Arriving at Varanasi station our new guide negotiated for a porter to carry our bags (we'd have been quite happy to wheel them ourselves). They have wheels on and a handle to make moving them very easy, but he was having none of it, up on his head! It turned out to be a long walk, probably over a km
Another train, another city. 5.5 hours to Varanasi. We left the hotel just before 06.00 (we are always early) with a huge box containing a bag breakfast, didn’t expect it from what seemed to be a business hotel, but hey, a sandwich, two fairy cakes, an apple and a banana, works for me (except for the tomato, cucumber and mayonnaise sandwich!). We were so early we’d beaten Atif by a long way so we sat and waited, though I knew we were going from platform 9 which surprisingly was the one you walked into!
View from our room balcony (the balcony is not big enough to sit on, just stand). The pool, bar, restaurant and breakfast room is across the lawn into the other building. Its quite nice for a couple of days chilling
We were just beginning to think perhaps Magic had fallen down as we got off the train and the platform finally cleared and we were still standing there. Those are the instructions, exit the carriage, and wait, do not move, if no one comes ring Ranjeet. Just contemplating getting the phone out when a very breathless young man, Mobin, appeared, they kept changing the platform so he’d run best part of a kilometre. He then hired a porter for our luggage, we are very happy with our little cases on wheels, but this guy threw them both on his head!
Straight out into town with our new guide Pavam (that's him in the pink jumper - I'm a doctor of philosophy don't you know! Almost the first thing he told us) His knowledge of religion and spiritualism was very good as he proceeded to tell us non-stop. If we could remember everything he told us we'd be experts on Hinduism, Buddism and Islam. We disagreed with some of his sweeping statements on happiness and stress and, on one occasion when Jackie challenged him, he went off at a complete tangent to prove his point (prove in his eyes). I was more content to just let it go and nod in the appropriate places, trying to drag him back into telling us where we were going and what we were going to see, when I could get a word in edgeways.
A slightly run down, and slightly damp smelling, (though that cleared very quickly with aircon that actually works on) heritage hotel complete with bar and pool, and for the first time, mosquitoes. A couple of hours to chill before we go and look at the Ganges, so all is well. The bar area is lovely, except for the strange drum and bass music, but we might live with that!
They are holy after all and can go where ever they want. Walk across busy roads in front of traffic - no problem, drivers slow down or stop for them, but give them the tiniest amount of room (any more room and another driver/motorcyclist/cyclist/pedestrian will be straight into the gap - 6 inches front, back and sides is too big a gap!)
Our phone rang 10 minutes before agreed meet time, but we were just about ready as Brian was finishing the Lucknow blog. We went down to meet Pavam who is completely hyper. Off to the bank of the Ganges for the evening Aarti ceremony. He talked none stop about Hinduism and Buddhism, he is both apparently and very spiritual! Weaving through the bazaar, through Hindu pilgrims who all have to try to come here at least once, and through the people who have come here to die, no time to stop to the shops on the riverbank, up and down stairs to some random seating, right in front of 7 stages, we were very well positioned, and very early, but that’s fine. The whole thing was a purification by fire ritual, but it took Pavam 40 minutes to say this while going off at tangents all over the place. He is going to be difficult! The ceremony was interesting, though we didn’t stay till the very end, people were leaving, the boats in the river were leaving, I’d lost the will to live…
Here we are early for the Ganga Aarti ceremony. In fairness to Pavam, he got us excellent seats, made sure we were comfortable and got us hot sweet, milky coffee. The ceremony usually starts at dusk, about 6:15pm and this was about 5:00pm. There are seven platforms that you can see as white rectangles with red boxes on them. They will be decorated in flowers and the centre one has a statue (of Shiva we think) and will be most decorated. They are actually at the waters edge, but there are so many boats parked to view the ceremony from that side that it looks as though they are inland a bit
Oh well, 09.30 start tomorrow so we can have a bite and a beer and a good nights sleep. But no Pavam decided that we should do our Ganges dawn boat ride as the weather was better tomorrow (despite the fact that it had just been briefly raining on us, and the forecast was not looking good. He wouldn’t take no, so we finally agreed to do it tomorrow, only then we would have to go to Sarnath in the afternoon as it’s closed on Friday. We were woken just before 02.00 by thunder, rain and the power going off. I WhatsApp ed to ask if this was really such a good idea. He rang at 04.45 to say perhaps we would revert to the schedule, but I’d not had much sleep by then anyway.
