Varanasi Things to Do Tips by Hmmmm

Varanasi on the Banks of the

Ganges. Pic AD Irving

I'll never ever forget the first time i saw the Ganga from the Dormitory of the Shanti Guesthouse in Varanasi. It was one of the most incredible moments of my life. Varanasi is a feast for the senses. I will definately return.

The Guff: The city of Shiva on the bank of the sacred Ganges is one of the holiest places in India. Hindu pilgrims come to bathe in the waters of the Ganges, a ritual which washes away all sins. The city, also known as Benares (or Banares), is an auspicious place to die, since expiring here ensures release from the cycle or rebirths and an instant passport to heaven. It�s a magical city where the most intimate rituals of life and death take place in public on the city�s famous ghats (steps which lead down to the river). It�s this accessibility to the practices of an ancient religious tradition that captivates so many visitors. In the past, the city has been known as Kashi and Benares, but its present name is a restoration of an ancient name meaning the city between two rivers- the Varuna and Assi. It has been center of learning and civilsation for over 2000 years, and claims to be one of the oldest living cities in the world. The old city does have an antique feel but few buildings are more than a couple of hundred years old thanks to marauding Muslim invaders and Aurangzeb�s destructive tendencies.

This place is said to give the greatest delight to God and hence the name Anandakanana; the five elements lie in this great cremation ground as will all dead bodies at the time of the final deluge and hence the name Mahasmasaanam.

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Directions: I flew to Varanasi directly from Kathmandu, on an Air India flight.

Varanasi is situated for the most part on the north bank of the Ganga

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Things To Do: Marnikarnika Ghat. Varanasi

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Written by Hmmmm

on Feb 10, 2005

Marnikarnika Ghat - Varanasi. Pic:

Aaron Irving

Along the the Ganges at Varanasi, are a string of Ghats, they are great to walk along and ultimately photographic. Everything happens on them; people are doing myriad things, people are bathing, exercising, pandas are performing pujas, boats are coming and going carrying people. One Ghat in Particular is unique. On this Ghat people are being cremated and their remains are then put into the Ganga.

Manikarnika Ghat, one of the oldest and most sacred in Varanasi. Manikarnika is the main burning ghat and one of the most auspicious places that a Hindu can be cremated. Bodies are handled by outcasts known as doms, and they are carried through the alleyways of the old city to the holy Ganges on a bamboo stretcher swathed in cloth. The corpse is doused in the Ganges prior to cremation. You�ll see huge piles of firewood stacked along the top of the ghat, each log carefully weighed on giant scales so that the price of cremation can be calculated. There are no problems watching cremations, since at Manikarnika death is simply business as usual, but don�t take photos and keep your camera well hidden. Its respectful. Perhaps from a boat its okay. I only took two.

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Directions: Marnikarnika Ghat is east of Dasawamedh Ghat, you can't miss it. In Fact the walk is outstanding.
Website: http://www.indiatravelclub.com/varanasi.html

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Things To Do: Ganga Ma; The Sacred River Ganges

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Written by Hmmmm

on Feb 10, 2005

A Girl on the Ganges. pic: Aaron

Irving

No trip to India is complete without taking a trip to this river, which flows from the Himalaya east where it forms a confluence with the great Ayerwaddy and spashes sediment into the Bay of Bengal making today's Bangladesh. The Ganges or Ganga Ma (Mother Ganges) plays a central role of purification in India's major religion, Hinduism. People come from all over the sub-continent to wash, to partake of or to be returned to the waters of the Ganges.

Varanasi seems to be the central city of ritual, but many other places along the Ganges are equally venerated.

There is a wonderful story that depicts the birth of the Ganga, and why it has a function of purification.
I will write an account of this story in the Local Customs section of this Page.

At dawn, catch a boat to see all the ritualistic bathers before work. At dusk hire a boats to hear the sound of puja floating over the water.

The Boat wallah's will give you a little bull#$% at first. but after a little adamant no's and a edging away, you might get a boat for 50 rupees. For guests of Shanti Guesthouse, there is a free boat at dawn and dusk. But it doesn't go far, and its FULL of passengers.

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Directions: Hmmmm? Bisects Hindusthan. Starts in Nepal and finishes in bangladesh.

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Things To Do: Benares Hindu University. Varanasi

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Written by Hmmmm

on Feb 21, 2005