Varanasi Vignettes 1

Varanasi evokes a feeling of timelessness in you. The sights and sounds of the old part of the city overwhelm you. No matter how much you have read about the city, no matter how many pictures you have seen taken around the ghats and temples of this ancient city, when you actually see it for yourself, it gets the better of your senses. 

This is not a tourist city where one goes and looks at typical tourist spots. Each person who visits Varanasi experiences it in his or her own way. In my first ever trip, I am only able to scratch the surface of what Varanasi holds inside its myriad lanes and vast expanse of ghats along the meandering Ganga.

Thrilled to be in Varanasi, I start walking the short distance from my hotel towards the ghats. It is early afternoon and the road is packed with people. Lined on both sides with sweet shops and shops selling pooja items and souvenirs, the road is reverberating with the sounds of impatient two-wheeler riders honking shrilly at all times and the general din of the traffic. The road leads to a narrow lane and after a few steps, I find myself emerging on the Rajendra Prasad Ghat, almost next to the well-known Dashashwamedha Ghat.

The place is buzzing with activity. People sitting, standing and walking on the steps, hawkers selling their ware, stray animals roaming around, boatmen trying to lure customers for a boat ride along the ghats, sadhus with painted faces and ash-smeared bodies squatting on mats. There is no telling what you might come across on the ghats. I notice someone sprawled out on his tummy receiving a rigorous massage on his massive back! If one has time, one can walk the ghats to witness such unique scenes that describe the essence of Varanasi.

The river Ganga is gentle and somewhat quiet. Flowing since eternity. Its expanse looks slimmer than what one would imagine it to be. On the other bank is an elaborate tent city consisting of touristy tents. Boats containing excited visitors bob up and down the river that looks a dull shade of gray-green in the early evening light.

At the base of the steps several boats wait to pick up customers for a chakkar of the ghats. An enterprising boatman strikes a deal with us and soon we are on his boat making our way towards the Assi Ghat. The loud whirr of the motor makes it hard to listen to what he is saying, but I am happy with the view his boat offers. The densely packed ghats appear one after the other as the boat glides gently in the cool evening breeze. 

Each ghat is distinct in appearance with its steps touching the

Ganga on one side and a variety of structures ---temples, houses, shops---on the other side. Many of them were built by different royal families for the use of their subjects when they visited Varanasi for performing rituals for their forefathers. It is quite a treat to see ghats of different sizes and colours unfold before you from the boat, each vying for your attention. These huge public spaces define Varanasi and give it its unique identity. Two ghats--Manikarnika and Harishchandra--stand out because of the funeral pyres burning constantly at them. It is an upsetting sight at first. But it is also a lesson in accepting the realities of life and moving on.

Our leisurely ride does a turn-around at Assi Ghat and we return to the point from where we had started. The flight of newly constructed stairs leading to the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor looks impressive. The leaning temple of Ratneshwar Mahadev catches everyone's eye because of its unusual look.

Photos by Lata

Dusk is about to fall. Our boatman joins dozens of other boatmen trying to secure a vantage position for their boats so that the occupants of the boats can get a good view of the evening aarti at the Dashashwamedha Ghat. It is a daily extravaganza that finds place in every visitor's itinerary. After several attempts, our boatman secures a suitable place for his boat and we can see that the ghat is brimming with people seated in anticipation of the aarti. On the other side, boats with eager occupants station themselves waiting for the same. Loud music and announcements precede the aarti. To our dismay, we find that two adjacent ghats prepare for the aarti at the same time with music from them resulting in a disharmonious noise. The proceedings on the two ghats are not in sync with each other. Seven well-built men in traditional attire take positions and wave beautiful multi-tiered lamps at the Ganga in measured movements. It is pleasant and would have been more pleasant had it been accompanied by a single source of music instead of the discordant sounds from the neighboring ghat.

The completion of aarti brings an end to the grand spectacle. Satisfied with having ticked an item off their itinerary, people start leaving the boats and the ghats. The Ganga continues to flow quietly, as it has been doing since time immemorial. Soon, the sun will kiss its waters turning it into liquid gold and another day will dawn... the cycle will go on.

To be continued.