Varanasi: Our Experience

Summary

Varanasi is an assault on the senses in every way possible. Before you arrive here, you have to be mentally prepared for the dirt and pollution and the burning smell of dead bodies. However, to experience the fervour and energy of this religious town is worth it. The town is alive and pumping from sunrise to sunset and at every turn there is something new to see and experience. There is no other place in India quite like Varanasi and a visit here comes highly recommended.

Varanasi: Our Experience

 

4th January, 2014 (Day 1)

 

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An overnight train from Kolkata brought us into Varanasi early in the morning. It was cold as we were starting to travel further north in India close to the Himalayas that was bringing in cold weather and a severe wind chill. The auto rickshaw from the train station only dropped us at the Archway near Bengali Tola so we had to walk the rest of the way to find a hotel. Most of the hotels in the Cantonment area are located overlooking the ghats so we had to meander our way through countless narrow lanes and by-lanes till we found a cluster of hotels near Meer Ghat. We were advised about how dirty Varanasi was but the piles of rubbish and poo that we had to pass by were relentless.

After checking out a few hotels, we chose Ganpati Guesthouse as they had lovely heritage rooms for a very good rate. The view from the balconies towards the ghats and the river below was really beautiful too. After a nice hot shower, we made our way to the shops for some breakfast. The hot samosas look tempting so we bought a few and munched them as we walked to the ghats.

 

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The hundred or more Varanasi ghats along the Ganges river are the main attraction for visitors to this town. Spiritually enlightening and fantastically photogenic, Varanasi is at its brilliant best by the ghats, the long stretch of steps leading down to the water on the western bank of the Ganges. Practically every daily activity is conducted here from ritual baths to washing of clothes and from massage to buffalo washing centres.

We spent the day walking from the main Dasaswamedh Ghat southwards towards Assi Ghat which is about three kilometres away. Most of the ghats are used for bathing but there are also several ‘burning ghats’ where bodies are cremated in public. While at first it was quite confronting to see and smell dead bodies being burned publicly at the ghat, by the second day of being there, I was quite accustomed to the sight and smell. This is not something I’m proud to say as it’s one of those things you don’t want to get accustomed to.

What we did enjoy was ‘people watching’ as the ghats were surrounded with people from all walks of life – from sadhus (Hindu priests) in their red/yellow robes praying or sleeping to pilgrims dipping themselves in the holy water and even kids playing cricket or badminton. There wasn’t one boring moment as we walked from ghat to ghat during the day. Each ghat we visited produced a different sight to behold. The historic buildings and temples along the ghats were quite spectacular as well.

 

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As the day progressed, it got hot and the sunshine was a welcome treat after a chilly winter morning. On our return to Dasaswamedh Ghat, we stopped at the new Varanasi temple, Vishwanath Temple. Of the more than 2,000 temples in Varanasi, this is the most important temple in town. Also known as “Golden Temple”, it is dedicated to Shiva, who is known here as Vishwanath, “Lord of the Universe”. Sadly, being non-Hindus we were not allowed to enter the temple so we had to take a stroll through Vishwanath Galli (lane) in order to get a glimpse of the interior. In our opinion, the exterior is much nicer than its interior; the golden spire and dome shimmer and shine as the golden rays of the sun fall on it.

 

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By late afternoon we were starting to heat up under the hot rays of the sun so we had to return to the cool of our hotel room and rest till the sun went down. On the way to our hotel, we stopped at the Blue Lassi shop for some chilled and refreshing lassi drinks. The lassis here are, by far, some of the best we have had in India. The quality of the dahi (yogurt) used is first class which gives it the texture and consistency for a great lassi.

 

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I was looking forward to the evening in Varanasi as Dasaswamedh Ghat comes alive at 6 o’clock in the evening (7 o’clock in summer) for the daily Ganga Aarti ceremony which is hosted with much fanfare. This ceremony involves young Hindu priests offering salutations to the Ganges in a devotional ritual using fire. Although a spectacular must-see, some people consider it to be too much of an artificial and showy extravaganza to have a lot of meaning in a spiritual context. Nonetheless, we really enjoyed this choreographed show as it was melodic, joyous, spiritual and very colourful.

 

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After the ceremony, we went in search for a dinner venue and landed up at a Varanasi restaurant – New Star Restaurant located near Bengali Tola. Being a religious Hindu town, all restaurants are vegetarian here so we had the Special vegetarian thali. This was one of the better thalis we had in India as the variety was amazing with plenty of different Indian breads to go with the numerous vegetarian curries.

 

 

5th January, 2014 (Day 2)

 

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An early morning wake up call from the hotel front desk allowed us to get to the ghats before sunrise in order to take a dawn boat ride along the Ganges. This is the best time to take a boat ride along the river as the town is just waking up and the sunrise on the water is magical. Several pilgrims were already at the water’s edge dipping themselves into the water and performing puja offerings at the ghats. Although it was a bit misty due to the winter chill which clouded the view of the sunrise, it was still an amazing experience to watch the activities unfold along the ghats as we sailed past. With the historic buildings as a backdrop to the activities on the ghats, it was like having a bird’s eye view of the Varanasi ghats.

 

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After a hearty breakfast, we took a long walk to Ramnagar Fort located further south of Assi Ghat on the other side of the river. A scenic bridge allowed us to cross the river and get to Ramnagar Fort which overlooks the river in a very beautiful setting.

This 17th century fort and palace is the only attraction located on the eastern bank of the river. Although the palace is in a state of disrepair and layers of dust sit on the antique pieces in the museum, the palace is still very charming and some of the exhibits in the museum are quite interesting.

Apart from the interesting museum which is housed in the Durbar Hall, it is also a fantastic place to watch the sunset over the river.

 

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It was early evening when we walked along the ghats once more towards Assi Ghat in the south. Here we indulged in some of the best Varanasi street food that is popular with locals and tourists alike. In my opinion, the best street food in Varanasi is the Aloo Tikki Chaat which is simply superb. We also liked the variety of street food available from breakfast options to snacks.

 

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After watching the Ganga Aarti ceremony one more time (I really loved the performance and atmosphere of the ceremony), we made our way through the lanes of Varanasi to the International Music Centre Ashram. On Wednesdays and Saturdays, the ashram hosts a classical music program for 2 hours. After getting tickets at the door, we rushed off to get some food before the show. The program started at 8pm and we were serenaded by classical music performers who played the tabla, flute and sitar. It was two hours of soulful, melodious music that was simply soul stirring.

There are quite a few schools of classical music in Varanasi; I cannot comment on them all but I can definitely say that the classical music programs at International Music Centre Ashram are a delight to watch and listen to.

 

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After the music performance, we decided to return to the Varanasi restaurant – New Star Restaurant that we had dinner at the day before. We really loved the vegetarian thali here so we decided to try some of their other dishes which weren’t as good as the thali but still great value.

Our train left Varanasi at 11:30 pm that night; our next stop was Kanha – one of the top national parks in Madhya Pradesh and home to a range of wildlife including the popular Royal Bengal Tiger.

 

We were glad we had come to Varanasi against several people’s wishes and advice as we got to see this vibrant and energetic town for what it really is. Varanasi had surprised us in many ways. We knew it was going to be dirty and polluted; we knew about the burning ghats. What no one told us about was the colourful and lively side of this fantastic place. The town is alive and pumping from sunrise to sunset and at every turn there is something new to see and experience. There is no other place in India quite like Varanasi, and anyone not visiting Varanasi will certainly miss a big part of the action.