VARANASI
I got off the train in to the blinding sunlight and the hot air. I found the TCI representitive on the concrete platform and he took me down to where the driver was, not far away with his car. It was another one of the usual type touring cars. I was introduced to the driver. His name was Raja. He was a sort of roundish Indian man about 38 or 40 years old. He had all the features of a typical Indian man. His skin was dark and he had sort of brown hair. I didn't realize it at the time but I soon found out that his English was very limited. He took me to the Hotel Meraden Grand hotel where I checked in. I went to my room and took a shower and changed my clothes.
Varanasi is one of the oldest cities in the world. It is the holiest Hindu city where there is non-stop noise and excitement. After the shower and the clean clothes I was to meet the guide in the lobby. I went down and sat in a chair facing the entrance. The lobby was filled with plush furnishings of fine velvet and satin. There were chandeliers of gold with diamond shaped cut glass. The carpets were of some kind of floral design. It was kind of too expensive for my taste but I tried to get used to it.
Pretty soon the guide walked in. He immediately came over to where I was. We met and shook hands. Up until this time on this trip I had a sucsession of younger guides. This guide was older about in his early fifties maybe. He explained to me that he was going to first take me to Sarnath. This is the placed where Buddha preached his first sermon after he was enlightened. I was looking forward to this faze of the trip. This had been what I came to Inda for.
SARNATH
The first thing we did when we got to Sarnath was to go to the Buddhist museum that is near the park where Buddha preached his first sermon. Most everything in the museum was dug up in and around the vicinity of the deer park and where some monasteries once stood. The museum was filled with many artifacts and broken statues of Buddha. In the 14th century the Muslims came through and tried to destroy everything they could find of the Buddhist religion.
King Asoka, who ascended to the throne of a kingdom in northern India in 270BC, was at first an arch enemy of Buddhism spending much time and energy trying to tear down, and destroy the new religion. In his later years he had a change of heart and embraced Buddhism and went around the country erecting pillars and building stupas commerating the Buddha in all the Buddhist sites in India and Nepal. He built the origional stupa in Sarnarth called the Dharmarjla stupa. The present one is built over Asoka's origional stupa.
After recieving supreme enlightenment the newly awakened Buddha decided to find his companions and preach them the Dharma, which means, "teaching". He knew they were in Sarnath because that is where they went when they had abandoned him in Bodhgaya when he had decided not to live the life of self mortification any more. It took him a year to get there because he would only walk for a little while and then rest, then walk a little way more until he finally got there.
When he arrived in Sarnath the five ascetics saw him coming in the distance. They decided not to pay any attention to him at first but as he got closer they changed their mind and embraced him as their old friend. Later in the evening Buddha gathered the ascetics together and preached his first sermon to them. The title of the sermon was, "the turning of the wheel of Dharma". Here he announced to the world for the first time the teaching of the Four Noble Truths, The Eightfold Path, the path to end sorrow and achieve inner peace, enlightenment and Nirvana.
Dharmarajila Stupa in Sarnath
After the museum we walked over to the park. You first walk in and come across the ruins of monasteries and stupas that have been built and destroyed and rebuilt again over the centuries. There have been some excavation of the site in the 20th century. The deer park is quiet and serene.
There is alot of speculation about many of the little structures in the park. One section of Buddhism says he preached his first sermon in one place, another sect says it was in a different place. The large Dharmarjila Stupa is the traditional place where Buddha preached the sermon. I had been looking forward to circa-ambulating the stupa before I came to India, but the day I was there workman were repairing it. There was scaffolding built all around the structure so you couldn't get near it.
The guide told me a few stories about the park. One of them went like this.. For many centuries it had been forgotten that this was a famous place in Buddhist history. There was a nobleman who lived in the area who thought he would use some of the bricks that were laying around in the park. He wanted to build something of his own. One day while some of his workers were digging around they came across a stone box that had ashes in it. Like all good Hindus they took the ashes and box and threw them into the nearby Ganges River. Later when parts of the park were being excavated and this story was told to the archeologists it was thought that these ashes may have been Buddha's since there was a hole in one of the stupas that was found to be the location where the sage's ashes were stored. The hole was empty so it was thought for sure that they found Buddh's ashes.
There are a few noteworthy places in the park that I should mention. North of the monastery and stupas is the place where Buddha meditated when he stayed in Sarnath.
After spending some time in the park we got back in the car and went up the street for a little bit to a temple called Mulegandakuti Vihara which was built by someone of note. The vihara is a hundred feet high and has an statue of Buddha in it along with other relics. There are also paintings of Buddha's life on the walls, painted by a Japanese devotee.
