Holy City of Varanasi

After a very interesting overnight train ride (see previous blog), we arrived in Varanasi very early in the morning. We had pre-arranged a rickshaw pick up from the train station with our guesthouse since finding anything in the narrow, windy, maze like streets of Varanasi can be near impossible until you spend a few days getting your bearings.  On recommendation from J.J and Kait who had been to Varanasi about 10 days earlier we choose to stay at Monu’s guesthouse right near the Ganges River to be close to all the action. It was great place to stay – barebones rooms, but with ensuite bathrooms, A/C, excellent location, low price and helpful owner you can’t go wrong. Unfortunately since it was so early when we arrived we were not able to check into our room, so again on recommendation we headed to the Brown Bread Bakery to grab some breakfast, which we ended up doing for the next 3 days in a row. Their full on breakfast buffet for a mere 150 rupees is tough to beat. Around 1130am we were able to check in and got cleaned up. 

First view of the very narrow streets...occupied by cows of course

After showering and basking in the A/C for a while we headed out for some sight-seeing starting at the Ghats along the Ganges River.  We strolled around taking in all the activity until we stumbled upon the Manikarnika Ghat, the primary cremation Ghat.  Hindus believe that those who are cremated in Varanasi will be liberated from the endless cycle of birth and death.

At first we were a little unsure about whether we wanted to stay and watch. In western culture a funeral and certainly a cremation is such a private activity, strictly limited to family and loved ones you would never dream of passing by a grieving family and standing around watching them say goodbye to their loved ones as a spectator. But this is a different place, a different world really. One major thing you notice in India is that Indians put everything out there in the open. Maybe it is just fundamental cultural difference or maybe it’s because there over a billion people living in a landmass probably not even 1/5^th the size of Canada so privacy is just not an option, but everything is the open in this country. Poverty, wealth, religion, spirituality, sometimes nature’s call , etc., you name it. Nowhere else have I found this to be more true than Varanasi where all of the above plus, life and death all take place in the open along the holy Ganges River.  Varanasi is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world and is basically considered the Mecca for holy Hindus. People don’t just come here to scatter their loved ones in the holy Ganges River but also to come for a dip, said to wipe away life’s sins. This city is chaotic – tight, narrow, crowded and in your face, but not in a way that makes you want to run, more want to learn.

Once we finally decided that we wanted to stay we struggled to find a spot to watch the ceremonies, maintain a respectful distance and not stand in any area designated for family. We finally found a spot perched over the Ghats one a landing above where a local man started to give us an explanation of the ceremony. Here is a brief description of some of the detail involved;

First the family prepares the body at home with a cleansing mixture; women do the cleansing if a woman and men for men. Men are dressed in white and women in red before their cremation. Then the men carry the body through the narrow streets of Varanasi as a type of procession down to the Ghats, where they plunge the body into the Ganges to cleanse the soul of the deceased.  Afterwards they carry the body back up to a bed of firewood to prepare for cremation. There are 4 different types of wood that is used for cremation varying in price per kg, Sandalwood being the most expensive. The head mourner, typically the eldest son, lights the body from underneath on 5 logs. 5 signifies the Hindu belief that the body is made up of 5 elements, earth, water, air, fire and spirit. The bodies are burned for approximately 3 hours until only 1 bone is left in the ashes, chest bone for men and hip for women.  The remaining bones are then tossed into the Ganges and they collect the remaining ashes in a pot. Once the ashes cool they throw them backwards into the river. After the cremation the son shaves is head and doesn’t work for 13 days they just pray and mediate.

Women do not come to the Ghats for the cremation ceremonies because in the old days they used to throw themselves onto the fires when their husbands died.  However this seems to be changing in modern times. There are 4 types of bodies that they do not cremated; Holy men, pregnant women, babies and small children and people who died from a snakebite, which is said to be a sign from the Hindu god Siva. Those bodies are tied with rope to a rock and then sunk to the bottom of the Ganges. It is not uncommon for these bodies to come undone from the rope and float to the top of the river, freaking out the old tourist here and there.

Apologies for anything mis-stated here, this came in a bit of broken English from a local man.

Looking down the river along the Ghats

Boat work along the Ghats

Looking up at Dashashwamedh Ghat from the water

NB: there are no pics from the cremation Ghats at photographs are not allowed

Varanasi by night is in stark contrast to the day, it is very beautiful, almost  serene, mostly lit by candle light from the floating candles that people release into the river to remember loved ones. There are beautiful ceremonies that take place each night at the ghats, the most popular is the Aarati ceremony down at Dashashwamedh Ghat. The ceremony consists of group of priests performing and intricate, coordinated ritual where a dedication is made to Lord Shiva, River Ganga (the Ganges), Surya (Sun), Agni (Fire), and the whole universe.  Local families, domestic and western travellers alike gather to watch and it definitely had a more spiritually authentic vibe that wandering around the holy river during the day. With 2 nights in Varanasi we took in a sunset boat cruise on and the night time Aarati ceremony respectively and then hit Fuji Ganga restaurant each night. It’s a great little traveller spot with live music each night and a very friendly owner who takes every order in the place. Each time we went we let him pick what we had and were never disappointed.

Jonny sending a candle into the river

Talia sending a candle into the river

Local holy man performing blessings

Priest in the middle of Aarati ceremony

One thing that we have noticed since travelling India is that you really need to be ready to visit a new city. The bigger cities can be unrelenting and hectic especially until you get your bearings so you need to be in the right frame of mind. The slightest thing can turn your day upside down – good or bad. In our case on our 2^nd day in Varanasi a chance meeting with a local turned our day into and EXCELLENT day. We were picking up a few clothes for Jonny in the market when we met Raju, the most honest, hardworking, genuine man we have met yet. He is a lifetime bicycle rickshaw driver who wears his heart on this sleeve. When we first met him we started telling us all the things that he knew about Canada that he has learned from Canadian travelers over the years (population 35 mil, listing major cities, our abundance of Salmon, etc.). His pride and joy, other than his 7 children, is a tattered old notebook that he keeps in his front pocket that has hand written recommendations from foreigners he has driver over the last 10 years in every language. He gave us refuge from the streets under the canopy of his rickshaw and we spent 4 hours with him exploring parts of Varanasi that we didn’t even know were there.

Our new buddy Raju

Jonny driving around our friend Raju

On our 3^rd and final day in the city we got ourselves out of bed at the crack of dawn to head down to the Ganges for a sunrise boat cruise, a sight absolutely not to be missed.  As our new 14 year old friend rowed our boat along (his morning job before going to school) we watched local life starting up,  people brushing their teeth, families taking baths, men praying, women doing laundry – all of life’s daily tasks. Much like dusk, we found dawn to much less chaotic. We watched life start up over one of the most amazing sunrises we’ve seen in a while and I got a whole new appreciation for Varanasi and realized how much I really did like it here with all its ups a and downs. We headed back to our guesthouse to get ready, grabbed one more breakfast at the bakery and got lost through the streets a little more before heading to the station to catch our overnight train back to Delhi. This time hopefully as eventful than the last one! 

Sunrise over the Ganges

Jonny taking in the early morning sun

Life's daily activities getting started in the river

OOO_Talia