Varanasi more popularly known as
Benaras, located at Uttar Pradesh, is a city famous for its ghats (in the bank
of the Ganga river), the Kashi Vishwanath temple (which is one of the 12
jyotirlingams in India) and its University (Beneras Hindu University). It is
undoubtedly a ‘punya bhumi’ which gives one peace of mind and enables one’s
soul to connect to the supernatural energy - GOD. A trip to Varanasi was
planned by me and my mother long ago but it never happened, until one day, I
decided that we buy the tickets and chalk out our itinerary. And this is how
our trip materialized last October, during the period of SHRADH (a Hindu ritual
performed for one’s ancestors, deceased parents and relatives).
We reached Varanasi airport in the
afternoon and proceeded towards the hotel we had booked. As it was a hot
afternoon (it looked like winter was nowhere near the corner) we first checked
in at the hotel and decided to visit the Kashi Vishwanath temple (Shrine of
Lord Shiva) in the evening. The weather in the evening turned somewhat pleasant
and we ventured out. Through the crowded streets our car steered in the
direction of the Vishwanath Temple, which is located at the heart of the city,in
a crowded locality. The streets we walked through were so narrow that not even
two motorcycles could cross at a time. After depositing our sandals, camera and
belongings in a locker in one of the shops near the temple, we queued for
Darshan. In our hands we held a small basket containing earthen lamps, incense
sticks, packet of white sweets (prasadam) flowers and garlands to offer in the
temple. We entered the temple premises and took the help of a local priest to
guide us and show us around. The priest told us about the temple complex which
consists of a series of shrines, located in the Vishwanath Gali. The main deity
is linga Vishwanath which is surrounded by other temples like the Dundi Ganesh,
Annapurna devi, Vinayaka etc. There is a well known as the Jnana Vapi (well of
wisdom), where it is believe that the linga was hidden at the time of invasion
by Aurangzeb. We visited each shrine and took blessings of the Gods. After that
we went to the bank of the river Ganga for the Ganga aarti, which thousands of
pilgrims gather to. We took a boat from the Dashashwamedh Ghat (a ghat is
basically stairs that lead to the river Ganga where pilgrims take bath in the
holy river to attain Moksha and offer prayers) to view the aarti performed by
priests, for about half an hour. It was an ethereal experience; with the
resonance of chants, lit lamps and priests dancing to the tune of the chants
with the lamps in hand. After the aarti we took a boat ride along the ghats and
stopped our boat at the Manikarnika Ghat. This ghat is most known for being a place
of Hindu cremation. We saw pyres burning and there was a beeline of dead bodies
coming in to be cremated. It was an unnerving yet enlightening experience.
After the evening boat ride we retired for the day. The next morning before
sunrise we reached the ghats again for a morning boat ride. It was indeed a
spectacular sight, the sun rising, people bathing and chanting, some people
performing puja, some in other boats soaking in the experience. We bought some
earthen lamps from a vendor, lit them and left in the river to float. Dipping
my feet in the holy water was a heavenly. During the boat ride we stopped the
boat near the Kedar Ghat, alighted and climbed up the steps to the Kedar temple
for darshan. Some other ghats we saw were Raj Ghat, Assi Ghat, Harishchandra
Ghat Munshi ghat to name a few. After the boat ride we had our breakfast and
went to the Kaal Bhairav temple (Shiva shrine). It is a fierce manifestation of
Lord Shiva and is accompanied by a dog. After the temple visit we went to the
Assi Ghat by car, stopped there for a while and on our way back peeked into
Baba Kinaram Sthal, the epicenter of Aghor traditions. Later in the day we went
shopping for sarees, tasted delicacies like chaat, Kachori, thandai, lassi, khoya
malai rabri, Benarasi paan. We also visited the Ramnagar Fort located on the
opposite side of the Ganga Ghats. The fort houses a museum which has unique
artifacts.
From Varanasi we proceeded to Lucknow
via Allahabad,(formerly known as Prayag). At Allahabad we visited the Ananda
Bhavan, built by the Indian leader Motilal Nehru as the Nehru family residence.
After that we went to see the Triveni Sangam, which is the confluence of three
rivers the Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. The place is considered as one of the
sites of the Kumbh mela that happens every 12 years. By evening we reached
Lucknow and stayed there for another day.
This was an incredible journey. While
we boarded our flight for Guwahati, all I could think of was to plan another
visit to these sacred places.
Vasavi Acharya Bora
Feedback may be given at:
vasavi2005@yahoo.com
This write up was published in the Assam Tribune on 29 th July 2016.
http://www.assamtribune.com/scripts/at.asp?id=jul2916/Page20 