Holy Cow

I had heard people talk about. I read the section in the guidebook a couple of times. I spoke to other travelers who had come from there. But nothing prepared me for Varanasi then actually being in Varanasi. As a matter of fact, I'm not even sure I can put it into words. This is the toughest blog I've written, and I've stopped in the middle several times. Someone commented to me that my blogs have gotten more serious as they go on, and I guess this one proves that right. But I promise more anecdotes about dirt, crazy Indians and other fun stuff for the next one.

The enormous Hindu city stretches along the Ganges River. It's a waterfront dominated by long flights of stone "ghats"or steps, where thousands of pilgrims and residents come for their daily rituals. It's also referred to as the city of light, founded by the god Shiva (I finally found one, Angie) and it's one of the oldest cities in the world. Everything happens on the ghats- bathing, praying, singing, and dying. I was swept up in the awe of it, seeing things I've never seen before.

The first thing I was struck by was the amount of people. More people then I've ever seen in one place. There are over 166 million people in the state of Uttar Pradesh where Varanasi is, and it seems like it. Just getting from the train station to the hotel seemed to take an eternity- winding past hundreds of people, cows, rickshaws and cars. You sense this right when you get off the train and look into a sea of Indian's on the other side of the rope, making the scene at JFK international arrivals look like nothin'. It's sensory overload in every possible way (for some reason I thought back on the time I was with Susan on Tottenham Court in London and it was crazy. Now that seems so tame.)

When you finally get toward the ghats it's all tiny alleyways, with cows, goats, and dogs, people , and newly added: monkeys! It's hot, it's crowded, and there is cowshit everywhere. You have to look where you're going, and look down. There are people riding bikes and scooters through the alleys. People are yelling to you buy something from every angle. No 10mg valium available, so I just kept walking, following my guide who was leading me to the hotel. I actually didn't go again for a few hours since I think I was in shock. But nothing really prepared me for what the rest of Varanasi.

I woke up early the next morning at 5am for a boat ride down the Ganges. 5am is the best time to get started as you can see the river come to life in gorgeous amber sunrise light. You get into a boat like the one above and start the ride.

As you ride along, people are singing, bathing, praying, yelling, and hanging out, all in absurd numbers of people. The sounds are incredible, and it's numbing to watch. As you get down towards Dasaswamedh Ghat, things are in full motion. (by the way, I can't pronounce that word, either.)

It's hard to take it all in. People are everywhere. It's seeing something so new and unusual for the first time that you can't look away. It's lovely and incredibly emotional. Then you come to the burning Ghat's and things get evev MORE interesting (if that's possible.) I'm going to show some photos of all this, but if you don't want to see this type of thing I suggest you don't look any further into this post. I'm even hesitating publishing it at all, but this I've thought about it, and this is life here. I only took a few pictures, as I already felt disrespectful taking those. One last thing to say: The reason people want to die at Varanasi is because it can stop reincarnation and you go directly to Nirvana. It's a lifelong dream for the family and the deceased to be laid to rest here.

Manikarnika Ghat is the main burning ghat amid the most holy place for a hindu to be cremated. Dead bodies are handled by outcasts known as Doms , and they are carried through the alleyways of the old city to the Ganges on bamboo stretchers clothed in white cloth. From the above picture, you should see three tiers. If you are of low caste, you get cremated on the bottom by the river. Mid caste in the center, and high caste on the top. The process starts for all in the Ganges where the body is doused in the holy river prior to cremation:

The body is then brought up to to the respectable place and burned with specific wood (sandlewood being the most expensive and mostly unaffordable for all but the rich) that a family has saved for.

Not everyone can get cremated here. Interestingly enough, there are 6 exceptions:

1. A child under 12
2. A woman who is pregnant
3. A holy man
4. An animal
5. A person with Leprosy
6. Snakebite

It's an intense thing to watch. People are not crying. It's all out in the open for anyone to see. I felt ashamed watching at times, but also couldn't look away (this is the way I felt most of the time here, not just at the burning ghats. I mean, should we really be watching people bathe?) This is life on the Ganges. When you hear the multitude of sounds coming from everywhere it's a beautiful chorus of chants and instruments. It's really pretty unforgettable.