what is varanasi for you

yatrayatra

Varanasi - it is a big garbage dump ? it is a treasure house !

What is your experience ?

shilpaks

hey yatra
i was at varnasi a month back.
am pasting this from my journal : long one but pls bear with me

Kasi, Varnasi or Benaras , call it by whatever name you want, it still holds a significant place in the mind of a Hindu. I was excited from the day I decided to travel to this city, not because of the temples, but since it would be a chance to see the Ganga river.

Benaras is a vibrant city, with respect to the cultures, the people, the colors & the place itself. Where else would you find temples and mosques and monasteries all within an hour travel from each other.

The city itself is not different from any religious city in India- dirt and crowded. But what set it apart for me was the fact that I could take boat rides whenever I felt like it.

Lemme begin at the beginning then.

Reached Varnasi on Saturday morning, checked into a hotel on the ghat. My recommendation, if you decide to go there look for a hotel right on the ghat, will save you a lot of trouble, especially during the monsoon season.

I took one look at the sky and I was thinking “There goes my chance of seeing a red-orange sunrise or sunset” since it was that cloudy.

Then we decided to go to Sarnath. It’s the first place Buddha preached at after receiving enlightenment. The Bodh Gaya tree that I read about in school was right there in front of me.

I was very impressed with the Archeological museum that houses many of the sculptures they excavated at the site. The sculptures themselves were extremely intricate & made me wonder that with those resources , the artist came up with such awesome pieces of work, where are such pieces of art in today’s world with so many available resources, or where are such artists. There are 2-3 monasteries one next to the other with a jain temple throw in as well.



The song “khaike paan benaras wali…” made me try a paan after a middle-eastern thali (pita bread and hummus and forgot the names of the other dishes :P). All kinds of cuisine is available at Varnasi to appease travelers from across the world.



Then began my love story with the Ganga, my first boat ride…also saw the ganga puja from the boat itself. To me this was the most spiritual part of the trip- celebration of nature. Don’t know much about what each ritual they did was but the overall effect was so nice that I bought a vcd of the puja.



Dinner was amidst Hindustani musical artists – Varnasi has many musicians & artists that have made a name for themselves across the globe.



Next day was the early morning boat ride. Had to get up at 4:30 in the morning for that but was awake the minute I got into the boat J Dozed off for a while at the hotel after the ride & then walked around the galli’s since we decided to skip the temples. But went to the Vishawanath temple coz I happen to be on that street. It was a little disappointing to see that only hindus were allowed inside but I guess this is owing to the recent bomb blast in Varnasi. Then came the boat ride to the other side of the ganga. To see the whole city of Varnasi from the other side was a beautiful sight.

Had a late lunch & chilled out at a river side roof top restaurant with my book till it was time to leave.

Do I regret not going to the temples? Not really since all temples would be pretty much the same ....if I had to do it al lover again I would have still left out the temples & added as many boat rides on the ganga as I possibly could have.

somnath

I agree with Shilpa - Benaras is a vibrant city.
Varanasi is a very attractive city to me. Correct me if I am wrong, this is probably the only place (OK there are so many holy places where dying means confirmed reservation to the heaven) on earth where people come to die. And the tradition remains same since last hundreds of years.
Different people different activities absolutely busy streets milk products like rabri, lassi (with a pinch of bhang, he he…), fragrance of Banarsi Paan with some special jarda (tobaco) just unique atmosphere !!!!

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shilpaks

rite somnath beauty lies in the eyes of the beholder !!
i have uploaded snaps of the varnasi i saw in my folder, check it out.

somnath

Lovely pix . Charland is really looks like a sea beach.
BTW, is http://www.indiamike.com/photopost/s...ser/13426/sl/s it Manikarnika ghat, Shilpa?

- Somnath

capt_mahajan

Unfortunately, Varanasi (in the trip I made there 23 years ago) to me became synonymous with organised religion's crass exploitation of death... I never went back.

fromusawithluv

Just left Varanasi last night. After 27 years, I revisited Varanasi. It was more of a personal visit for me - a calling I've had since a long time!
Too much to say at the moment. Hardly slept a moment - never felt like I missed sleep. Never felt like I belonged anywhere else!

Yes, it's filthy at places, chaotic traffic, scammers everywhere...BUT..... it was HEAVEN for me!

I felt like I came home...

more later...and pics too.

can't wait to go back again - God willing!

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shilpaks

ty
nope thts a pic from my room balcony in schindia ghat.

jgv

I really enjoyed Varanassi contrary to what I had read in textbooks that insinuated I may not.

I like walking around the alleyways.

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skinnylatte

My friend and I — two young single females, dressed up and covered up to — were eve-teased 3 times by 3 different men while walking the short distance from Main ghat to Scindhia ghat. All of them tried to kiss me (and announced so), despite our ignoring them from the start.

Even though the religious aspect is fantastic — coming from a background which is less "india is so exotic" and more "my neighbour upstairs chants Hindu prayers and i've heard it for the last 20 years and another neighbour is a great traditional yoga teacher"...

It might be a while before I go back again. I'm sure it's fantastic for some other people.

Darmabum

Just returned this August from six months in Varanasi, my second six month stay there. Varanasi . . . the word itself unleashes so many memories. It is everything anyone says it is. For me it is distilled India - put India into a pot, bring it to a boil, let it simmer until one drop is left; that drop is Varanasi.

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Casey

We were constantly annoyed by the "come see my brothers shop" at the guesthouse we were staying at, even when we had an hour to catch our train. I think had we stayed elsewhere, our brief visit to would have been better. The tourist who insisted on taking photos of the burning ghats, even though our boatman was really upset, put a damper on our boatride down the Ganges. I thought I would have to push him overboard (obnoxious guy, not the boatman). This was the only place I had the purple powder thrown in my fact (no, it wasn't Holi) Another trip we may have a different experience, but on my last trip it was the least favorite part due to a number of negative experiences in a short period of time. Perhaps, had we actually been able to get to where we wanted to stay in the first place, our experience would have been different. I certainly would never discourage anyone from going there, and can understand the cities appeal.

nevilleb

Just got back a while back from Varanasi as I needed to scout the place out for a photo tour I'm going to be conducting there next week, and here are my impressions:

It's reputed to be the oldest city on earth. Not only is it old, but it's really, really crowded. It would seem that no one has ever moved out of the city, nor died.. it's that crowded!

Dirty? Yes. But amazing, truly amazing!

nevilleb

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Darmabum

thanks for sharing the photos. Very glad you made the jump from whatever it was you were doing to photography. Can't wait to see what you see in Varanasi, hope you share 'em with us. Namaste. Scott P.S. among it's other names Varanasi is also Kashi - The City of Light. Some of my all-time images come from there.

Shiver me Timbers

It is both!