MAP OF INDIA TEMPLE
Back in Varanasi the first place we went was the temple that houses a huge base-relief map of India. The temple was built by some of Gandi's followers in the 1950's. The guide and I went inside and had an interesting conversation about the Ayran's who first came to India from somewhere in Siberia. They brought with them tools and new methods of architecture. They also brought a religion and a way of life that the people of India took as their own and expanded on it. As we were walking out of the temple two large tour busses pulled up and people started streaming out of them. They were either European or American. We got out of there before I could find out.
THE TEMPLE OF DURGA
After this we went to one of the incarnation of one of Vishnu's wives. Vishnu is one of the major gods in Hinduism. Durga is a major goddess in her own right. We got out of the car. The guide informed me that I wasn't allowed in the temple because I am not Hindu. I was only allowed to go as far as the entrance of the temple. I walked up to the temple entrance and waited outside while the guide went in. People were coming and going in and out. Those coming out had a fresh red dot on their foreheads. There seemed to be some kind of commotion goin on inside the temple but I couldn't tell what was going on.
Temple of Durga
On the way back to the car the guide mentioned something about the goddess loving blood.
Durga, The wife of Vishnu
After the temple we fought our way through the traffic back to the hotel. All the streets of the city were now a literal river of people, cars, ox-carts and all other kinds of vehicles. People were out with umbrellas on this hot day to keep the rays of the sun off their faces. To make matters worse a group of people were parading an effigy of the god Viswakarma through the streets. He is the god of carpenters and builders of all types. This was causing a huge traffic jam. The crowds were taking this god to the Ganges River where they would perform a ritual and then cast into the water.
Sweat was pouring from Raja's face as he leaned into the steering wheel. The guide was rolling his eyes and sighing. Twenty years of traffic jams like this were finally getting
Heavy Traffic in Varanasi
to him. Raja tried to go down some back streets but ended up at the intersection of a main thoroughfare and we were stuck in front of a river of humanity that swept before us. After a few minutes of scratching his head and wondering what to do, the guide, Mr. Singh got out of the car and waded into the traffic and stopped a few vehicles. At this point Raja was able to make a left turn. Once in the stream of traffic we went with the flow and eventually made it to the hotel. I would see them bright and early the next morning.
THE GANGES RIVER
I got up around four the next morning so I would be in the lobby by five to meet R.N. Singh and Raja. At exactly five he walked in the lobby. We got in the car and proceeded in the direction of the Ganges River. There were less people on the streets at this time of the morning. Richshaws were out but many were pulled to the side of the street with the driver curled up in the seat sleeping. Most of the shops were closed at this hour, but there were a few that were open. Cows roamed freely on the streets as well as a few starry-eyed tourists.
When we got to the heart of everything and could go no farther by car Raja found a parking place and the guide and I got out. On the streets the crowds were quickly thickening. We made our way in the direction of the waters edge and passed a maze of shops and hawkers at every turn. We were headed downward through well paved and well worn paths and stairways to the boats below. I stopped to buy a butter candle from a girl. I quickly gave her the few ruppees it cost and she handed me a book of matches so I could light it once I got on the boat. We finally made it to the edge of the river. There was some initial disputing and rapid discussing between the guide and the boat handlers. Then I was helped onto a wooden boat by the guide and a boat handler. I sat on the stern. My view was to the back of the boat.
Dasgastwamadh Ghat
Varanasi was spectacular that morning. People were on the ghats performing Hindu rituals and practicing yoga. Men with painted faces were shaving each others heads. The smoke of a funeral pyre could be seen down the way. Some people were washing their clothes. Others were bathing.
Just then a Spanish couple was escorted onto the boat by their guide. They looked to be in their mid-twenties. They sat down to the right of me. Naked boys jumped in the water from a slab of concrete nearby. A man was pouring Ganges water into the river from a silver vessel while looking at the sun. The guide nudged my shoulder and pointed to the sun. "take a look at that". he said. I looked over my left shoulder and witnessed the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. The sun was a beautiful red ball. You could look straight at it. There were no rays coming from it. It was just glorious. I had never seen the sun like that before.
People Washing in the Ganges
The boat handlers thrust the boat from the shore out into open water. My guide was on my left trying to explain to me different things. He pointed out the names of temples and answered any question I had. It was noisy and confusing the first few minutes until we got steady in the water. The two lads that were maning the row boat were around eighteen or nineteen. The one that was rowing was the novice. The skipper was navagating from the bow behind me with a hand held rudder. The rower was having a hard time rowing up stream. He was straining with all his might but didn't seem to be making any progress.
