India:

India Trip

November 2008

Varanasi

This ancient most spiritual city of over 3,000,000 located on the Ganges River is one of the oldest living cities in the world. It is a sacred, holy city because it is the home of the Hindu God, Shiva. To his followers, he is known as the one great God. According to legend, the city was founded by this Hindu deity, Shiva, around 5,000 years ago, thus making it one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in the country. It is one of the seven sacred cities of Hindus. To die here in this city on the banks of the holy river is considered liberation from the life/death cycle. Hindus believe that bathing in the Ganges River remits sins and that dying here ensures release of a person's soul from the cycle of its transmigrations. And so, the cremation grounds are here in the center of Varanasi.

Varanasi is a city of temples. Almost every road crossing has a nearby temple. These small temples form the basis of daily local prayers and other rituals. But there are many large temples too, erected at different times throughout the history of Varanasi.

Pilgrims from all over India crowd the narrow streets to participate in the ceremonies on the riverside ghats (banks). In the evening, the priests perform aarti, a sacred light ceremony on the banks of the Ganges. The dead bodies are wrapped in cloth and brought to the riverside, dipped in the water, then burned on a pyre on the banks. Then early next morning, relatives and friends arrive at the ghats to take a ritual dip in the Ganges River, wash clothes, perform yoga, and offer flowers and incense to the river. Hundreds of people, cows, goats and dogs are also part of the crowds. Beggars and children line up the entrance and follow you down to the boats, hoping for alms . Vendors also line up at the riverside and even take boats out with their wares. It’s a remarkable sight!

We took a rickshaw through the bustling streets down to the bathing ghats, then boarded a small boat… both at dusk and again next day at dawn to witness this everyday life. The ritual goes on in Varanasi with fires burning 24 hours a day every day of the year. It is quite an incredible cultural experience!

Later we visited the Buddhist learning center of Sarnath where Buddha preached his first sermon. We walked in the area where excavated Buddhist stupas and temple ruins were unearthed during the British archaeological digs in 1836.

Varanasi Photo Gallery

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