This is a little Youtube video of the ceremony highlights you might like to look at. Its not too long, about 3.5 minutes and gives a flavour of the hour or so complete ceremony, that happens every night irrespective of the weather
Day 22
Sarnath it was then, the place where the Buddha gave his first sermon after reaching enlightenment, 600 BC so not only is Varanasi sacred to Hindus, but to Buddhists from all over the world. There is a big stupa, 45m high that in theory is in the place where the tree was that he preached under to his 5 erstwhile companions. By the end of the 12th century Buddhism had all but died out in India, though not in other places, and the place was allowed to fall in to disrepair. At the beginning of the 1700’s there was the discovery of a green jade reliquary in a sandstone box. The bones, now assumed to be of Buddha were thrown into the Ganges, the jade reliquary never seen again and the sandstone box re buried. This, along with the ruins of monasteries and other stupas were excavated at the beginning of the 1800’s and the place regained its importance to Buddhists worldwide. There was also a museum, and a garden of Buddhas. ‘Oh, and over there’ a Jain temple that is also a hugely important pilgrimage site to them. It’s a very spiritual place, though I am not feeling it!
Sarnath, first excavated by the British apparently and, in the distance the stupa that marks the position Buddha is thought to have first preached to his five companions. Pavam told us a great deal about Buddhism. Apparently Buddhas parents were Hindus and the development of his teachings is not a religion, but a spiritual way of living. There are several branches, one that doesn't recognise Buddha statues, so the stupa is considered to be Buddha, other branches, such as those in Thailand where images of Buddha are central and the Dalai Lama represents another branch of Buddhism
To the hand weaving place, which was very impressive, but we were not buying so got out very quickly and lunch, yes please, a light local snack would be great. How he heard, yes a 12 dish thali each would be great I will never know! We managed to persuade the manager to let us share one, which meant we would get no refills, but that’s fine, it’s only lunchtime! And then….. back to the hotel, before 14.00. Found the chamber boy had gone overboard with towels, yesterday we had no hand towels but I had managed to steal an extra bathmat in case I needed to mop while defrosting the fridge so I could turn it off. Not only were all the towels laid out on the bed there was also a slightly tired flower bouquet. Think he’s after a tip! We’ve lain by the pool and chilled, AND we may be able to do the same tomorrow after sunrise on the Ganges, AND potentially even the following day when we have nothing scheduled till we catch the overnight train to Kolkata!
This place is of great importance to Buddhists worldwide who make pilgrimages here. All around the stupa groups were performing rituals
Day 23
Up at 05.30 to meet at 06.00, just leaving the room, only to have to go back in to answer the phone to Pavam, he really is very irritating. Down to the Ganges where we did indeed see sunrise, from a very old, very heavy boat rowed by a little man. He rowed one way past a number of ghats which are basically just sets of steps from which people can get into the Ganges to bathe ritualistically, or just to bath, which apparently the locals do (we did see some hair washing going on so assume that was bathing). There were also people meditating and studying, while surrounded by rubbish.
You can see in this photo several groups gathered around the stupa
We then arrived at the first crematorium where the funeral pyres were being built, to burn the stack of bodies there on the side. A sandwich of wood, dead person and wood is how Pavam described it. Between 350 and 500kg of wood is needed per person. All is burnt except the breastbone of a man and the hipbones of a lady, apparently these are the hardest bits, so these, and the ashes are then chucked into the river. Children and pregnant ladies are not allowed to be burned, they are taken up river and weighed down with heavy weights, to decompose though they may escape these weights and come floating down, mixing quite well I assume with the dead dog and the dead cow that were bobbing about. Now, who fancies a quick bath?
This photo shows the condition of the stupa after first excavation. It has been extensively repaired since then...
We were then rowed back down river to the second, bigger crematorium where there were people guarding the body of their loved one from the chicken and dogs that were ambling about. There didn’t seem to be anyone with the body that was burning, perhaps they’d gone off to get some tea, or some snacks, this apparently being quite normal! As you can probably tell, I’m still not feeling it. I can’t decry people and their beliefs, but who decided it was a spectator sport?