I looked at the Spanish couple. They seemed to be in a state of shock. There was so much going on all around us it seemed as though they couldn't process it all. Their eyes were the size of saucers.
When we were a little way out from shore I lit the butter candle with the matches the girl gave me. It was in a little cup that could float. I put the cup with the candle in the choppy water and watched it quickly float away. When we were about a fourth of a mile from shore the navigator and the rower traded places. The navigator puffed up his muscles and began rowing like he had done it thousands of times before. He took control of the little craft and got it going with little effort and no sweat dripping down his face.
We wre gliding through the water now. We had passed the ghats and all the people. The guide pointed out the water marks on various buildings that showed how far the water had gotten over the years. There was the mark for 1947, and one for 1967 and other dates.
By this time I had started sitting American Indian style. It's just a habit I picked up somewhere. The guide saw me sitting in this fashion and asked me if I practice yoga. I told him, "no". He said Europeans can't sit this way. Their legs are too stiff. I do admit that I do sit that way because it keeps my legs limber. I didn't know that this was yoga.
A Sadu
We passed a holy man meditating, sitting in the lotus position high on a bluff under a tree.
I asked the guide about the unbrellas scattered around on the ghats with people crowded all around them. The guide told me that their is a priest under each umbrella. After the people wash in the Ganges River they go over to the priest where he blesses them and puts a red mark on their forehead.
We kept going for awhile against the currant of the river and then turned around and started back toward where we started. Now it was easier on the rower since we were now going down stream. We came close to a place where they were cremating someone who had recently died. Puffs of smoke rose into the atmosphere. The Spanish speaking guide tells the couple not to take pictures of the cremation scene. When we rowed away from the site he told them they could take pictures now.
I had read before I came on the trip that there was supposed to be Vishnu's footprints in Varanasi somewhere. I had told the guide earlier that I would like to see them. That was the next thing I was going to do. The boat handlers let the Spanish couple and their guide off near a cremation site. We went down the river a little bit and me and the guide got out of the boat. I paid the boat handlers off and then the guide and I went up a little hill and came upon an umbrella. There was a priest blessing a crowd of people that were huddled around the food prints of Vishnu. They were preforming some sort of ritual and reverencing the foot prints.
After a little while the group of people broke up and began to leave. The preist came over to me and with his thumb put a red dot on my forehead. He motioned for me to come over to see the foot prints. I went over and looked at them. The feet were tiny like the feet of a child. Then someone came up to me and told me that Vishnu really did come to Varanasi centuries ago and stand on that spot.
Vishnu
I had showed an interest in going to a place where they cremate people and seeing that first hand so we walked a little and then the guide delivered me into the hands of someone who works in a nearby hospice and also burns their bodies after they die. He took me up
Creamation Along the Banks of The Ganges
some cement stairs to a ghat. I could hear the crackling of a fire as we went up. I could also smell the smoke. It was like a camp fire. I was surprised there was no smell of burning flesh. I could see the unburned legs of a body sticking out of the fire. The guy pulled me aside and started talking to me. He told me how expensive the wood is. I gave him a little money and then left.
I met the guide at the bottom of the stairs. We start walking up the winding lane that leads back to the street above, but first we stop at the place where the Golden Temple is. The guide tells me it is the most important Hindu temple in Varanasi.
The security around the temple was very tight. There had been a bombing further down on one of the ghats a few months earlier by Muslim extremists. We went through security and then we went to a place where we could see the temple. We went to a couple other places so we could see it at different angles.
After this I was taken back to the hotel to get ready to leave the next morning.
Golden Temple
I got off the train in to the blinding sunlight and the hot air. I found the TCI representitive on the concrete platform and he took me down to where the driver was, not far away with his car. It was another one of the usual type touring cars. I was introduced to the driver. His name was Raja. He was a sort of roundish Indian man about 38 or 40 years old. He had all the features of a typical Indian man. His skin was dark and he had sort of brown hair. I didn't realize it at the time but I soon found out that his English was very limited. He took me to the Hotel Meraden Grand hotel where I checked in. I went to my room and took a shower and changed my clothes.
Varanasi is one of the oldest cities in the world. It is the holiest Hindu city where there is non-stop noise and excitement. After the shower and the clean clothes I was to meet the guide in the lobby. I went down and sat in a chair facing the entrance. The lobby was filled with plush furnishings of fine velvet and satin. There were chandeliers of gold with diamond shaped cut glass. The carpets were of some kind of floral design. It was kind of too expensive for my taste but I tried to get used to it.
