by Debbie Ross
Womens Travel Network founder.

Day 15 India tour – fly to Varanasi, the ultimate pilgrimage spot for Hindus.

Our morning drive from Mumbai’s Trident hotel to the airport takes us across the bridge and through the slum areas of this massive city. From the highway we can see the famous Dhobi Ghats featured in the award winning movie Slumdog Millionaire. The government constructed high hrise apartments in behind the slum area but the inhabitants will not leave their homes. If they leave they will lose their businesses which are located on the ground floor of the units. Their neighbours and roommates have become their family and here they have a sense of security. They choose to live in primitive conditions whith no running water or electricity as this is their community, and where they have a sense of belonging. Looking down on the city from the plane it’s quite apparent how many slum communities are located in the city. There must be tens of thousands livining in these make shift homes.

We arrive late afternoon at Varansi.  Formerly known as Benares this has been the ultimate Hindu pilgrimage spot for ages and the oldest living city in the world. Recent excavations have proven the city actually dates back to 1365 B.C. The Ganges River in Varanasi is believed to have the power to wash away the sins of mortals.

After checking into our hotel our guide Ajit takes through the busy, crowded streets towards the Ganges River. First stop is Mother India Temple built in 1918 by Mr. Gupta for the freedom fighters. The temple houses an incredible map of India made from marble. The three dimensional map gives us a great perspective of the country. Ajit traces where the mighty Ganges orginates in the Himilayas and runs along the plains to the city of Varanasi. This map is an amazing work of art.

Our tour continues by bus through the traffic, dodging cows and dogs, people, bikes, cars trucks and more. A construction crew of men and women are digging a trench and it’s insteresting to see it’s the women carrying the dirt away. It’s tough labour and the women seem to handle the task well.

I’ve never seen so many cows and dogs in one place. They roam freely among the traffic, some have homes and others are taken care of by the locals. Hindus believe the dogs are the proctectors of the city so they feed and take care of them. They also believe it is good Karma to take care of the bulls and Karma is very important.

This densley populated city is home to 3 million people.
The next part of our journey to the river is on pedicabs. I don’t know how they maneuver their way through the busy streets. The streets are lined with shops and the locals are out purchasing food, clothing and other household items. The pilgrims and tourists have entered the city and are making their way to the banks of the river to witness a special ceremony taking place on the banks of the sacred Ganges.The pedicabs can only take us part way and then we must walk along with the cows and pilgrims to the river. Along the way we encountered an angry bull that turned on the crowd sending everyone running for safety. What an experience!

First sight of the river is very emotional. It’s hard to believe we are actually here.  The steps leading to the river are filled with people moving towards the stage where the Brhaman priests will perform the evening aarti. We are ushered into a large boat, which offers the best vantage point to view the city and the stage. A pleasant young man rows the boat along the shore line and Ajit tells us about the city and points out the cremations taking place. There are up to 150 cremations performed every day of the year. Hindus believe in reincarnation. Your body is your temple and your soul is your deity. They believe your body decays like a piece of cloth and when it gets worn your soul gets a new one. This evening their are a few cremations being perfomed. There is smoke billowing up into the air, the family members crowd around the pire and the animals are on the side eating the disgarded flowers. it’s quite amazing to watch this ritual unfold.

The area surrounding the stage,  the stairways leading to the river and the boats on the water are filled with pilgrims and tourists that have come to observe the nightly ritual performed by the priests. The 45 minute ceremony is intriguing with the bright glow of fire and the sound of bells. Their are 7 priests performing the rituals.
First step, they blow into conch shells.
Second step, they burn incense to purify the air.
Third step, they burn frankensense to make a clear passage way through the air for the deity.
Fourth step, they light and perform a ritual with a candle stand holding 51 candles.
Fifth step, they light a big flame for everyone including those who are no longer with us.
Sixth step, they make an offering of a sari. They use a symbolic piece of cloth and throw rose petals in the air and fan it
Seventh step, they blow the conch shell to symbol the end of the ceremony.
Witnessing the religious ceremony along with the pilgrims that have come to honour their loved ones in the holiest place on earth has been quite an emotional experience.

Ceremony over we made our way through the crowd back to our waiting pedicabs that took us through the busy streets to our bus for the drive back to our hotel. Dinner this evening was at the hotel and then off to bed as we have a 545am departure to catch the sunrise and to witness the daily morning rituals on the holy Ganges river

Our hotel is the Gateway, Varanasi, set amongst 40 acres of lush green gardens and  a veritable  onch shells.haven of peace and tranquility in this crowded and ancient temple city.