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Nicole's
Travelogues and Budget Travel Tips..
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VARANASI, INDIA
We took the overnight train from Agra to Varanasi. We went to the train station about 7:15 for our 8:00 train. While we were waiting for the train, we experienced train station life once again. It was a pretty uneventful train ride - most of it being in the dark, so we couldn't enjoy the scenery passing by. We booked 3AC class which means 3 sleeper beds per side and AC. We talked for a bit with a family sitting across from us and had dinner on the train (yellow dahl, rice). We went to bed about 10pm. We were supposed to arrive in Varanasi at 6am so I set my alarm for 5:30 (since it wasn't the end of the line). Well, at 5:15 I woke up for some reason to find out that we were 1 minute away from our station. So I woke everyone up and we got our stuff together and ran off the train just in the nick of time! Whew!
The culture of Varanasi is deeply associated with the river Ganga and its religious importance.
Smells smells smells. You really don't notice the smell unless it rains or has rained heavily the night before. In Varanasi, it had rained the night before. As we walked along the Ganges & ghats, the smell was horrendous. There was one back alley we took and a bulldozer was scooping up garbage - OMG!!! That REALLY released the smell. I almost threw up it was sooooo bad. And yet as we were passing, there was also a beautiful flock of yellow butterflies passing as well. Oh the contrasts of India! Fantastic! |
Sadhus In Hinduism, sadhu is a common term for an ascetic or practitioner of yoga (yogi) who has given up pursuit of the first three Hindu goals of life: kama (pleasure), artha (wealth and power) and even dharma (duty). The sadhu is solely dedicated to achieving moksha (liberation) through meditation and contemplation of God. Although the term Sadhu has its roots in Hinduism it is also used for followers of other religions, if they live a Sadhu life. Jainism is a very ascetic religion, and although Sikhism discourages asceticism, there are Sikh Sadhus as well.
Ganges River The Ganges River is a river of northern India and Bangladesh. The river has a long history of reverence in India and is worshipped by Hindus as a goddess. It is often called the 'holy Ganga' or 'Ganga ma' (mother Ganga). The total length of the river is about 2,510 km (1,557 mi). Along with another river Yamuna, it forms a large and fertile basin, known as the Gangetic plains, stretching across north India and Bangladesh, and supports one of the highest densities of human population in the world. Indeed, about one in every 12 people on earth (8.5% of world population) live in its catchment area. Due to this incredible concentration of population, pollution and the destruction of habitats are matters of serious concern. In Hinduism, the river Ganga (feminine) is sacred. It is worshipped by Hindus and personified as a goddess, who holds an important place in the Hindu religion. Hindu belief holds that bathing in the river on certain occasions causes the forgiveness of sins and helps attain salvation. Many people believe that this will come from bathing in Ganga at any time. People travel from distant places to immerse the ashes of their kin in the waters of the Ganga; this immersion also is believed to send the ashes to heaven. Several places sacred to Hindus lie along the banks of the river Ganga, including Haridwar and Kashi. People carry sacred water from the Ganges that is sealed in copper pots after making the pilgrimage to Kashi. It is believed that drinking water from the Ganga with one's last breath will take the soul to heaven. Hindus also believe life is incomplete without bathing in the Ganga at least once in their lifetime. |
Rats roamed the tracks, children begged which ripped at your heart, a bird shit on my head (supposedly good luck, hahaha), and we browsed the stands for train snacks. 
When we got off the train it was HOT and wet outside. The last thing you want to do at 5:15am is deal with tuktuk drivers in the heat but we found some and got to our hotel. We stayed at the Temple on the Ganges Hotel near the Assi Ghat. Our room was 350Rs for a double with ensuite bath (450Rs if you have a room with river view). It was fairly clean with western toilets that didn't flush - so we did the bucket flush, which works just as well. Due to its proximity to the holy Ganges, no alcohol was allowed in the hotel. We slept for a few hours, then walked around visiting the ghats. 
Varanasi is the most holy city in Hinduism and it is the oldest continually inhabited city in the world. More than 1,000,000 pilgrims visit the city each year. The name Varanasi probably derives from the two rivers that flank the city, the Varana to the north and the Asi to the south. 
Everyday thousands of residents and pilgrims bathe, offer prayers to the elements, to the rising sun, and to their dead ancestors who have been carried away by these waters. You see dhobi wallahs (laundry men) doing their laundry. What draws people to the river is an ingrained belief that these waters can absolve the sins of many generations. Everyone has their own way of celebrating the ritual contact with the holy Ganga: some bathe; other dip themselves entirely into the water once, thrice or any number of times; some drink the water; other make water offerings to the sun; while others fill their pots with holy water to take back to their homes to perform rituals and purification.The offerings to the sacred waters vary. Pilgrims give flowers, fruits, lamps and their respectful prayers. 
One day I pretty much did nothing but hang around the Assi Ghat all day. I watched the sadhus (definition in right column), cows, dogs, kids,
beggars, boats and mungphali (peanut) vendors for hours. 
