The Holy City of Varanasi and Ganges River
This summer, I spent three weeks in India and Nepal; and as a bonus, I convinced my good friend Danielle to join me. Here’s our experience…
Arriving in Varanasi
Our next stop on the adventures is the holy city of Varanasi. This ancient city on the Ganges River is known as a honored sacred destination of pilgrimages and funerals for Hindus. Dying or being cremated here frees the soul from the cycle of rebirth, an ultimate salvation.
Our hotel in Varanasi is outside of the city center. There’s not much to see walking, which is fine because the heat is over 120 ℉. Thank goodness for strong AC. We grabbed lunch of paneer makhani, a tomato gravy with chunks of cheese. While at the hotel, we dropped off some much needed laundry and charged our devices after the ride.
Walking to the Holy Market and Ghats
In the afternoon, we hopped in tuk-tuks and headed toward the city center and the holy market area. This section of town is incredibly old, dating back 3,000 years to the 11th century BCE. As the holy Ganges river twists and turns, the ghats, the religious stairs to holy sites, line the river’s edge. From its origins in the Himalayas to the mouth in the Bay of Bengal, the Ganges River is spiritual for the Hindu of India and the world.
Like many city streets in India we’ve walked, traffic was hectic here. Everyone is zig zagging around rickshaws, carts, tuk tuks, bikes, a few cars and many pedestrians. Here the streets and alleys are lined with stores, many featuring religious items and holy books. There were also many shops with food and household items. We walked past shelves lined with pickle jars and carts loaded with mangos. Residents filled buckets at public water pumps.
It was on this busy street that we experienced our first funeral procession filed past us. First, a male family member holding burning incense led the group. Six men held a bamboo cot with the deceased on top, directed feet first and wrapped in bright orange with strips of pink, white and yellow. The group of men chants the mantra “Ram Naam Satya Hai” meaning “Lord Ram is Truth.” There weren’t women or children present, according to Hindu tradition. Out of respect for the deceased and their families, we did not take photos of the funeral processions.
The Blue Lassi
We stopped for a break at the now-famous hole in the wall, Blue Lassi Shop. This place has been run by one family for three generations, over 95 years. Clearly, this locale has made its mark on some Lonely Planet books or TripAdvisor sites. Passport sized photos cover the walls. We sipped and sat on the benches inside the blue painted shutters.
The extensive menu listed every possible combination of fruits; mango, pomegranate, apple, pineapple and more. The man prepared the lassis by mixing the yogurt and fruits with a large wooden spindle and then served each combination in an individual ceramic pot.
In the time we took to finish our beverages, at least eight funeral processions turned the corner and came down the narrow alley. Smelling the incense and the approaching chant, “ram naam satya hei,” we moved out of the way.
To avoid one procession, I moved up the front step of a store front. With that unintended extra height, I was looking at the exposed face of the dead woman being carried to the ghats. It felt like one of those critical travel moments when being so close to another culture reminds us how both underlyingly similar and beautifully diverse we are around the world.
Manikarnika Ghat
Walking another half kilometer through the tight alleyways, we made our way toward the Manikarnika Ghat. As we approached, I noticed more temples and many people in the streets; a mixture of pilgrims, travelers, priests, devotees and people living in homelessness. We walked quickly, taking in the hectic surroundings, ever cautious of the uneven sidewalk blocks, questionable puddles and cow pies, as well as people seated on the edges of the lanes.
I first noticed the towering piles of wood logs and then the large red tower of the central crematorium with five tall metal chimneys.
A family arrived and directly carried their loved one to the edge of the river to bathe in the holy waters of the Ganges. A Hindu funeral on the Ganges enables their family member to reach moksha, an end of the cycle of rebirth. The funeral connects the five elements; space, air, fire, water and earth.
On the wide platforms of the Manikarnika Ghat, there were six funeral pyres ablaze. Male family members and priests seemed to stay close throughout the cremation, surrounding the pyres. A couple of hundred funeral cremations occur here each day. Each cremation needs 400-500 kilos of wood and takes several hours.
