An Ode to Benaras

Benaras – The City older than tradition, older than even legend and twice as old as both of them put together ~ Mark Twain

The Town of my imagination

I came to this city with a lot of excitement. Anxious to see the beauty, the colorful lanes and those empty ghats on the Ganga, where I imagined myself having long conversations! What I saw was a chaotic explosion of color, drama, traffic and streets filled beyond capacity with people. Those ghats were packed with tourists from all over the world exchanging stories about where they met while looking at life and death in one frame. I was awed by what I saw. People were hustling, screaming to go about their work, and yet happily chatting away at the same time. 

The first thing that attracts the eye are the boats! They invoke a sense of romance, a sense of walking on the waters that you otherwise can’t. In Varanasi, they become a part of rituals, a part of excursions, a part of recreation and sometimes, transportation too.

Boats at the Ganges

The oldest living city of the world, does not have a single ancient monument standing to glorify its age, because of the multiple attacks and raids it had seen. The old and weary buildings are a tribute and bear witness to its suffering.  

My first stop was Sarnath, the place where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon on suffering and how to overcome it. The mind boggling place was a perfect rewind to my school history lessons. The excavations, stupas and monuments are a sight to see and a memory to preserve.

The larger than life Sarnath

The beautiful, holy Ganges is lined with ghats which are much cleaner than before, a difference which even the local “benarasi” can feel. Every ghat has its own mythology and story..  

It was an out of the world experience to witness the Ganga Aarti, which seemed like a seamless blend of faith and spirituality. This is the place where science and religion come together, where human emotion and beliefs are supreme. The emotions on the faces of people and their firm belief that this is the purest river on earth that washes all sins despite being one of the most polluted river body would leave you speechless. 
The sight of thousands of people coming here to offer their prayers, bow their heads to offer respect, perform pujas and float diyas into the river is mesmerizing. 

Benaras, literally is a place which defies death and celebrates life to its full glory! One can see offerings being made to Goddess Ganga and simultaneously see funeral pyres being burnt in a never ending continuity at the Manikarnika Ghat not far away.  These are open places, anyone can go, sit and observe the rituals and contemplate what life means in the end.

  

  

"Death is present here as a part of life"

“Revelation and redemption” is how I define the prestigious Benaras Hindu University, a complete contrast to the vibe from the city. The lush green campus dotted with students and faculty relaxing in the morning is nothing like what you see in the city. Its unperturbed atmosphere leaves people fascinated. The Vishwanath temple situated right at the center of the university is the perfect example of communal harmony between the past and the present. The largest residential university in Asia is indeed a serene oasis.

The university with stories enough to be a lesson on its own!

The bazaars are menacingly overcrowded, but a delight to shoppers who want to lay their hands on authentic hand looms and crafts. Market roads overflow with cycles in the famous slender roads of the city, bordered on both sides by littler shops and squat structures offering everything from day to day family unit things to outfit adornments and even shares. The streets are also a haven for the taste buds selling a myriad of culinary delicacies. Be it the chai addas, kachori gallis or the pan-walahs, everyone has a Bhowkal of their own! Benaras me sab guru hai, Chela koi nai! You cannot but notice the playfulness in people and in the air, even though it is the most spiritual of places in the world.

It is a place that has nurtured creativity and allowed numerous arts & artists to flourish on its banks. It is a place where people come to die so that they achieve Nirvana. This is the place Buddha chose to give his first sermon and this is the place where the famous poet Kabir lived. 
What this city needs today is help to regain its glory and live up to its global fame. For now, it is being suppressed and over burdened with excessive immigration and lack of basic infrastructure to contain the citizens and provide them tranquility.

People have different names for the city. Benaras, Varanasi or Kashi – Call it what you like, but the city will not fail to invoke the feeling of being one with the soul. The temples and shores depict the multiple facets of life, giving the sanctuary of never ending peace to its jovial citizens and the mighty Ganges which is a life giver to many a person who is a true Benarasi.

My trip to this city remains unfinished as I missed visiting the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and Sankat Mochan- the places I left for the next time! As they say, there is something about this place that will always and somehow draw you back!