Varanasi: an experience to remember

It started with my intention to go to a trek. Tired of being stuck in city, I needed a break very badly. The idea of trek did not work due to lack of time. Instead I came up with the idea of taking some holidays during Diwali and visit Gurudongmar Lake in Sikkim. Unfortunately Gorkhaland trouble surfaced and I had to take it out from my list. Next place that came to my mind was Varanasi. Situated on the banks of river Ganges and being one of the oldest cities on earth certainly it attracts a lot of pilgrims, giving visitors an unique experience. For me it was bit different though. This time I was traveling alone, that too to a place where I have been only once before. I was just a child that time and don't remember much of it.

Choosing Varanasi was in many ways a difficult decision for me. First of all I was going alone, secondly more than anybody else I was asking myself why I should visit a place where most Hindus go for pilgrimage. Time was running out and ultimately I decided to go for it. Varanasi was destined to be my first lone travel in India. The travel was smooth and I reached Varanasi at 1 pm next day i.e. 26th of October. In train I met two French women who were going to Varanasi. They asked me for some suggestions regarding the place; I told what I knew but frankly seeing them with lonely planet guide I was sure my information was simple repetition.

On reaching Varanasi, I hired an auto rickaw at station which would take me to hotel La-Ra at Godholiwa. The old man charged me 60 bucks for that and dropped me good 5 minutes ahead of Hotel saying it was a no entry zone for auto rickshaw. The hotel room was okay and for around 950 bucks they offered me double bed AC room. Due to power supply issues, many hotels do not run AC during the day time. I needed some rest badly so I took some food and slept for some time as noon wasn't going to be the best time to explore or photograph Varanasi. Locals call Varanasi as Benaras which is one of the oldest cities in India and probably in world, too. The city was built on the banks of river Ganges and numerous ghats, temples and small alleys make one think of old days for sure. Hindus comes here to worship god, to take a deep in river Ganges which would make them free of their sins according to Hinduism. Most astonishingly people come here to die as well since it is believed that dying here is sacred.

In the evening I went out from my hotel with my alpha 700 and one lens as I was little apprehensive on what I might encounter. Dasswsamedh ghat was very near to my hotel (merely 5 minutes walk) and is considered to be one of the main ghats in Varnasi. During all the season except monsoon season, you can walk right across the banks of Ganges following the Ghats. While walking I got numerous offers from the boatmen on taking a river ride. But somewhere I heard "Benaras ki Subah aur Lucknow ki Sham" (Morning of Varanasi and evening in Lucknow), so I did not accept their offer. I strolled around ghats enjoying the activities, the view, the stretch of Varanasi for some time. One walk beside the river would definitely give anyone a sense of other world, a world of its own. Soon my apprehension went away slowly, seeing others roaming about and taking photographs. I read some articles before coming where there were reports of photographers getting objection from people. Fortunately for me though I did not receive such response. At the same time I did not try to photograph burning ghats since it's not permitted and also I restrained myself from taking photographs of people taking bath; I don't find taking someone’s photograph at that time very eventful or ethically correct. At around 6:30 in the evening every day a beautiful arati of Ganga takes place in Dasswamedh ghat. I sat beside one of the platforms where priests would perform the arati and watched it for more than an hour.The event is definitely worth watching. I took some photographs that day, mainly priest performing arati.

Next day I woke up early, around 4:45 am. That was quite a time for me to wake up but I managed it. I took both of my cameras this time. Outside air was fresh and chilly. At this early hour too some devotees walked towards temples and ghats. A boatman promised me taking me for a ride on Ganges at 5 am yesterday, so I kept waiting for him till 5:20 am. He failed to show up though and me being bit angry started walking towards Harishchandra ghat. Soon I got another offer for boat ride and after some bargaining I agreed for Rs. 200 for 2 hours. The air was chilly but the environment was striking. Sun was yet to come out and lights on the ghat created a mysterious feeling. The boatman did not know much about the history of the ghats, so I kept quite and started enjoying the view instead. The foggy environment was adding to the whole mood. Around 6 am the sun finally started coming out and I felt myself privileged to watch such beautiful scene.

