Varanasi, one of the oldest - if not the oldest - cities in India, situated on the Holy Ganges river is a favourite among Hindu pilgrims, western and Indian tourists. The city is full of little streets and beautiful, if dirty and old, buildings - which, however, you don't really get to appreciate, since you're constantly having to watch your step when walking there.
For all it's holiness, it is the dirtiest place I have experienced in India so far (and by all accounts, probably the dirtiest I will experience). Walking through the streets you have to dodge puddles (of what I don't want to know), rubbish, cow dung, dogs, cows, monkeys and people. Since the streets are so narrow the dirt just piles up and there are flies everywhere and the smell in some parts is unbearable. Belief is that the reincarnation cycle ends if one passes away by the Ganges, so you find very many sick and sickly people roaming the streets of Varanasi - many living on the streets, having either donated all their belongings or used them to be able to get to Varanasi in order to die there.
The Ganges itself, is such a dirty river and it did not fail to astonish me that all these devout people take baths, swim, brush their teeth and even drink this water - all to be purified (I found this rather ironic). After all, the river is where ashes of the dead are strewn after their cremation at one of the burning ghats next to the river; or, if cremation is not done - to those who are pure enough, such as pregnant women, babies and brahmins - the body is covered, tied to a carrying device and thrown in the river weighed down by a stone, which sometimes comes loose - so seeing the carrying devices floating around the river with the knowledge that there is a dead body in there is not an uncommon sight.
Varanasi, is definitely a place that I found worth seeing, though I must say I would not return. I took an amazing walking tour of the city on my first day and saw many of the temples strewn across the city, most of which I would not have known about otherwise. Also, every evening there is a river worshipping ceremony at one of the main ghats, where you can be part of/view Buddhist priest students performing prayers in worship of the river.
An early morning (sunrise) boat ride on the Ganges is a must! This was definitely the best part of my stay in Varanasi. From the boat you can see the locals and pilgrims performing their morning puja on the river bank, doing the laundry, burning corpses, meditating and many other things. Also, the photos of the ghats from this perspective and in this light are just amazing and that alone is worthwhile waking up for.
The cultural experience of Varanasi is next to none in India and definitely a must see (once), though it really is a shame that the city is so dirty. If the ghats are not interesting enough, Varanasi is also famous for its silks, which come in all qualities and colours and really are worth looking at and/or buying. So yea, definitely an experience for all my senses, which I'm glad I've had, but one which I do not intend to repeat.
Varanasi, one of the oldest - if not the oldest - cities in India, situated on the Holy Ganges river is a favourite among Hindu pilgrims, western and Indian tourists. The city is full of little streets and beautiful, if dirty and old, buildings - which, however, you don't really get to appreciate, since you're constantly having to watch your step when walking there.
For all it's holiness, it is the dirtiest place I have experienced in India so far (and by all accounts, probably the dirtiest I will experience). Walking through the streets you have to dodge puddles (of what I don't want to know), rubbish, cow dung, dogs, cows, monkeys and people. Since the streets are so narrow the dirt just piles up and there are flies everywhere and the smell in some parts is unbearable. Belief is that the reincarnation cycle ends if one passes away by the Ganges, so you find very many sick and sickly people roaming the streets of Varanasi - many living on the streets, having either donated all their belongings or used them to be able to get to Varanasi in order to die there.
The Ganges itself, is such a dirty river and it did not fail to astonish me that all these devout people take baths, swim, brush their teeth and even drink this water - all to be purified (I found this rather ironic). After all, the river is where ashes of the dead are strewn after their cremation at one of the burning ghats next to the river; or, if cremation is not done - to those who are pure enough, such as pregnant women, babies and brahmins - the body is covered, tied to a carrying device and thrown in the river weighed down by a stone, which sometimes comes loose - so seeing the carrying devices floating around the river with the knowledge that there is a dead body in there is not an uncommon sight.
The cultural experience of Varanasi is next to none in India and definitely a must see (once), though it really is a shame that the city is so dirty. If the ghats are not interesting enough, Varanasi is also famous for its silks, which come in all qualities and colours and really are worth looking at and/or buying. So yea, definitely an experience for all my senses, which I'm glad I've had, but one which I do not intend to repeat.
No comments:
Post a Comment