I started my journey from Hyderabad, taking a long route, to Benaras. I am a solo traveller now, but soon I was going to meet my travel partners in benaras. The train reached the “Varanasi” station 3 hrs late and my excitement to see the first glimpse of the city was bursting out from my face. I quickly booked an auto from the station and guided him through the city. Prior to visiting some place, I do extensive research on roads and maps. I always try to take a long route through the city to my destination. It gives me most opportunities to gauge the city life.
I reached my homestay in the heart of the city. It was an old house, fairly decorated and lit with candlelight lanterns. The gate squeaked when I pushed it and then I was welcomed warmly by the property owner. It was late evening and I badly required a cup of coffee. I sat down with the landlady. She was in her late 60’s. We shared our stories until my friends arrived. She told me how the city remained the same since her childhood. I was eagerly listening to her!
The next dawn, we started early. It was 4 am when we got ready for our walk to the Ganga Ghat & Vishawanath Temple. My friends and I took the narrow, dimly lit lanes of benaras to reach the dashashwamedh ghat. It was difficult for me to comprehend that it was 4am in the morning as the lane was teemed with voices of people exchanging friendly banters. We reached the ghat and saw few sadhus taking the morning bath. Since we had to visit the temple for puja, we decided to take a holy bath in the river Ganga. After the bath, we headed straight towards the Kashi Vishawanath Mandir.
The sun was just about to rise above the horizon, when we have reached the main entry of Vishwanath temple. There was a long queue of people waiting to offer prayers to Lord Shiva. Along the narrow path, there were numerous shops selling variety of things required for puja. We bypassed few people to get to a flower vendor. We ordered our list of items and packed it and joined the queue. I was observant enough to see different kinds of people doing different chores. Some people were just viewers of the show. Few priests were rushing towards the temple. The tea vendors were preparing the early morning tea for the people. Phew! The city had a charm!!!
After the prayers offered to Lord Shiva, we quickly paced towards the Kachori wala Gali near the temple. This particular street was famous for its Kachoris and potato curry. The fluffy fried flour doughs along with spicy creamy potato curry seems like heaven during the early hours. It is best complimented with a cup of hot Malai tea. We had our hearty breakfast relishing the view of the Ganga and mild breeze filled with the aroma of incense sticks.
After the breakfast we had the urge to visit the most famous crematorium of India. The Manikarnika Ghat! It is one of the oldest ghats in Varanasi. It is belived that Mata Sati sacrificed her life & set her body ablaze after Raja Daksh Prajapati (one of the sons of Lord Brahma) tried to humiliate Lord Shiva in a Yagya practiced by Daksh. Lord Shiva took her burning body to the Himalaya. On seeing the unending sorrow of Lord Shiva, Vishnu sends the Divine chakra to cut the body into 51 parts which fall on earth. They are called “Ekannya Shaktipeeth”. Lord Shiva established Shakti Peeth wherever Sati’s body had fallen. At Manikarnika ghat, Mata Sati’s Ear’s ornament had fallen. In Hinduism, death is considered as a gateway to another life marked by the results of one’s karma. It is believed that a dead human’s soul attains moksha, and hence breaks the cycle of rebirth when cremated here.
After seeing the Manikarnika Ghat, we felt a little sad, a little happy, a little angry and many more mixed emotion. I was astonished by the way people celebrates death in Manikarnika ghat. And this perspective has led me to write up this blog. I felt that life is short and not worth wasting!
My Foodilicious Journey around India! 