Varanasi – One of the Holiest Towns in India

chillibreeze writer — Kalpana Trivedi

It's 5 am and you hear the slow chirping of birds and light orange light covering the sky. The shlokas ‘Shree Krishna Sharnam Mama’ and the singing of prayers fill the air with a different freshness. The orange light in the sky touches the calm waters of the Ganges, making it one of the most beautiful sights of the day!

One can catch glimpses of early bathers from the hotel window, slowly going down the steps into the Ganges to perform their daily rites. A muscular body wearing the holy thread can be seen performing his yog sadhna as the sun releases the first rays of light. Boatmen get ready with their oars and slowly start their short recitations of early puja before they start rowing. You see men light fire, agni , which is supposed to symbolically convey a message from the mortals on earth to their almighty.

Varanasi is not so much a place as it is an experience. Also known as Kashi or Benares, this is the holiest city in India according to Hindu scriptures. Pilgrim devotees and huge crowds of tourists from around the world gather at the ghats to catch a glimpse of sacred India. It is said that if you want to catch India at its holy best, take a trip to Varanasi. It is at the confluence of the rivers Varuna, Assi and the sacred Ganga. Visiting Kashi at least once is considered mandatory by many Hindus because it is believed to be Lord Shiva’s abode. There is a belief that even if the whole world is destroyed, Kashi will continue to exist.

As soon as you reach the Varanasi station, you are attacked by the rickshaw-pullers and hotel touts fighting for passengers at the station. Although, we were keeping our guard, we finally asked one of the rickshaw pullers to take us to the Assi Ghat, located on the banks of the Ganga. We spent the next four days exploring the small town. Looking at the number of foreigners in the city, it was quite apparent that Kashi was an important tourist spot for young and old alike. The town has a lot to offer - boat rides, handloom fabrics, Benarasi sarees and mithai. There are several rituals performed here including birth, thread and marriage ceremonies. Performing rituals is a way of life and a source of daily livelihood for the priests in Varanasi.

After taking rickshaws a couple of times we realized traveling by foot would be better as there were certain areas where rickshaws could not reach. There are around 100 ghats to visit in the city and at one end lies the Assi Ghat, a walk to the famous Benares Hindu University, and then there is Sarnath – where Buddha used to deliver daily sermons. After those long hours of walking and exploring the city, it’s time for some lip smacking Benarasi chaat and a plateful of fresh rabri with kala gulab jamuns. Golgappas, hot gajar halwa or freshly made kachoris sold at stalls are any foody's delight.

What is really beautiful about Varanasi is the walk by the Ganga in the evening. As you sit with the holy men by the river you can soak in the purity of the ambience. Even as you find people throwing garbage into the river, evenings are when a lot of people light earthern diyas and float them in the river, creating a magical scene. You can almost feel a divine spirit inviting you to shed your sins and look towards a journey beyond.

Sipping chai from a kulhar, earthern mug, every morning, I really felt a sense of 'life' as I saw ordinary individuals peacefully praise the almighty to the chant of ‘Om, Om.’ Everyday, we sat on the steps and let the sounds of the tanpura and the smell of fresh rose and mogra flowers work their magic on us. It was an experience very different from our usual travels.

The next morning as we headed towards the station to catch our train to Ahmedabad, we had the rickshaw pullers attacking us once again and crowding our bags. But this time, it did not matter. We knew, if we wanted to relive those moments then we would have to come back. We could hear the bells in the temple, smell the fragrant flowers and hear the chants to Lord Shiva. And we were smiling, smiling for no reason at all!

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—About our writer:

Kalpana writes for chillibreeze.

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