Situated on the riverbanks of Ganges in northern India, Varanasi is a major religious hub and the spiritual capital in India. It is the holiest city in Hinduism and has played an important role in the development of Buddhism.
I stopped over in Varanasi for 4 days in total and the main noteable things that made me fascinated about the city were the following:
- Many ghats on the riverside. The Ganges riverside
is were most of the action takes place. The ancient buildings which are topped right next to each other give Varanasi a specific beautiful face. Ghats are the riverfront steps leading straight to the banks of Ganges. Most of the ghats are purely meant for bathing and puja ceremonies while 2 of them are cremation sites.
- Cremation of bodies. As I stated there are 2 ghats where human bodies are being cremated. When taking a boat ride on the Ganges it is possible to see the bodies being burnt right on the riversides in the flames. According to Hindu tradition, being cremated in Varanasi means that it will bring salvation and end your reincarnation cycle.
- Bathing in the Ganges. Many Hindus take on the pilgrimage to Varanasi with the sole purpose to bathe in the Ganges waters and get purified and cleansed from their sins. Hindus believe that the cleansing is required to end one cycle of life and start a new one. From early morning until night time there are people taking baths in the river at ghats constantly.
- Size of the cows. Yes, this actually surprised me. Been travelling around South-East and South-Asia extensively beforehand I am used to the site of cows on the streets. The cows in India and Varanasi are considered holy though, so they are being fed every day which means they have grown to great sizes. Considering that the streets in Varanasi are narrow then sometimes the cows even block all of the traffic.
- Traffic and pollution. This is not something remarkable in India but still worth mentioning that the pollution and traffic are pretty bad in Varanasi. Small streets next to the Ganges are packed of people and motorbikes in the evenings. The river water is really polluted. Well, everything just happens right next to the river – bathing pilgrims, burning bodies and the sewage from the city is most probably also just released right into the river.
As I got to feel it the moment I stepped out my hostel door upon arrival when a random guy was yelling nonsense on the street, Varanasi is truly a crazy place. I have never experienced a place like that before and it gives a face for religious madness. What a
To get a bit better feeling of all of it, then check out the video of my visit to Varanasi from here.
