Varanasi is the spiritual
center of India. It is known for
its Shiva Temples. (There are over 100,000 Shiva Temples in Varanasi.) It is the place
that all Hindus want to die and be creamated. Hindus believe that half of their sins will be forgiven if
they just walk in Varanasi. All of
their sins will be forgiven if they bathe in the Ganges River. If they are cremated at the banks
of the Ganges then Hindus believe that the cycle of death and rebirth will be
broken and they will be at peace. This is called Moksha. Varanasi is important to Buddhists since it is the place of the first
sermon of the Bhudda. Varanasi is
also a heritage area for the Muslims since the area was conquered by Muslims in
earlier times.
On our first night Dr
Tripathi takes us down to the Ganges to observe the religious bathing and
praying and washing and activities of the people.
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| In the evening at one of the ghats |
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| People in the Ganges |
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| Temples are everywhere |
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| Boats to ride down the Ganges |
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| The men in orange have come to pray and bathe in the Ganges |
Each night Priests give thanks for the day and the blessings
of life. It was a colorful display
of incense, flowers, conch shell blowing, fire and water. There are 7 priests performing the same
rituals at the same time. The
music and singing is engaging. 95
percent of those around us know the words and are chanting and singing and
clapping with the Priests. Dr.
Tripathi later told us that most of those attending are Hindu pilgrims from
India. Their faces are glowing
with the excitement of the rituals.
The mood is ceremonial and upbeat.
There is no sorrow or regret.
It is more like a devotional carnival. The rituals last 45 minutes and begin and end with the conch
shell blowing.
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| Nightly performance by 7 Priests |
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| The crowd watching the performance |
Following the ceremony we
take a Rickshaw ride back to our car since cars are not allowed in the narrow
alleys and streets that lead to the Ghats (stairs) down to the Ganges
River.
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| Rickshaw Ride |
Street life is at the same
time overwhelming and spectacular.
On the way we see a wedding processional with revelry, celebration,
crazy dancing by the men, and costumed horses and riders.
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| A wedding procession |
We make arrangements to meet
Dr. Tripathi at 5:15 am the next morning so we can make our way to the Ghats
and hire a boat to observe the sunrise and ceremonies from the Ganges
River. There are 2 ghats that have cremations of bodies. It is an important ritual for the Hindu people. There are about 150 done each day.
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| Near the ghat of burning bodies |
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| Wood stockpile for burning bodies |
The sunrise is
spectacular.
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| Barb going out on the boat for a sunrise cruise |
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| Barb taking photos |
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| Amazing sunrise |
This holy city belongs to the
world. Tibetan monks and
royalties from all countries and many religions come here to worship. Shiva temples in Varanasi number 100,000.
Varanasi is sacred to the
Buddhists since Sidartha gave his first sermon or lessons nearby at Sarnath,
just 10 kilometers away in about 500 BC.
Prince Sidartha was born the son of a King in present day Nepal. He had no interest in normal childhood
things and the King was worried.
The King consulted with his advisors and they told him to choose a wife
for the Prince. So, the Prince got
married at the age of 15 and lived in luxury with his wife for 15 years. He did not leave his palace during that
time and he knew only luxury. He
was not content and asked his servant to show him the outside world. His servant took him outside and they
came upon an old man. Sidartha was
distraught and asked why this man is old and frail. The servant replied that it is the same for all and someday
we must all grow old. Sidartha was
so upset that he asked to be taken back to the palace. The next day he asked his servant to
take him out again. They came upon
a sick man. Sidartha was
distraught. Why is this man
sick? Why is this bad thing
allowed to happen? Sidartha did
not understand. He was so unhappy
that he went back to the Palace.
He returned the next day and saw the untouchable poor people and
disadvantaged. He was so
distraught that he began to pull out his hair. He fasted for many days drinking only water. He left his palace and wife and son, went into the mountains, and traveled as a
priest. One day it was given to
him the wisdom that the Middle Way is the correct way and that we should avoid
the extremes of pleasure and pain.
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| Stupa at Sarnath |
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| Large group of Stupas uncovered |
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| Carving on the large stupa where Buddha gave his first sermon |
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| Uncovering stupas |
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| New statue of Buddha that is the tallest in India |
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| Barb at the large stupa |
There is an archeological museum at Sarnath. There are amazing artifacts, but no cameras are allowed.
Dr. Tripathi tells us that
Buddhism is an off shoot of Hinduism.
It is a simplification of Hinduism. Hindus have no problem accepting the teachings of the great
Buddha. Buddhists and Hindus live
side by side in harmony.
There is some sub-surface
conflict with the Muslims since centuries ago the Muslims conquered this area
and tore down Hindu temples and replaced them with Mosques. Some Hindus want to tear down Mosques
and rebuild the sacred Hindu temples.
There is a heavy military presence at one or two of the temples that are
at the center of the dispute. But
as far as we can see and sense there is no open conflict or disdain between
religions. All people seem to mix
without problem. Generally the
Hindu religion is very liberal and accepting of all other religions and
beliefs.
When we returned to the hotel we relaxed by having massages. We also went to a yoga class to learn from a yogi. We worked on stretching, breathing and meditation. Our teacher made fun of modern techniques such as "hot yoga" taught in the USA.
