We changed hotels from the Radisson to the Hotel Temple on Ganges over by the Assi Ghat. Varanasi is on the Ganges and the ghats (steep steps to the river with a temple above them) number around 100. This is the holiest Hindu city on earth (”the city of Shiva”) and thousans of pilgrims come to bathe in the river each day.
It’s said that if you die in Varanasi, you’re guaranteed ‘moksha’, or liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth, and everyone here seems to know it. Public cremations also occur at designated burning ghats, although we did not actually see any burning occurring when we wandered by, but then again we didn’t look all that hard either. Barges sit nearby with piles of fresh wood, and your family is charged afterwards by however much wood it took to send you on your way. Some who can’t afford to burn just shovel the bodies into the Ganges where they can sometimes be seem floating downstream.
It turns out we spent our entire morning changing hotels. The traffic through the center of town was so gridlocked that it took us an hour and a half to cover the 4 KM. Our auto-rickshaw wallah got 90 rupees for the ordeal (about $2 US) and felt he got a good deal out of it, which he probably did. It should have been closer to 50 or 60 rupees. The difference in economies still baffles us here. Modern encroaches on the traditional and the resulting prices always ensure some surprise. It’s always more for us of course, as has been explained to us many times with a smile, “What’s another 10 rupees to you? America is a very rich country…” So there you have it.
Our afternoon was spent pleasantly walking through the museum at Benares Hindu University. The paintings and stone sculpture on display were from finds all over India, some of them line the hallway in piles. A few were from Khajuraho, so we got another good inspection of the carvings and were still impressed with the detail. A few college students were scattered about on the floor doing pencil sketches of the statues for art classes. So we inspected them, as well, and the detail was just as good. The museum also contained some old pictures and sketches of Varanasi and it did not look like it changed much from the waterfront view.
Our evening had us wandering along the banks of the Ganges towards one of the most popular ghats, the Dasashwamedh. Bells were ringing, drumming and banging was pounding through the air. Altars of marigolds, oil lamps in tree tiers were being danced before a rapt audience of pilgrims, candles were being lit and sent out into the river, stalls in red lighting were selling red and gold altar cloths, beggars were plying their trade of gaining you good karma and food and chai was being sold. The smell of incense was in the air, and every few feet we were whispered to if we wanted to buy some hash. Christmas lights were strung up along the streets, fruit and flower stands were everwhere. Children were crowding shrines where adults were tossing out treats. It was festive beyond compare. We strolled our way along the street with the pilgrims and took in the sights, sounds and smells of the place. For once, India was smelling good (only two cows had wandered by us). Everywhere we looked people were laughing and smiling. Now, this was a pilgrimage that we could appreciate. Sparkly shrines, good food, good music, fire and dancers, a chance to go swimming, and morning mediation to the sounds of flutes. What more could you ask for?
Well, the only thing we could ask for is that they clean up the food hygiene. This time Derrell managed to find some food that had him doubled over the next day. We figure it must have been the milk custard he had for dessert, since everything else we had shared. Then again, we could not really be sure. Sewage still runs out into the gutters. Flies are everywhere. Cow pies are everywhere. Men are urinating everywhere. Food in many of the stalls is uncovered. Folks must have one hell of an immune system built up from living here. Especially if they bathe or swim in the river, the fecal count in the river, according to the guidebook is 1.5 million/1 mL. The safety level for swimming is 500/1 mL. It goes on to note, the water is so septic that no dissolved oxygen exists in the river. Some progress is being made in cleaning it up by upgrading and adding some sewage systems, but we considered that bathing might get us liberated from the death and rebirth cycle a bit sooner than we would like. We wondered how the election promises were currently going.