On my way back I took some photos of the ghat from the boat. The activities around ghat really amazed me and made me feel as if I am in another world. People singing, kids playing cricket, people taking a bath, washing clothes everything happening at the same time. It appeared to me as if I am watching whole India at one place. After roaming for another 1-1.5 hours I came back to hotel and took breakfast. I spend couple more hours at the ghats then and came back to take lunch and to take some rest. In the evening, sun goes down behind the city, so unless there is superb cloud formation the sunset is generally event less. As the sun goes down the activities become much more centered around Dasswamedh ghat and surroundings for obvious reasons, the ganga arati. I chose to take some close shots during arati, hence came equipped with Minolta 100-300. The light condition is quite tricky and priests keep on moving. Anyway I managed some decent photos at around ISO 800-1250 and hoped some of them will be good. If possible carrying a tripod is definitely worth the effort.

After watching arati for some time, I roamed around in the city just to get a feel of the city and people. There are so many people in the streets that anybody initially would find it difficult to walk. The bike, auto rickshaws, cycles, people and occasionally oxes too make a small walk very challenging indeed. I returned to hotel after an hour and took an early dinner and went to bed.

Next day it was Diwali, the festival of light. I started bit late as I knew sun rise will be around 6 am and decided not to take a boat ride. Instead I chose to walk across the length of ghats. In the morning one can find lots of activities in Dasswamedh and Kedar ghats as these two are prime ghats for Hindus. On the way I came across Manikarnika ghat which is main burning ghat. It is believed that the ones burned here after death go straight to heaven. When I walked across Manikarnika, the feeling was bit unique. People crying, doms carrying woods, smell of burning all really adds to it. I could not help but got into some kind other feeling. On the other side after crossing Kedar ghat, the activities seem to drop drastically and ghats seems cleaner too. Here one will find the second main burning ghat, Harishchandra ghat.

I was not doing particularly well that day so I spent quite some seating in ghat watching people. I was watching two Sadhus for some time, when a foreigner came along for some photographs. The sadhus started smoking ganjas (weed) seeing him. He took some photographs and paid them some money for it. Immediately after he was gone the Sandhus threw away the remaining portion, and asked the nearby tea shop for some tea and biscuits with that money. It appeared to me as if they were done with their acting so it was time to come back to real world. The experience was funny at the same time little strange. We are all actors in all stages of life, aren’t we? Kids are exception to that. I got proof of that too. In the same day, a musician was roaming around in the ghats with his little kid. When they sat for some rest, one lady started playing with the child and both of them were very happy. The musician was from Rajasthan and played some wonderful music, it was giving me feeling of joy mixed with sorrow. After some time though, the lady decided to go and she gave 10 rupees to the kid and started walking away. The kid absolutely uninterested about the money started crying as he missed the little bit of happiness which was moment before. Some experience for sure.

While coming back to hotel in the evening incidentally I met with those French women whom I got to know in train. When I inquired about their experience about Varanasi, they told me that it was indeed different experience for them and greeted me happy Diwali. Yes, it was the day of Diwali and city was lit up beautifully. Back in the hotel, I enjoyed the view as the whole city came alive with firecrackers and colors. It seemed to me on the day of Diwali people prefer to stay with their family and enjoy time. During Deb Dipavali which is fortnight away from Diwali, the biggest celebration happens in Varanasi. Whole ghat is decorated with diyas (light). I guess the experience must be awe inspiring.

Next day was my last day so I woke up early once more. On my walk across the ghats I felt bit sad as I have to leave. Near Assi ghat, I saw a person wearing white kurta and dhoti offering foods to birds. The sun was rising behind him and it was simply a breathtakingly beautiful scene. I went for one last boat ride too and fortunately the person was bit old so the ride was more enjoyable. The boatman asked me whether I visited temples, in response I told him that for me that time is yet to come and I will come back for sure. The old city was beaming in bright sunlight and seemed magical. I was content at heart and left Varanasi around 12 noon for Sarnath. Like everyone leaving Varanasi, I too hoped for coming back to Varanasi again in future.