit in what looked like a genie's lamp. The performers are pilgrims (seen in orange below) or priests-in-training that have come to perform the ceremony along the banks of the Ganges. Looking out at night one can also see the release of dozens if not 100's of tiny lotus flower boats carrying lighted votive candles thought to bring good Karma to one's family. The old city near the main ghat is a maze of narrow lanes not passable by motorized vehicles (theoretically) and crowded with hotels, silk shops other tourist bait. I chose to stay away from
the hustle of the old city, instead resting at the southern-most ghat: Assi Ghat. My clean, comfortable room and quiet surroundings definitely made the 30 minute daily walk to the old city and main ghats worthwhile. The tourist thing to do is rent a boat before sunrise and float along the Ganges as the masses make their way down the ghats to bathe, pray and pay homage to the rising sun. At only 100Rps, and despite my early morning moodiness, it was well worth the trip to have an all-encompassing perspective as my previous viewings had been only land-based.
Of course there's two sides to every coin as not only is Varanasi the holy city for Hindus but it is the capital of touts for tourists. I really enjoyed Varanasi. I could have loved it but for the constant hounding by shop owners, rickshaw drivers, boat drivers, post-card selling kids, and drug dealers. They were the most persistent and conniving that I'd experienced in India and there was no avoiding them. It's a shame that such a colorful, holy, culturally rich and diverse place has to be tainted by this kind of activity...hopefully my memory of it will not be. Still, Varanasi proved to be well worth the stop and a great representation of Hindu culture.
and the sunset bouncing off the Ganges. Varanasi, situated on the Ganges River is said to be one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, dating to more than 1000 BC. Though not the only city on the Ganges, the city of Shiva is by far the most holy. Hindus from across the country journey here to bathe and pray in the many ghats along the muddy waters [A ghat is basically a set of stairs leading down to the river] of which there are over 80. Some serve as burning ghats where the recently deceased are cremated. Hindus believe that by dying in Varanasi and/or being cremated along the Ganges one is relieved of the cycle of reincarnation. As a result, there are many hospices where Hindus from around the country come to spend their final days. Anyone can watch the cremations, which continue uninterrupted for 24 hours...so I was told. Women typically don't attend the cremation and the men overseeing the burning display little emotion. In fact, there are so many random people there that it's hard to tell who's family, and who's a bystander-like myself. The bodies are tightly bound in what appeared to be a gold metallic paper and then bathed in the Ganges before being placed on the wood for cremation. It takes 3 hours for a body to burn completely and over 2000kg of wood is used in the process (not sure on the Kg, as I might have misunderstood my informant's English). It is common law that pictures not be taken of the process out of respect for the deceased and family members. The main ghat, Dasaswamedh - pictured above, is the most active for bathing/praying and plays host to the nightly ganga aarti ceremony. I'm not exactly sure what the purpose of the ceremony is but it's safe to assume that it somehow pays homage to the mother Ganges and Brahman (God). It began with some poor singing followed by the twirling of sandalwood incense and burning cow shit in what looked like a genie's lamp. The performers are pilgrims (seen in orange below) or priests-in-training that have come to perform the ceremony along the banks of the Ganges. Looking out at night one can also see the release of dozens if not 100's of tiny lotus flower boats carrying lighted votive candles thought to bring good Karma to one's family. The old city near the main ghat is a maze of narrow lanes not passable by motorized vehicles (theoretically) and crowded with hotels, silk shops other tourist bait. I chose to stay away from
the hustle of the old city, instead resting at the southern-most ghat: Assi Ghat. My clean, comfortable room and quiet surroundings definitely made the 30 minute daily walk to the old city and main ghats worthwhile. The tourist thing to do is rent a boat before sunrise and float along the Ganges as the masses make their way down the ghats to bathe, pray and pay homage to the rising sun. At only 100Rps, and despite my early morning moodiness, it was well worth the trip to have an all-encompassing perspective as my previous viewings had been only land-based.Of course there's two sides to every coin as not only is Varanasi the holy city for Hindus but it is the capital of touts for tourists. I really enjoyed Varanasi. I could have loved it but for the constant hounding by shop owners, rickshaw drivers, boat drivers, post-card selling kids, and drug dealers. They were the most persistent and conniving that I'd experienced in India and there was no avoiding them. It's a shame that such a colorful, holy, culturally rich and diverse place has to be tainted by this kind of activity...hopefully my memory of it will not be. Still, Varanasi proved to be well worth the stop and a great representation of Hindu culture.
Morning prayers
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