CP, our G-adventures group leader, explained more about the Hindu traditions. Children, babies and saints are already considered pure and therefore not cremated. Instead, they are either buried or their bodies are placed directly into the holy Ganges river. The same is true for pregnant women, victims of violence and people with leprosy.
A traditional funeral cremation happens as soon as possible after death, before the next dusk. And here in the holy city of Varanasi, there are death hostels. These hotels are similar to hospice and include the post death guarantee of a cremation on the Ganges.
Boat on the Ganges
Our group loaded into a wooden boat and cruised up the river toward the Dashashwamedh Ghat and the Aarti, the holy fire ritual and prayer ceremony. Every day thousands of people gather at sunset in Varanasi. Hundreds of boats approached the ghat and crowds filled the steps on shore. I appreciated being in the boat, avoiding the massive crowd.
On the ghats, eight priests performed the ceremony with each one on his stand with a lit canopy. For 45 minutes, the conch shells, bells, cymbals and repeated mantras filled the air. The priests lifted flames, played flutes and stringed instruments, and chanted “om” with the masses.
Vendors hopped between the boats. They sold diyas, small dishes with flower petals and candles. The flowers seemed to attract a few cockroaches to emerge from the woodwork. Our group had distinct reactions to the roaches; from indifferent to curiosity to seeing them for the first time to slight panic. I fit in the last category.
Toward the end of the ceremony, we skipped out to avoid the boat traffic jam. In the open water of the Ganges, we released our wishes to the gods by lighting the candles and sending the floating diyas into the river.
Our boat ride ended and we climbed the steep steps of the ghat. We walked through the tunnels and alleys toward the exit of the labyrinth of the old city. The halls were lined with men, seated and laying down. Some extended their hands for alms. Some perhaps were pilgrims to the holy city, experiencing homelessness, some perhaps at peace knowing they may pass away close to the holy river.
Morning at the Ganges River
The next morning, our group woke before 5:00 to see the Ganges at sunrise. Many pilgrims were sleeping at the ghats and one funeral pyre was already burning.
All along the river, people bathed on the stone steps. Women waded in their sarees and men jumped into the water in undies and lion cloths. Kids splashed and swam around. Although the Ganges river is one of the most polluted in the world with city sewage and human remains, the draw of the holy river fills the almost one hundred ghats of Varanasi.
Out on the water, fishermen threw nets into the river. Off the shore from the Manikarnika crematorium, several boats docked, unloading the 80 tons of wood needed for the day’s cremations in Varanasi. Another ghat hosted the morning prayer ceremony.
Across the river from the row of ghats is a giant flood plain. We jumped shore and climbed the sand dune for a set of morning sun salutations.
Silk Market
After breakfast, we visited the silk markets of Varanasi. The Muslim families in this area have mastered the art and trade of weaving silk. They create the detailed and elegant designs on women’s sarees and other fine tapestries.
We followed our guide through the backstreets. Many families have goats tied up outside in anticipation of tomorrow’s Eid celebration. Tomorrow they would be sacrificed but today they’re quite cute.
Doorways led to various small factories with hot, loud mechanical looms. A man with a small hammer poked holes in cardboard slats. These would create the intricate patterns on the silk. A trio of boys untangled a pile of bobbins. Two men operated the large loom weaving bright orange and red fabrics.
Our guide ended the tour in their family’s show room. Everyone sat around the edges of the white pillowy seating area on the floor. The owner shared his beautiful silk fabrics in the forms of tapestries, shawls, sarees, scarves, and table runners. There were so many gorgeous colors, prints and designs to choose from. I picked out four colorful pillow covers with elephant prints added with a gold colored thread.
We ended the afternoon with an early dinner of spicy buttered chicken, naan and delicious banana and pineapple juices. In the morning, we would leave before 4:00 am for the ride to Nepal.
