Varanasi

The centre of Hindu faith, one of the oldest cities in the world and set on the banks of the river Ganges, Varanasi is a place that attracts worshippers and tourists in the train loads. Be it to take a ritual wash in the river, making a pilgrimage to the city as your final resting place or to perform morning puja as an offering to the rising sun – all like 1000’s of Hindu’s do daily….or like many foreigners try to find enlightenment, soak up a more calm India (calm in the loosest sense of the word!) or gawp at a burning corpse, it is all going on here and more! The river, Great Mother as it is know in Hindu, forms part of everyday life and is regarded as a link to spirituality and the holiest river in the country, hence coming here to die and being cremated by the river bank. However, seems a bit gruesome and strange that 1000’s head down the Ghats each day and into the river to bath and do their laundry alongside burnt corpses or bodyparts from the cremation, plus sewage pipes, buffalo’s washing and humans using the holy river as a toilet! All this to ‘cleanse’ yourself in the name of spirituality….not feeling that holy now!!
Life along the river side is actually surprisingly relaxed and not that busy, fine you get hassled by boat touts (well I do, Shona’s loving it as she seems to be invisible as they only ask me!) but beyond that it’s people watching territory as locals go about daily life by the Ghats. A morning boat ride is the best way to see the Ghats and watch life unfold as the sun comes up (although it is a bit M25y with boats!), from the water you get a better view of the iconic steps, the temples and architecture plus also the pleasure of watching lots of men bath – thankfully with garments covering the vital parts! You also end up playing a slightly odd game of spot the body part, you just can’t help it! Everything that floats past you feel drawn to look at – is it an arm or a log, a head or a coconut etc etc although I think this is happening less and less now in an attempt to clean up the river! The sight itself of the cremations isn’t actually as bad as you’d think, it’s all a very calm process which then instills a calmness as you watch it, although having said that it can get rather graphic if you watch for too long! But just like men bathing, think I’ve seen enough dead bodies now.
Head into the old towns small streets and it all gets a bit more hectic – jumping over garbage, diving out the way of livestock (cows, buffalo, pigs all live on the small streets!), avoiding motorbikes and paying very close attention to where you place your feet, all at the same time as trying not to be dragged into a silkshop by an overzealous salesman or having someone grab your hand for a palm reading! Varanasi is probably a good place to start an Indian trip as it seems a little more laid back than I’m guessing most other cities and it doesn’t take too long to fit in to daily life here but before I start taking “Number 2’s” on holy steps and bathing with other men in filthy, septic water it is time to move on!