We came to find out that the so called “birds on the runway” yesterday was really another plane on the runway that we needed to steer clear of.
We were up before dawn to get on the Ganges River to watch the sun rise. There was a thick fog, and we weren’t sure it would lift. We bused as close as we could, and walked the final 1/3 of a mile or so, through the most pitiful collection of beggars one would ever see. Varanasi is the holiest city in India. More than 20,00 people arrive daily, most of whom are here on pilgrimage to bathe in the Ganges. They are obligated to donate to the poor, so the poor come out in droves. We got onto a boat to see the sunrise. No luck. We could barely see the shoreline. There were people bathing, people selling, and at one place they were cremating their dead. That is the other thing about this place: you come here to die and be cremated on the Ganges and have your ashes spread in the river. We did not see anyone without clothes walking the streets (they do that here, also).
Later on in the day, we had an introduction to Buddhism. We went to a town outside of Varanasi called Sarnath, which was the birthplace of Buddhism. Buddha was not born here, but studied and meditated here to come up with his 8 fold path to enlightenment. There was an archeological park where old Buddhist temples had been dating to the 10th century. There were lots of Japanese and other Indian Buddhists who were making pilgrimages to this site, and they were just as fascinated by us as we were with them. Everyone wanted a picture with the other “other”. It was very cute to see everyone laughing about it. We also went into an archeological museum that had early artifacts. There were no paintings or anything that could be affected by light, but we were not allowed to take any pictures of the statues.
At the end of the afternoon, we went back to the Ganges for another boat ride. THIS was a trip. The few million people that were still sleeping early in the morning were now out on the street. There were cars, cabs, motorcycles, cows, pedestrians, and busses. We got as far as we could by bus, then piled into bicycle pedicabs, with two people in each one, to take us down to the river. At one point, the mass of people was so great, that a cop didn’t want to let us pass. Ritu had some magic for the policeman, and suddenly the way opened. We got to the river, and now that the fog had lifted from the morning, we saw that the width of the river was only a few hundred yards. We hadn’t been able to see anything earlier. We got on the boats and went upriver to a funeral site. There were at least 8 bodies burning, and a few more that were lit as we watched. It is very holy to be cremated by the Ganges, and even others have their ashes dumped into a river that flows into the Ganges. Hindus believe that if their ashes can be placed in the Ganges they will be released from the cycle of birth and rebirth and their soul will be able to rest in peace. After sunset, we came back to our starting place for the evening ceremony. This has been done daily for the last 2800 years. There were thousands of observers, not only on the steps, but also the tourists and Indians in boats. They started with blowing of conch shells (“Tekiah”), and then had incense and fiery incantations with multiple bells continually ringing. It was a very impressive show.
After the ceremony we were back on our bicycle rickshaws to get back to the bus. Now there was really a huge night market going on, not only on a few streets as we had seen in Taiwan, but entire neighborhoods. Everybody was on the street and every store was open and everyone was shopping. Again, seeing traffic at this level was enough to make me break out the nitro. Earplugs would have helped, also, as you don’t drive anything here without leaning on the horn. I did see one sign that said “No Horns”, which I thought was a big joke.
We were up before dawn to get on the Ganges River to watch the sun rise. There was a thick fog, and we weren’t sure it would lift. We bused as close as we could, and walked the final 1/3 of a mile or so, through the most pitiful collection of beggars one would ever see. Varanasi is the holiest city in India. More than 20,00 people arrive daily, most of whom are here on pilgrimage to bathe in the Ganges. They are obligated to donate to the poor, so the poor come out in droves. We got onto a boat to see the sunrise. No luck. We could barely see the shoreline. There were people bathing, people selling, and at one place they were cremating their dead. That is the other thing about this place: you come here to die and be cremated on the Ganges and have your ashes spread in the river. We did not see anyone without clothes walking the streets (they do that here, also).
Later on in the day, we had an introduction to Buddhism. We went to a town outside of Varanasi called Sarnath, which was the birthplace of Buddhism. Buddha was not born here, but studied and meditated here to come up with his 8 fold path to enlightenment. There was an archeological park where old Buddhist temples had been dating to the 10th century. There were lots of Japanese and other Indian Buddhists who were making pilgrimages to this site, and they were just as fascinated by us as we were with them. Everyone wanted a picture with the other “other”. It was very cute to see everyone laughing about it. We also went into an archeological museum that had early artifacts. There were no paintings or anything that could be affected by light, but we were not allowed to take any pictures of the statues.
At the end of the afternoon, we went back to the Ganges for another boat ride. THIS was a trip. The few million people that were still sleeping early in the morning were now out on the street. There were cars, cabs, motorcycles, cows, pedestrians, and busses. We got as far as we could by bus, then piled into bicycle pedicabs, with two people in each one, to take us down to the river. At one point, the mass of people was so great, that a cop didn’t want to let us pass. Ritu had some magic for the policeman, and suddenly the way opened. We got to the river, and now that the fog had lifted from the morning, we saw that the width of the river was only a few hundred yards. We hadn’t been able to see anything earlier. We got on the boats and went upriver to a funeral site. There were at least 8 bodies burning, and a few more that were lit as we watched. It is very holy to be cremated by the Ganges, and even others have their ashes dumped into a river that flows into the Ganges. Hindus believe that if their ashes can be placed in the Ganges they will be released from the cycle of birth and rebirth and their soul will be able to rest in peace. After sunset, we came back to our starting place for the evening ceremony. This has been done daily for the last 2800 years. There were thousands of observers, not only on the steps, but also the tourists and Indians in boats. They started with blowing of conch shells (“Tekiah”), and then had incense and fiery incantations with multiple bells continually ringing. It was a very impressive show.
After the ceremony we were back on our bicycle rickshaws to get back to the bus. Now there was really a huge night market going on, not only on a few streets as we had seen in Taiwan, but entire neighborhoods. Everybody was on the street and every store was open and everyone was shopping. Again, seeing traffic at this level was enough to make me break out the nitro. Earplugs would have helped, also, as you don’t drive anything here without leaning on the horn. I did see one sign that said “No Horns”, which I thought was a big joke.
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