We arrived in Varanassi after a 13 hour train ride yesterday morning. We made a smooth transition into an auto rickshaw, and headed toward town about a half hour's drive in traffic. I have heard many stories about Varanassi...mostly concerning how intense, dirty, loud, dangerous, polluted and unruly this town is.... and it is quite possibly all of these things. But as we rode down the streets and looked at the sewage water running down the gutters; the backed up traffic and non-stop loud car horns; the beggars... breathed in the smokey, polluted air; the smell of cow poop and human pee which permeates nearly ever corner of the city....... I saw only Beauty. The raw-ness of this place feels so real, and I can see the intensity is there, but it just doesn't feel so intense to me. This is a way of life, and through all the grime and garbage, I felt a connection to this place. After two days here... I still see only beauty... so the question then, is, WHERE does beauty live?? Where does it really exist?? Is it the world outside of us in which we are looking at??? Or does it live inside of us? In a place where beauty is eternal...
Varanassi is the kind of place you can only either love or hate. There is no place for logic here. If you approach this place from your mind, and place judgements on everything you see, always wanting it to be different than the way it is... then you will hate it. If you approach it from the Heart, and accept it as it is, and meet it with an open mind... you may find that you Love it.
Ben and I found a guesthouse right away called "Om Home". Its actually quite nice and we like it a lot... the restaurant serves tastey food to the table on the balcony outside our room for very cheap so we are able to have tea and meals right at our room! A luxury I have never before experienced. This being said, its not a resort.. by india standards its quite nice.. by western... perhaps lacking. We like it though, and Ben has grown used to the fact that his knees touch the wall while he sits on the toilet!
We spent yesterday and today exploring the town. We walked along the Ganga (which is FAR dirtier here than in Rishikesh, where I did finally take a swim in her purifying waters), from Ghat to Ghat (a ghat is a set of steps going down to the river). We passed many men asking if we wanted a boat down the river- obviously a big money maker for them. We passed a Ghat which we have coined "Ghat Poop" as it seems to be where poeple come to do their business and PeeU! It stinks. We have heard so many stories about being hassled non-stop by people selling things; scams; sexual harrassment; etc... we have had none of this. We have been met by kindness, laughter, and Varanassi has thus far been very gentle for us. We both love it here.
By late afternoon yesterday, we finally made it to burning Ghat. This is the Ghat where the old and sick go to spend there last days waiting to die. This is where the bodies of loved ones are brought to be placed on pyres. The bodies are wrapped up in beautiful fabrics and placed on big piles of wood, with logs then placed on top of them. The bodies are burned slowly and many gather around to watch. There are upwards of 15-20 pyres burning at a time. We saw only 2 other Indian women there among the few hundred men, aside from a few western women. I am not sure if it a local custom for women not to attend or if they choose it, but I felt blessed to be allowed to see this. Interestingly, I didn't feel or think much as I saw this for the first time. I felt curious and found myself wanting a closer look. I was intrigued by the way in which the bodies were handled and the emotions or lack of, from family members. I wasn't sure how I would feel about this experience, but I actually found it to be very beautiful. Instead of putting bodies in a box in the ground and trying to keep the Earth out... These bodies were being cremated in a very sacred way, so that their loved ones might have a chance at ending the cycles of rebirth and move into the more heavenly realms. It is done from a place of love, and does not feel at all like a horrific scene. It is said that the burning of the bodies is a purifying process. No, pictures may be taken at Burning Ghat, this experience is reserved for pilgrimage only.
It is also the music capital and well known for music and voice lessons, and classial Indian concerts. Ben and I dipped into a very beautiful concert this evening for our first experience of live music in India.
It is a powerful place, Varanassi, unlike any other place in the world. Once must be open to recieve the Truth that lies in meeting all this town has to offer.. When the Truth is met... Great awakening is possible...
Varanassi is the kind of place you can only either love or hate. There is no place for logic here. If you approach this place from your mind, and place judgements on everything you see, always wanting it to be different than the way it is... then you will hate it. If you approach it from the Heart, and accept it as it is, and meet it with an open mind... you may find that you Love it.
Ben and I found a guesthouse right away called "Om Home". Its actually quite nice and we like it a lot... the restaurant serves tastey food to the table on the balcony outside our room for very cheap so we are able to have tea and meals right at our room! A luxury I have never before experienced. This being said, its not a resort.. by india standards its quite nice.. by western... perhaps lacking. We like it though, and Ben has grown used to the fact that his knees touch the wall while he sits on the toilet!
We spent yesterday and today exploring the town. We walked along the Ganga (which is FAR dirtier here than in Rishikesh, where I did finally take a swim in her purifying waters), from Ghat to Ghat (a ghat is a set of steps going down to the river). We passed many men asking if we wanted a boat down the river- obviously a big money maker for them. We passed a Ghat which we have coined "Ghat Poop" as it seems to be where poeple come to do their business and PeeU! It stinks. We have heard so many stories about being hassled non-stop by people selling things; scams; sexual harrassment; etc... we have had none of this. We have been met by kindness, laughter, and Varanassi has thus far been very gentle for us. We both love it here.
By late afternoon yesterday, we finally made it to burning Ghat. This is the Ghat where the old and sick go to spend there last days waiting to die. This is where the bodies of loved ones are brought to be placed on pyres. The bodies are wrapped up in beautiful fabrics and placed on big piles of wood, with logs then placed on top of them. The bodies are burned slowly and many gather around to watch. There are upwards of 15-20 pyres burning at a time. We saw only 2 other Indian women there among the few hundred men, aside from a few western women. I am not sure if it a local custom for women not to attend or if they choose it, but I felt blessed to be allowed to see this. Interestingly, I didn't feel or think much as I saw this for the first time. I felt curious and found myself wanting a closer look. I was intrigued by the way in which the bodies were handled and the emotions or lack of, from family members. I wasn't sure how I would feel about this experience, but I actually found it to be very beautiful. Instead of putting bodies in a box in the ground and trying to keep the Earth out... These bodies were being cremated in a very sacred way, so that their loved ones might have a chance at ending the cycles of rebirth and move into the more heavenly realms. It is done from a place of love, and does not feel at all like a horrific scene. It is said that the burning of the bodies is a purifying process. No, pictures may be taken at Burning Ghat, this experience is reserved for pilgrimage only.
It is also the music capital and well known for music and voice lessons, and classial Indian concerts. Ben and I dipped into a very beautiful concert this evening for our first experience of live music in India.
It is a powerful place, Varanassi, unlike any other place in the world. Once must be open to recieve the Truth that lies in meeting all this town has to offer.. When the Truth is met... Great awakening is possible...
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