Sunrise on the Ganges

Saturday 24^th May 2014

“Older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together.” – Mark Twain’s famous quote about Varanasi, or Banaras/Benares as it is also known. The city is indeed old, having had religious life present since the sixth century BC, and is the centre-point of the Hindu universe. Situated on the banks of the vast River Ganges, the maze of alleys which makes up the Old City, the ghats which line the river, and the endless stream of pilgrims pouring through give it a very special feeling. I’m not really one for religion or spirituality, but there is certainly something about Varansi that makes one feel different. I stayed at the charming Ganpati Guest House (itself a renovated ghat), where I met two lovely American ladies who had been on my flight from Calcutta, with whom I would spend my time in Varanasi. By the way, ghats are the sets of stone steps (and the palaces, pavilions, and terraces) which line the river – the are 100 in Varanasi – and serve as sites for bathing, laundry, and rituals etc.

   Our first morning consisted of a tour of the labyrinthine streets of the Old City, with stops at the Nepali Temple, Alamgir Masjid, and Golden Temple, as well as various smaller temples and shrines along the way. The Nepali Temple is around three hundred years old (according to our guide) and is a Kathmandu-style wooden structure, dedicated to Lord Shiva, with beautiful carvings, including depictions of various positions from the Kama Sutra. 

Whispering a wish to the bull for Lord Shiva.

The Alamgir Masjid stands on the ruins of a Vishnu temple that was later replaced with the mosque. It is a testimony to favourable Hindu-Muslim relations as it is on the site of the initiation of the saint Kabir, the son of a humble Muslim weaver who is revered by both Hindus and Muslims. Despite its minarets now being much shorter than they once were, the structure remains magnificent, and casts an impressive silhouette over the river at dawn and dusk. With non-Hindus not being allowed into the Golden Temple, we made do with glances of its gilded spire from surrounding buildings. It is by far Varanasi’s most popular temple. There was also a brief and rather awkward stop at an aromatherapy centre (tourist trap) during which I managed to suppress my scoffs (sorry, but I don’t believe that rubbing oil on the skin is going to cure arthritis or stop me from getting spots), and from which we made a swift exit after the ‘headache cure’ oil reacted with my skin and made my eyes water. Some of them did smell quite nice, though.

Alamgir Masjid.

   Following a long afternoon walk along the ghats (yes, the weather did allow such, surprisingly!) we took an evening boat ride up to Manikarnika Ghat, the city’s biggest burning ghat, where cremations take place. We’d seen several corpses being carried through the streets during the day, and now witnessed their submersion in the river and subsequent burning. Whilst not entirely comfortable at this being a tourist spectacle, the process is very much public, and an interesting and edifying insight into Hindu culture. We then watched the group of priests at Dashashwamedh Ghatperform Agni Pooja ceremony (Worship to Fire) wherein a dedication is made to Lord Shiva, River Ganga, Surya (Sun), Agni (Fire), and the whole universe.

Ceremonies at Dashashwamedh Ghat from the boat.

   Friday morning started painfully early, with a 5am boat ride to watch the sun rise over the Ganges. I was bleary-eyed to say the least, but the glorious sight soon roused me, it was simply extraordinary. We continued in the boat along the ghats, watching them come to life with bathers, swimmers, launderers (sheets and clothes, not money), and priests.

Sunrise on the Ganges.

Early morning life.

   The sweltering afternoon (the nice weather was never going to last), brought with it a trip to Sarnath, a village 10km north of Varanasi. In 530 BC, Buddha gave his first ever sermon here. Upon this site now stands Dhamekh Stupa, a 33.5m high tower, decorated with geometric patters and bas-relief foliage. Buddhist communities from other countries are also represented in the village, and have their own temples. Those represented include Tibetan, Chinese, Japanese, Thai, and Burmese communities. We visited a couple of them, but apart from their religious significance, held little interest for non-Buddhist or those (such as myself) with very limited knowledge of the philosophy. The Thai temple had an enormous statue of Buddha. On one of my usual find-the-post-office missions (I send copious amounts of postcards) I came across a snake-charmer in the street. He tried to get my attention by shaking his basket at me, which contained a very large black Cobra. Needless to say, I almost fainted. Not many people can move through the tiny streets of Varanasi as quickly as I did at that moment. 

   That evening, we watched the ceremonies on Dashashwamedh Ghat amongst the crowds around the priests on the ghat itself. And also, the city is full of cows, and the river full of buffalo.

Ceremonies at Dashashwamedh Ghat.

   I’m sitting writing this at Varanasi airport while waiting for my flight to Agra, where I’ll meet Lena, and visit the Taj Mahal, my fourth ‘Wonder of the World’. I can’t wait.