Benaras - An Eternal Emotion

Benaras/Varanasi in India is not a place. It is an emotion, an eternity, an awe-evoking sentiment.

I didn't think I would be this captivated by this ancient town of narrow gullies, ghats and godmen. After all, jaded me had seen all that had to be seen on screen, depicted by maestros like Satyajit Ray. But I was mersmerized, and enchanted indeed.

Varanasi = Eternity

The 84 colourful, eclectic ghats stretching from Assi Ghat on one side to Varuna Ghat on the other, and the timeless, eternal Ganga flowing along. 

The kaleidoscopic sky - changing colour with the advent and the setting of the sun. 

The chirping and cackling of various birds, particularly mynahs and parakeets, sparrows and egrets.

The evening lighting up with twinkling lamps and lights around the ghats. 

The medley of colours, cultures, religions, dialects, races. 

The aroma of delicious kachoris and jalebis, and the ephemeral taste of the malaiyo or nimish.  

Just sitting on the ghats can be educative, enchanting, and unbelievably calming to the senses. 

Divinity and peace pervade the atmosphere.

Busy ghats in the morning

You watch people go by, some offering pujas, some clicking the awesome scenario, some interacting with locals, some observing the flow of the river, some enjoying a boat ride, and some sampling the chai at the roadside stalls. You watch the markets throb with sound and activity, colour and pagaentry.  

And the narrow lanes, replete with strolling cows, lapping dogs, mounds of cow dung and dried flowers, are so vibrant and throbbing with life. The steep, slippery ghat steps need real energy and agility to climb, though. Certainly not us car-hopping city slickers' cup of tea.

You can just be in Benaras, just flow with the passage of time. No need to fill your hours doing touristy things. Just sit on the ghat and watch, smell, taste, and feel the magical presence of something beyond the regular. Something that has existed from eternity, and will last probably till the end of time. Something that is so inclusive, so embracing and so warm that everyone feels at home here.

And quietly flows the river

Caution:

Don't go Benarasi saree shopping without proper research and verified sources, however! I learnt it the heard way. Fakes and machine-made stuff abound the markets, and an untrained eye can be easily duped by cunning salespeople. Even a saree enthusiast like me, who is more or less quite aware of handloom and power-loom differences, got tricked.

Lesson learnt: Come to Benaras/Varanasi only for altruism and soul calming. Commercial activities should be left aside!

The splendorous Ganga Aarati on Benaras ghats at sun-down

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