A Glance Into India: Varanasi and Sarnath – wayfarersoliloquy

 “Benares is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together.” – Mark Twain

Varanasi — known as Benares during Mark Twain’s time  — is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, going back perhaps 5000 years. The city attracts people from all over India and the world to enter its holy river, to pray, to search for meaning, to live in austerity, and for some to die. It is said that those who are cremated by the banks of the Ganges River, the most sacred river in Hinduism, and have their ashes thrown into its waters, break the cycle of birth and rebirth and access the holy state of Moksha, entering heaven for eternity. 

Hindu mythology states that Varanasi was founded by the god Shiva when he dropped the slain head of Brahma he obtained during battle. From the severed head of the deity the city arose. The earliest archaeological evidence is of early Aryan settlements going back to 2000BC. 

Spirituality has always been at the heart of the city. Siddhartha Gautama is said to have performed his first sermon in nearby Sarnath, thus beginning the spread of Buddhism. For centuries the city has remained the center of theology and education for various empires. Influential figures gained fame and reputation here in Varanasi and the city’s culture influenced the subcontinent for a millenia. 

The city witnessed a period of decline for three centuries after Muslim occupations. Temples were destroyed and the city’s importance as the center of culture and religion waned. Under the Mughals the city re-emerged as the more tolerant empire invested money and resources as well as built new temples for the Hindu’s. Varanasi, under the oversight of the Mughals became the princely state of Benares. 

During British rule the city continued to prosper as the center of religion and culture for the Hindu majority. The British set up the new state of Varanasi with its capital of Ramnager. After British independence the state became part of modern Uttar Pradesh. 

The Ganges 

Flowing across the subcontinent like a holy banner the mighty Ganges river supports the lives of over 400 million people. Its waters are said to cleanse the living of their sins and bring the dead closer to the divine. The river originates at the distant peaks of the Himalayas, the center of the Hindu world, and continues for over two thousand kilometers until its begrimed un-oxygenated water spills out into the Bay of Bengal. Heavily polluted, the river is where sewers, trash, decaying animals, industrial waste, and decomposing bodies end up. The logic is that if the river is god it can repair itself. Luckily this way of thinking is starting to change as clean up efforts are sincerely being carried out by the government and NGOs. Regardless of its pollution levels, millions of people happily bathe in it and drink its waters. 

Luckily you don’t have to swim in it to experience its un-worldly charm. Arranging a boat to take you on a day long trip down the river and back is easy; pretty much anywhere you stay will have hosts who have a special connection to a boat operator. The trick is getting the specifics regarding time, price, and the itinerary down before you leave. 

I was lucky to have my “captain”, I don’t remember his name, I wish I did, but for the sake of putting a face to the man let’s call him “captain”. Captain made sure his small crew — a shy Japanese couple and my travel partner and I — had enough water and food to last the trip. The journey was long but unforgettable. We laid out candles on the deck and paddled up to the beautiful ceremony known as Ganga Aarti where Hindu priests offer fire to the Hindu deities, in a performance that’s soul penetrating. As touristy as this is, it’s deservingly one of the highlights of any trip to the city.  

The entire experience was so exhilarating I decided to hire the captain again and took another quiet boat ride, this time at the crack of dawn, to experience the city waking up. Captain was one of those people so educated in the history of his hometown that hours would go by without any pause in his lecture. His passion for the city was palpable and as I disembarked his words stayed with me for days after. This is the type of boat tour you want in a city as complicated and intriguing as Varanasi. 

As the sun rises, the morning mist hangs heavily over the river. People gather along its banks to pray and do their daily chores — wash dishes, laundry, brush their teeth. The holy-men are already meditating along the shores or plunging themselves into the cool water. 

Every morning, aspiring young yogis join their guru’s for morning yoga sessions at their riverside ashrams. Their loud laughs can be heard reverberating over the sacred river. Something of a yogic tension release, the sonic boom created from hundreds of people practicing laughing yoga is incredibly powerful and intimidating. Each day I rose early to experience these powerful traditions. Morning became my time for inner retrospection, meditation, and quite exploration around the ageless shoreline steps. 

The Ghats

Daily life in this timeless city steeped in religion is full of ritual and a complexity that few places in the world compare to. No other part of this city creates as many incredible memories and experiences as the series of ancient steps leading down into the Ganges river. Known as Ghats, these pathways lead many devotees into the holy waters of the Ganges to purify themselves in its sacred waters. Some serve as cremation sites for the deceased members of privileged families. After their bodies are burnt their ashes are discarded into the holy water, a process that according to the Hindu religion, stops the cycle of rebirth known as Saṃsāra. 

Walking along the shoreline and ghats you will easily find the sights, the sounds, and the emotional stimulation to be overwhelming. Moving at a slow pace without any real destination in mind is an ideal way to get lost in the incredible day to day happenings taking place. The canvas of holy rituals, complex ceremonies, daily chores, bathing, swimming, yoga; the sounds of bells, the smell of incense, and an ever evolving array of people making use of the river in some way or another is otherworldly. Any visitor is completely mesmerized by the experience.

The western shores of the river are lined with the Ghats and many of the city’s most famous temples, which make up the majority of the city’s sacred sites. The central ghat and most lively is known as Dashashwamedh Ghat, a place crowded with the most tourists, touts, pilgrims, and people with various motives both good and bad. Even though it’s crowded and chaotic, Varanasi’s main ghat is worth seeing especially during the daily prayer and offering ceremony known as Ganga Aarti held at dusk. This ceremony attracts hundreds of devotees and tourists eager to capture the festivity on camera. A smaller, less touristy version of this beautiful event is held at the Kedar Ghat every evening at dusk. 

