India - Varanasi
By Red Sox Steve
Varanasi
I couldn't have been happier to get off the train when it pulled into Varanasi. Taking a fourteen hour train ride lends itself to hours of conversation with the folks sharing your compartment - I made friends with Oliver, a German traveling by himself. I don't know how to speak German, but because his English was pretty good, we found the time to share stories of India, Europe, America, and so on. Because the train was late, Oliver knew he was going to have some trouble finding a room; I was staying in a place that was relatively expensive, with an extra bed, so we agreed to split the cost for one night.
Oliver and I hopped on an auto-rickshaw from the train station at about 8PM on a Monday night, and, like Jaipur, Delhi, and Agra, it became immediately obvious that I was again in a very crowded city. It's population as of the last census (2001) is a touch over 3 million. Oliver and I, and our backpacks, were stuffed into the backseat of the auto-rickshaw as it careened around turns, and weaved in and out of the chaotic traffic. Like prior cities, dust and pollution assault the senses when in traffic. It's hard to breathe and see very much.
Varanasi (formerly known as "Benares") is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, going back thousands of years. It is mentioned in ancient Hindu scriptures like the Rigveda and Mahabharata, and is a pilgrimage site for Hindus. Bathing, washing laundry, or even cleaning cattle in the Ganges river is considered a sacred act. We were in a historic place for sure, but there was plenty of evidence of a modern, consumer-based society around us as well. High-end hotels, car dealerships, electronics stores, and clothing stores lined the main streets and seemed to be everywhere.
My hotel, the Sahi River View Guest House, was overlooking the Ganges. The Lonely Planet recommended NOT telling the rickshaw driver the hotel name; if you did, he might reflexively retort that it was closed or had "unfortunately" burned down, then recommend another hotel that was paying him a commission. Instead, Lonely Planet recommended mentioning the Ghat nearest the hotel, if possible. In my case, I was staying right by the southernmost of the Ghats that lined the Ganges, Assi Ghat, which is where we were headed after nearly an hour in the auto-rickshaw. Before I go into detail about the Ghats, I just want to mention that check-in went smoothly, the customary vegetable fried rice and Coca-Cola that room service delivered never tasted so good, and the hot shower couldn't have relaxed me more - with the weight of the last two days on my shoulders, I fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.
I woke up the next morning, easing into what would was likely to turn into a full, hot day. I walked out onto the veranda, and saw the shining sun overtake the Ganges. Tourists and visitors have been enjoying this view for centuries. I had breakfast, wished Oliver a safe journey as he found another place to stay, and immediately started out. Ignoring the map in my Lonely Planet, I started heading south out of my hotel, although I was at the southernmost of the Ghats lining the Ganges; I quickly figured out that I should stop, open the book, and after doing so turned right around and headed north towards the Ghats.
Ghats are a series of steps leading down to a main body of water. Some of the Ghats are publicly owned and others private. A worshiper's intention is to pray facing the Ganges, kneeling on the steps and facing the river. I also saw small businesses being run on some of the larger Ghats, and very distinctive coloring and symbols painted on the Ghats and buildings atop the steps. Each of the Ghats is unique and distinct with respect to the architectural or social significance of each. The different colors and buildings provide sufficient distinction to the worshiper, or, in my case, the observer. What takes place on the Ghats is important, and in the case of activities like washing laundry, not just religious, but practical as well. My own clothes were washed in the Ganges by the laundry service that operated at my hotel.
One other practice maintained along this sacred river is the cremation of Hindus. Hindus believe that all souls are in an endless cycle of birth and death and that death is the most important event in a Hindu's life. By burning the body, and then passing the ashes to the closest male relative to sprinkle into the Ganges, it is thought that "moksha" is achieved; freedom from the cycle of death and reincarnation. Seeing a plume of smoke rise up from along the shore of the Ganges at Jalasayin Ghat means that another Hindu body has been wrapped in a white sheet, carried down to the river's shores and is being cremated; this scene is not allowed to be photographed.
The morning boat ride along the Ganges is the best way to see the series of Ghats along the river. Many of the practices of kneeling and praying go back thousands of years, but this isn't just a place to talk to Lord Shiva and other Hindu gods. It's a place to socialize, to see others and be seen yourself. Young men flex muscles by repeatedly pounding laundry against rocks to wash it - the sound echos up and down the calm river; children frolick, performing dangerous dives as your boat approaches their Ghat - they want their picture taken after all; and the late-morning laundry is on full display along available steps and railings to capture the sunlight and dry through the afternoon. Boats full of worshipers pull up along its shores, and because tourists hiring boats is a popular way to see the Ghats, others pull up alongside yours with trinkets and food for sale. The river is calm and the cadence of the boatman's oars is tranquil and relaxing; the sun burns hotter as the morning turns to mid-day, but this is one of best experiences I had in India - to observe the ancient world, along the shores of its most sacred body of water, carried through the ages, and to see ancient religious practices taking place in the 21st century.
I stayed in Varanasi for two full days, and tried to plan out the time in half-day segments. The first morning, I woke up, got a little lost by heading south (duh!), then went back to Assi Ghat in front of my hotel and immediately hopped on a boat for a river trip to see the ghats. As it turned to noontime, we returned to the launching point; I had only seen half the ghats at that point, and had no intention of staying out there in the sun. I went back to the hotel for lunch, relaxed for a short while, and walked around the streets for the afternoon. I sought out a yoga studio for a possible class, but had a loosely held itinerary for the rest of the day. I needed to find a cash machine (I came across two that were broken before finding one I could use), and wanted to see what the marketplace and main commercial areas were like. I could only stand the chaos of traffic and crowds so much before surrendering and returning to my hotel.
The next morning, I took in the remaining ghats by hopping on a boat farther north. The ghats run along one side the Ganges (facing east towards the sunrise) for over 5km. Even to the uninformed observer, it is easy to spot the distinction between adjacent ghats due to the variety in their color and architecture. When I read about the ghats in the Lonely Planet, and all that takes place along them, my thinking was that these have been around for thousands of years... how could I possibly see the entire range of activities in two measly days... but, I was wrong. After going up and down the river, I saw people praying and bathing, bodies being burned, kids swimming and playing cricket, laundry being washed and dried, and even cattle being herded into the river for a bath! That which was exotic and foreign when I left the United States a couple of weeks before had suddenly became familiar and seared into my memory... India amazed me once again, which is pretty much the only thing I was hoping when I came here in the first place.
After two full days, and a quiet and relaxing stay at a nice hotel along the river, I got up and headed to the train station. I would be leaving the state of Uttar Pradesh now, continuing east to the state of Bihar. My next stop would be a four hour train ride away... Gaya!
