Varanasi Part 1
Varanasi, also known as Benaras and Kashi, is the oldest inhabited city in the world. It is about 3,000 years old. Hindus, Buddhists and Jains believe that it is holy. Mark Twain was enthralled by the legend and sanctity of Varanasi and wrote, "Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together." I agree. This city is crumbling around me as I write.
We started our tour of Varanasi by visiting Sarnath, which is where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon to his 5 friends after he achieved enlightenment.
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| Detail of one of the Hindu temple ruins. |
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| Ruins of Hindu temples dating around 500 BC. |
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The stupa is a solid structure that commemorates Buddha's first sermon after he attained enlightenment. It is supposed to have relics of Buddha buried in it.
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We visited the Ganges River and the ghats (stairs going to the water) that line it, twice. Our first visit was in the evening. We watched an Aarti ceremony from a boat. The Aarti Ceremony is when Hindus pray to the River Goddess Gunga in the evening. Ear plugs and insect repellent were recommended. It turned out that, although covered in Deet, I didn't see any mosquitoes, and I forgot to use my earplugs. Yes, it was noisy with bells and chants, but listening to weddings night after night prepared me for the cacophony of this evening ritual.
We took a van through the crumbling streets and alleys and arrived at a beach on the Ganges.
Once we arrived, our guide Naveen negotiated a boat ride for us and we headed upstream. I think our boatman was about 13 years old and totally comfortable on the water.
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| Notice the ghats behind us. The river is lined with around 80 sets of these stairs leading to the water. |
Our first stop was at the cremation ghat. Hindu rules state that the deceased must be cremated immediately. If a person is lucky enough to die in Varanasi, this ghat is where the body is taken for cremation. Cremation is the 16th and final ritual in life.
When a person dies, the family members wrap the body in white, put a piece of gold jewelry in the mouth and place the body on a primitive stretcher made of slim branches. The body is covered in a lovely red and gold cloth. The men of the family bring the body to the cremation ghat and dip the body in the Ganges. The red and gold cloth is discarded, and the family finds a spot to build a fire and start the cremation. The family must pay a professional to manage the cremation, and pay for the kindling, wood and fire. The family stays until the body is gone. Then, a person of the lower classes sorts through the ashes, searching for the piece of gold jewelry. Women do not participate in any of the ceremony.
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The cremations are happening on the left, near the shore. No photos allowed when we got closer. Cremations happen 24 hours a day.
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| Painting of the cremation ghat in our hotel lobby. |
We left the cremation ghat and continued up river toward the Aarti ceremony, which is the evening prayer to the River Goddess Gunga. This is where the earplugs would have been useful except I got caught up in the moment and forgot about them. The ceremony is being conducted under the umbrellas. You can see boats and people in front of us. There was quite a crowd on both land and river.
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| Aarti ceremony on the Ganges. |
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