At opposing ends of the banks are the Manikarnika and Harishchandra Ghats, the main burning ghats and the most auspicious cremation sites in India’s holiest city. The few cremation ghats have a significant place in Hindu mythology and therefore are considered the most auspicious place for your body to be burnt. Every year thousands of people make the journey to these ghats to cremate their loved ones. A laborious industry, the cremation ghats require thousands of kilograms of wood per body burnt.  

While walking through it’s sometimes hard to avoid contact with a funeral and crowds of mourning loved ones stand in front of you, taking part in the most important ceremonies of their lives. Pictures are almost always strictly forbidden and the sight — the fire enveloping the body, sparks flying high in the air as flesh turns to ash, leaving behind only bones and charred wood — is one of the most beautiful yet haunting experiences I’ve ever had. The sounds — the crackle and hiss of the flames, the billowing smoke and the weeping families — all stay with you far after you leave. Your senses are overloaded as you witness this amazing event, watching the sacred observance of death in quiet respect. 

Funeral ghats make up a small proportion of Varanasi’s holy river steps and many are peaceful hideaways full of meditating sadhus, bathers, and daily visitors. The southernmost main ghat is known as the Assi Ghat. Here the river Assi meets the Ganges and holds an important place in Hinduism. During the festival of Shivratri thousands of pilgrims come here to worship Shiva. 

Just north of the Assi Ghat you come to the Tulsi Ghat, a popular ghat named after the 16th-century Hindu saint and poet Goswami Tulsidas. The ghat is the home of the Sankat Mochan Foundation — an NGO founded in 1982 for the cleanup and environmental protection of the Ganges river. Every year, usually in September, the festival Lolark Shasthi takes place. During the festival thousands of female devotees bathe in the waters off the ghat in honor of the god Surya, the Hindu sun god. The practice is said to bring fertility and the promise of a child. Another popular festival famously celebrated in the Tulsi Ghat is Nag Nathaiya. This festival is held to celebrate lord Krishna. 

Beautiful buildings line the shores of the ganges and some ghats are home to majestic hotels and former royal domiciles. The most striking for me was the Chet Sing Ghat and palace, named after Raja Chet Singh’s beautiful red sandstone palace fort which resembles the mighty Mughal palatial forts of Varanasi’s neighboring cities. 

Nearby is the 19th century Munshi Ghat, with its Darbhanga Palace is another example of the city’s stately riverside real estate. After changing ownership Darbhanga is now a popular five-star resort now known as Brijrama Palace. 

Other ghats have less striking but historic buildings standing above their steps. Just a short walk north of the Dashashwamedh Ghat is the beautiful 17th century Man Mandir Ghat. Built by Raja Man Singh it once housed an observatory. Today it attracts many devout bathers and Sadhu’s. 

The Temples 

Varanasi has many Hindu temples, both large and small. Away from the ghats are the largest and most visited. Durga Temple is a large 18th century ochre stained temple dedicated to the goddess Durga. Many people refer to it as the ‘monkey temple’ because of its resident simian population. Just a short walk away is the modern Tulsi Manas Temple. Constructed in marble, this beautiful temple is said to have been constructed at the place where the poet Valmiki first wrote the orated ancient Hindu epic Ramayana. This poet is responsible for bringing the story to the masses and in 1964 the Tulsi Manas temple was constructed in his honor. The marble walls are engraved with a Hindi version of the classic tale.  

Another famous temple in Varanasi is the Vishwanath Temple. It’s one of the twelve Jyotirlingas — the holiest temples dedicated to the god Shiva. Although the current structure was built in the late 1700’s, a temple has existed at this site since the 12th century. The temple has been destroyed several times since and is rebuilt following the return of a Hindu or more tolerant empire. Today the temple is widely regarded as one of the most sacred temples in Hinduism.

The Sadhu — the followers of Hinduism and Jainism who’ve relinquished worldly possessions and normal comforts to pursue a higher purpose and a spiritual existence. Living in Ashrams or temples and sometimes sleeping with animals on the street, they inhabit every romanticised view of Varanasi. They are in equal measure respected for their asceticism and godly pursuits and feared for their curses. 

Varanasi is the spiritual home to these holy people. Sadhu’s come from all walks of life and gender. Some come from former high paid professional careers while others might come from worse circumstances. Whatever their backstory is they all seem to share a common purpose, which is to help the living get closer to God and to find their spiritual identity. Their saffron and white robes symbolize fire and purity and hinduism. 

Some Sadhu’s diverge from this colorful aesthetic and wear black clothes and adorn themselves with human bones. The Aghori are Sadhu’s with an intense devotion to Shiva; often living near charnel grounds and cremation sites, they use cremation ash to adorn their bodies and often carry pieces of human bone or a human skull with them as a reminder of the impermanence of life and the value of embracing death. Aghori are considered a Vāmācāra sect of Hinduism which means the ‘Left Way’ or ‘Left Path’. Often their practices greatly diverge from orthodox hinduism and often this means breaking taboos with ease. 

While walking alone through the ghats a Sadhu smiled at me with the most piercing eyes, our gazes locked, and we stared at each other smiling and finally laughing until I almost broke down crying. With a friendly gesture of good bye I went on my way, no words spoken, none were needed. The Sadhu did his part in bringing joy to my life and brought me into the present, beautiful moment.