Varanasi, Where the Holiest River Flows

There are thousands of holy sites in India to which Hindu pilgrims travel. They travel to Varanasi to the ubiquitous ghats dotting along the Ganga to wash away their sins by taking a ritual bath in the sacred water. Some cremate their loved ones here. It is enlightening to know that the elderly Hindu, some even travel from afar, often make Varanasi their final destination. There is a strong belief that dying in this sacred city would release a person from the cycle of rebirth, where Moksha (liberation from samsara) would be attained. Therefore, it is an auspicious place to die here.

Well, not for me, yet.

The main cremation site is located at Manikarnika Ghat further north, followed by Harishchandra Ghat which is the smaller but is also the oldest at the south. While I’m not new to a cremation or its funeral procession alike, it still kind of touching me, if not stunning me, to learn that there are people out there, especially the homeless and the poor, living in the designated quarter near the cremation ghat, just waiting to die.

Manikarnika Ghat

Harishchandra Ghat. Note that the yellow buildings are the designated quarter for the would-be dying

Piles of firewood are stacked on top of the ghat where every log is carefully weighed to determine the price of the cremation

Ganga aarthi (river worship ceremony), the auspicious lighting of lamps and candles and the playing of Bhajans (devotional songs), is held by the western bank of the Ganga at Dashashwamedh Ghat at sunset every day. There were even two ceremonies held at Dashashwamedh Ghat alone when I was here. Both ceremonies, from where they were just few meters apart and had no dissimilarities in the procession, never fail to attract throngs of believers and non-believers to congregate and observe the ritual in a hard-to-come peaceful manner. With VIP seats (seat on rooftop; Rs 50) and VVIP seats (seat on the boat; Rs 100) being offered to audiences, it is definitely a fascinating, if not profit-making, ceremony. Oh, God! Please forgive me. I shouldn’t see things in a singular way. I shall take a ritual bath in the Ganga to cleanse my sins.

Throngs of tireless pilgrims were queuing to perform puja at Vishwanath Temple. Sturdy wooden barriers have to be set up to better contain them

People Mountain People Sea

Ganga Aarthi

One of the seven well-dressed priests who were performing the Ganga Aarthi

As you aware, Varanasi is popular for river boat trips. To me though hesitant at first, as the boatmen in Varanasi have been widely claimed to be notorious, a boat trip along the Ganga is rewarding. The boatman we approached randomly at dawn was honest and not oppressive. While we were not able to catch the sunrise, it was indeed a wonderful float (not bath though) on the Ganga where you get a chance to watch pilgrims coming to the riverbank early in the morning to perform puja to the rising sun and taking the steps leading down to the water for ritual bath. After all, there are not much things to do for a non-believer like me in Varanasi.

Early morning dips

An evening stroll along the river bank is a leisure in itself

Even the buffaloes have sins to cleanse

There wasn’t too many touts or scams in Varanasi in which it is always famously or infamously associated with, contrary to what I have been imagining ever since. I somehow felt unchallenged. Aside from occasional locals loitering along the riverbank trying to sell me Marijuana, there were some locals claiming to be the volunteer working for the dead at cremation site who acted as wannabe guide and tried to ask for donation after providing a seemingly true explanation.

Only a handful of Sadhu (holy men) were meditating on the river bank, with majority of them believed to be posting for tourists

While Varanasi is spiritually enlightening, perhaps it is rare for such rituals of life and death to take place in public, especially in the naked eyes of public.

When I was at Manikarnika Ghat in a few lazy afternoons, I was often reminded to behave respectfully. Photographing was also strictly prohibited. However, to my confusion and surprise, one moment foreigners like me were prohibited to take any photo or video on the cremation, the next moment I saw the locals were busy taking photos and videos; one moment foreigners were reminded to show respect while in the cremation ghat and to keep low while talking, the next moment I saw a boat with loud music and dancing beats passing by with locals dancing on it while the funeral ritual processed. The boat somehow even had a brief stop right in front of the cremation ghat. What an ironic and contradictory encounter! Perhaps India has proved itself to be, in the words of its first prime minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, ’a bundle of contradiction held together by strong but invisible threads.

A cremation is always an eye-catcher, with some seemed to be fond of commenting

Perhaps if a place is widely considered sacred and holy, every religion would want to share, if not claim, a bit of it. You might not be agreeing with me but look at The Holy Land – it is divided into different quarters for Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Look at Bodhgaya – there is a mosque and a Muslim graveyard with door opening to the Mahabodhi Temple Complex. The same in Varanasi – there is a Muslim community living piously in their own quarters along the sacred Ganga as well.

A 'red carpet' was laid for the pilgrim to lead them to one of the holy temple

This somehow made me recalls of a friend of mine of Hindu belief who, in his final pursuit of God, quit his job and his entire familiarity after 20 over years of living abroad. He told me his entire family has been staying and working in one of the many ashrams in India and he felt like joining them in order to stay nearer to the God.

After so many years on the road, I still find myself on the crossroad, trying to figure out what God is and what faith can and would do to a believer. Aside from believing in science, I used to be contented for being an atheist where I enjoyed in trying to understand the Al-Quran, The Holy Bibles, The Vedas, The Tripitaka or The Guru Granth Sahib but it wasn’t until I set myself On the Road 3.0 that I realize I know nothing about religion, not to mention the faith that always intrigues me.

The popular Blue Lassi

It is strange that time passed a little bit slower than I expected in Varanasi. But I still stay here for a week. I thought I would stay here longer. Moving closer to the Ganga didn’t put me nearer to the God. Instead, it connected me with other travelers. We liked to hang out on the rooftop at night and lazying around in the dorm during the warm noon. By now, I have had a farewell hug with C who was leaving to Agra, followed by parting with P who was flying to New Delhi. Finally, J also left to Nepal. I’m the first to arrive and the last to leave in the dorm. Something is amiss.

P, S, C, J and BC, Varanasi, Jul’19

In my initial plan, Varanasi is the last place that I would want to go. I thought by making such the holiest place as my final destination would serve a significant enlightenment to my On the Road 3.0. That must be an auspicious ending.