Things we learned while walking the Ghats along the Ganges in Varanasi.
The word Varanasi is an ancient name meaning the city between two rivers- the Varuna and Assi, both of which flow into the Ganges. It has been a center of learning and civilization for over 2000 years, and claims to be one of the oldest living cities in the world.
The city of Shiva on the bank of the sacred Ganges, Varanasi is one of the holiest places in India.
Hindu pilgrims come to bathe in the waters of the Ganges, a ritual that washes away all sins. It is believed that if you die in Varanasi, and have your funeral pyre on the banks of the Ganges and your ashes scattered in the Ganges, it ensures a release from the cycle of rebirths (reincarnations) and an instant passport to heaven.
The Ganges water is thought to be the purist holy water there is. At the edge of the water on the city’s famous ghats (steps which lead down to the river), the most intimate rituals of life take place in public. It is used for daily ablutions, bathing, washing clothes and for religious pujas. The water is thought to cure many illnesses. However, a water sample tested showed a fecal coliform rate 250,000 times higher than the WHO safe maximum!
Achieving enlightenment allows one to escape the cycle of reincarnation and attain Nirvana.
In the Hindu religion women are not able to reach enlightenment. The reason they cannot reach enlightenment or become a Sadhu (a wandering religious ascetic who gives up all material possessions to enter the fourth stage of the ideal Hindu life) is because women are said to be unable to give up attachments, principally their children.
Instead, women who die along the Ganges in Varanasi, hope to be reincarnated as a man and therefore come one-step closer to reaching enlightenment.
Varanasi is famous throughout India for silk fabrics and saris.
We will leave Varanasi on March 3rd, one day before is the Indian New Year called Holi, which falls on March 4th. This is one of the most exuberant Hindu festivals, with people marking the end of winter by throwing colored water and gulal (powder) at one another. On the night before Holi, bonfires are built to symbolize the destruction of the evil demon Holika. This is mainly a Northern festival as there is no real winter in the south.
Another interpretation we have been given is that people celebrate the New Year by cleaning themselves, getting rid of their old clothes and putting on new ones. In the morning of the 4th people throw colored water and powder on each other while wearing their old clothes before changing into their new clothes and joining family and friends to share a celebratory meal. This way they will start the New Year with a fresh beginning.
For the poor, the Holi festival is particularly important because it is the one time of the year that they make a real effort to have new clothes. Often it is the only time during the year that this happens as they can sometimes wear this same outfit until Holi day comes up again.
Steven and Kathleen took an hour-long bicycle rickshaw ride to pick up our airline tickets for Nepal and they were amazed at the shops full of people preparing for their New Year celebrations.
The word Varanasi is an ancient name meaning the city between two rivers- the Varuna and Assi, both of which flow into the Ganges. It has been a center of learning and civilization for over 2000 years, and claims to be one of the oldest living cities in the world.
The city of Shiva on the bank of the sacred Ganges, Varanasi is one of the holiest places in India.
Hindu pilgrims come to bathe in the waters of the Ganges, a ritual that washes away all sins. It is believed that if you die in Varanasi, and have your funeral pyre on the banks of the Ganges and your ashes scattered in the Ganges, it ensures a release from the cycle of rebirths (reincarnations) and an instant passport to heaven.
The Ganges water is thought to be the purist holy water there is. At the edge of the water on the city’s famous ghats (steps which lead down to the river), the most intimate rituals of life take place in public. It is used for daily ablutions, bathing, washing clothes and for religious pujas. The water is thought to cure many illnesses. However, a water sample tested showed a fecal coliform rate 250,000 times higher than the WHO safe maximum!Achieving enlightenment allows one to escape the cycle of reincarnation and attain Nirvana.
In the Hindu religion women are not able to reach enlightenment. The reason they cannot reach enlightenment or become a Sadhu (a wandering religious ascetic who gives up all material possessions to enter the fourth stage of the ideal Hindu life) is because women are said to be unable to give up attachments, principally their children.
Instead, women who die along the Ganges in Varanasi, hope to be reincarnated as a man and therefore come one-step closer to reaching enlightenment.
Varanasi is famous throughout India for silk fabrics and saris.
We will leave Varanasi on March 3rd, one day before is the Indian New Year called Holi, which falls on March 4th. This is one of the most exuberant Hindu festivals, with people marking the end of winter by throwing colored water and gulal (powder) at one another. On the night before Holi, bonfires are built to symbolize the destruction of the evil demon Holika. This is mainly a Northern festival as there is no real winter in the south.Another interpretation we have been given is that people celebrate the New Year by cleaning themselves, getting rid of their old clothes and putting on new ones. In the morning of the 4th people throw colored water and powder on each other while wearing their old clothes before changing into their new clothes and joining family and friends to share a celebratory meal. This way they will start the New Year with a fresh beginning.
For the poor, the Holi festival is particularly important because it is the one time of the year that they make a real effort to have new clothes. Often it is the only time during the year that this happens as they can sometimes wear this same outfit until Holi day comes up again.
Steven and Kathleen took an hour-long bicycle rickshaw ride to pick up our airline tickets for Nepal and they were amazed at the shops full of people preparing for their New Year celebrations.
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