But some of the original carvings have survived remarkably well. Some inscriptions date from 1026AD, but Alexander Cunningham, who excavated the site, bored down 3.2m in the centre and found a slab with a Buddhist screed from 6th or 7th century AD. Further below he traced out a stupa made of Mauryan bricks from an earlier age. It is believed Buddha lived between the years 563BC and 483BC (others say 480BC to 400BC), so even the earliest stupa remains were well after his life
Our walk through the old town was an exercise in avoiding excrement, cow, dog and possibly human, to get a glimpse of the Golden Temple, only visitable by Hindus. For some reason we had been taken on this little bit of the walk by a lad while Pavam sat in the essential oil shop, drinking tea and holding our water bottles. Another tip required there then. Tea for us while the hard sell was applied to buy some all natural fragranced oil. We didn’t, and back for breakfast.
There was a pillar in the grounds and this, apparently, stood on the top. This image is now an emblem of India. There was a 24 spoke wheel atop of the lions, fragments of which are on display. The wheel image is now in the centre of the Indian flag
Went for a little local wander, something we have done remarkably little of, to find there was nothing to see. Drifted in to the shopping mall. Interesting to look in the supermarket, and the clothes shops with sales, where at least things had prices on. I did however buy, an outfit for Nick and Jessica’s wedding! This might have to be it!
A garden of Buddhas that we visited
Back to find the chamber boy was still working for his tip, swan towels on the bed. I might be more inclined if he’d done it while we were in breakfast, when we’d left the ‘make up my room’ hanger on the door, rather than just parking his trolley outside and then knocking the door to tell us to go out about 10.00. This all sounds very harsh which is a shame as I am actually now, quite mellow, just the overnight train tomorrow, and then getting up at 02.30 for our flight from Kolkata to Cochin buzzing around in my head! A few French fries before lying by the pool again may be in order…
The golden temple beyond the excavated temple is a holy place for the Jain religion (an offshoot of Hinduism, but much more strict)
Yesterdays dawn boat ride on the Ganges
That's going to be our boat then. Mmmm, hope it doesn't sink!
Pavam our guide
Looking this side it looks very peaceful
But this side things looked more hectic. You might be able to see seven red arches. Those were where the Ganga Aarti took place that we attended. We were sitting somewhere up there behind them
There really are some quite beautiful buildings along here. Apparently in the rainy season (July to September) the Ganges can rise up to cover those steps and part of the buildings lower parts
People were floating out candles onto the river in memory of loved ones
The person at the back of the boat is clutching the ashes of his loved one that he's going to empty into the river. In this way they believe the deceased will gain salvation and can be reborn again. Apparently the rebirth goes through several stages, something like 3,000,000 births as a plant, then several million as an insect and then thousands as various animals and only after that can they be reborn as a human, the pinnacle of creation
Meanwhile, in amongst all this, people are immersing themselves in this water as a way of purifying themselves. The man on the right there is in some form of meditation and, just after I took this photo he immersed himself beneath the water several times. There were many people doing this
The sun rises
Our highest point upstream and we arrive at the first crematorium. Look at the discarded materials on the bank. Rubbish, bones and ashes are deposited here to wash downstream on those bathing
There are three funeral pyres there and a good stack of wood. This is the small crematorium
I know this seems wrong to take a photo, but there is a dead person on one pyre ready for cremation
Our man was working very hard rowing us in a heavy boat. We gave him 500 rupees tip at the end (£5). He seemed delighted with that
Downstream we came to the biggest crematorium
Next to it is a leaning temple that is still used
Look at this place, burning bodies everywhere. Neither of us felt comfortable being here, but millions of tourists come here to photograph people at a funeral. It all seems wrong, but, I took photos too
Even worse than that, I took a closeup
Quite relieved to be away from it all, we went for a walk through the old town. This is a local cafe
And this is the new golden mosque with steps leading up directly from the Ganges. It occupies a large area and, to construct it, a huge number of houses, shops and temples were destroyed in the densely packed old town
The backstreets had very colourful murals painted on walls. This is the Hindu god Hanuman
I plotted our walk and boat ride through Varanasi and added a few phots to a short Relive video. If you'd like to look at it you can see it by clicking here
A final few pictures. This is our hotel room which has a curious window into the bathroom. It's covered by a shower curtain inside, but drawing the curtain back we can see Jackie posing on the toilet!
Our room boys efforts to get a tip!
A couple of half days by the swimming pool - very nice!
The air temperature was in the high twenties, but the water a little on the cool side
But OK once you got used to it. I had already been in as well by the way in case anyone accuses me of not going in!
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