Floating down the Ganges

The ghats of Varanasi from the Ganga
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Well, after 43 hours of traveling, 24 of which were spent on a plane, our field school group finally made it to our final destination, sacred Varanasi. My first impressions of India were very mixed. I was extremely excited and frightened at the same time. Looking out the window of our bus while we headed to our hotel, I was exposed to extreme poverty and poor living conditions that I have never experienced before.

The chaotic nature of Varanasi soon revealed itself when our bus was stuck in a traffic jam a few blocks from our hotel. We then proceeded by walking the rest of the way until the traffic subsided. It wasn't until this point that I realized I was fully immersed in Indian culture as the pollution and dust filled my lungs so quickly, it took my breath away. Rickshaws, motorcycles and cars were meandering past us as we carefully tried NOT to get run over!

Main Ghat
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For Hindus, Varanasi is seen as the holiest city in India where millions of pilgrims come to the Ganges River to wash away their mortality. Lord Shiva is present in all parts of the city from the sacred ghats to the Hindu temples. Those who die in Varanasi are guaranteed moksha, or liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth. Therefore, funerals and cremations are an everyday occurrence.

I was able to experience this spirituality first hand while floating down the Ganges River on a boat ride. Every night, the Main Ghat holds a holy ceremony dedicated to the the Ganges with musical chants and dancing. The ghat gets extremely crowded with pilgrims and observers.

Sunrise on the Ganga
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On my boat ride, we were also taken further down the River to the Assi ghat which is where all the cremations go down. On that particular night, 16 cremations could be seen by the burning fire pits along the ghats of the river. It was an extremely somber moment for all of us as we watched the flames shoot up into the nighttime sky. The smell of burning flesh wasn't too appealing either.

The following morning, we got to experience the Ganges River from a different perspective. Awaken very early, we rented a boat on the river to watch the sunrise and pilgrims bathing in the water. The atmosphere was completely different and refreshing than our previous experience the night before. However, that changed as soon as we saw a dead body floating downstream. As our guide later explained to us, the bodies which are not cremated, are usually placed in the River. These cases would include holy men, children under 12 and pregnant women.

Pilgrims bathing in the Ganges River
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Hinduism believes that the body is only a house for the soul and therefore becomes "dirty" once the person is deceased. That is why the body is cremated so that the soul may find another house to reincarnate itself. Yet, the bodies of holy men, and children are seen as pure, so they are not burned. Pregnant women on the other hand were left afloat because it was believed that the unborn child may continue to live and hopefully be returned to the household when it was born.

The ghats in Varanasi are a great location to sit down and absorb everything in. The locals are so surprised and curious to see foreigners, it is almost uncomfortable how they stare for so long. But, being in the presence of such holy and dedicated pilgrims is really amazing. A chat with a Brahmin is truly an experience to have if only for the red stroke they place on your forehead.

Our robust rowers
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Another sacred site of Varanasi is the original "Golden Temple" or the Vishwanath Temple. It is only open to people of Hindu faith, but we managed to "find a way" in with the help of some local guides. It was complete chaos. Shoes and socks were removed and stored in a nearby shop and we were each given an offering of a clay cup of milk, a strand of marigolds and white candies. We entered the Temple and were then pushed around because it was full of so many people. The single file line lead to a shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva where we imitated the Hindu pilgrims by throwing the marigolds into a huge pile and pouring the milk over all of it. It all went by so quickly, none of us knew what were doing!

Ganga and the Ghats
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As a part of our field school, a local group preformed the Khatuk dance for us and gave us all dancing lessons. I now know the basics of Khatuk dance! The Khatuk dance is a traditional Hindu dance that uses Rasa which is an essence. Facial expressions, hand and body movements are used to tell a story, usually of the Hindu Gods. That night we were able to apply some of our "new" moves at an authentic Indian wedding. Yes!! We were invited to a wedding and it was amazing!!

Our 4 day stay in Varanasi eventually came to an end. What I will miss the most is the spiritual atmosphere that originates from the Ganges and surrounds the entire city. I will miss the daily prayers and chants that can be heard all over the city from large speakers in central intersections. Our private sitar and tabla concert was also a memorable moment. The musical sounds of these instruments are truly enchanting.