Pretty soon the guide walked in. He immediately came over to where I was. We met and shook hands. Up until this time on this trip I had a sucsession of younger guides. This guide was older about in his early fifties maybe. He explained to me that he was going to first take me to Sarnath. This is the placed where Buddha preached his first sermon after he was enlightened. I was looking forward to this faze of the trip. This had been what I came to Inda for.
SARNATH
The first thing we did when we got to Sarnath was to go to the Buddhist museum that is near the park where Buddha preached his first sermon. Most everything in the museum was dug up in and around the vicinity of the deer park and where some monasteries once stood. The museum was filled with many artifacts and broken statues of Buddha. In the 14th century the Muslims came through and tried to destroy everything they could find of the Buddhist religion.
King Asoka, who ascended to the throne of a kingdom in northern India in 270BC, was at first an arch enemy of Buddhism spending much time and energy trying to tear down, and destroy the new religion. In his later years he had a change of heart and embraced Buddhism and went around the country erecting pillars and building stupas commerating the Buddha in all the Buddhist sites in India and Nepal. He built the origional stupa in Sarnarth called the Dharmarjla stupa. The present one is built over Asoka's origional stupa.
After recieving supreme enlightenment the newly awakened Buddha decided to find his companions and preach them the Dharma, which means, "teaching". He knew they were in Sarnath because that is where they went when they had abandoned him in Bodhgaya when he had decided not to live the life of self mortification any more. It took him a year to get there because he would only walk for a little while and then rest, then walk a little way more until he finally got there.
When he arrived in Sarnath the five ascetics saw him coming in the distance. They decided not to pay any attention to him at first but as he got closer they changed their mind and embraced him as their old friend. Later in the evening Buddha gathered the ascetics together and preached his first sermon to them. The title of the sermon was, "the turning of the wheel of Dharma". Here he announced to the world for the first time the teaching of the Four Noble Truths, The Eightfold Path, the path to end sorrow and achieve inner peace, enlightenment and Nirvana.
Dharmarajila Stupa in Sarnath
After the museum we walked over to the park. You first walk in and come across the ruins of monasteries and stupas that have been built and destroyed and rebuilt again over the centuries. There have been some excavation of the site in the 20th century. The deer park is quiet and serene.
There is alot of speculation about many of the little structures in the park. One section of Buddhism says he preached his first sermon in one place, another sect says it was in a different place. The large Dharmarjila Stupa is the traditional place where Buddha preached the sermon. I had been looking forward to circa-ambulating the stupa before I came to India, but the day I was there workman were repairing it. There was scaffolding built all around the structure so you couldn't get near it.
The guide told me a few stories about the park. One of them went like this.. For many centuries it had been forgotten that this was a famous place in Buddhist history. There was a nobleman who lived in the area who thought he would use some of the bricks that were laying around in the park. He wanted to build something of his own. One day while some of his workers were digging around they came across a stone box that had ashes in it. Like all good Hindus they took the ashes and box and threw them into the nearby Ganges River. Later when parts of the park were being excavated and this story was told to the archeologists it was thought that these ashes may have been Buddha's since there was a hole in one of the stupas that was found to be the location where the sage's ashes were stored. The hole was empty so it was thought for sure that they found Buddh's ashes.
There are a few noteworthy places in the park that I should mention. North of the monastery and stupas is the place where Buddha meditated when he stayed in Sarnath.
After spending some time in the park we got back in the car and went up the street for a little bit to a temple called Mulegandakuti Vihara which was built by someone of note. The vihara is a hundred feet high and has an statue of Buddha in it along with other relics. There are also paintings of Buddha's life on the walls, painted by a Japanese devotee.
MAP OF INDIA TEMPLE
Back in Varanasi the first place we went was the temple that houses a huge base-relief map of India. The temple was built by some of Gandi's followers in the 1950's. The guide and I went inside and had an interesting conversation about the Ayran's who first came to India from somewhere in Siberia. They brought with them tools and new methods of architecture. They also brought a religion and a way of life that the people of India took as their own and expanded on it. As we were walking out of the temple two large tour busses pulled up and people started streaming out of them. They were either European or American. We got out of there before I could find out.
THE TEMPLE OF DURGA
After this we went to one of the incarnation of one of Vishnu's wives. Vishnu is one of the major gods in Hinduism. Durga is a major goddess in her own right. We got out of the car. The guide informed me that I wasn't allowed in the temple because I am not Hindu. I was only allowed to go as far as the entrance of the temple. I walked up to the temple entrance and waited outside while the guide went in. People were coming and going in and out. Those coming out had a fresh red dot on their foreheads. There seemed to be some kind of commotion goin on inside the temple but I couldn't tell what was going on.
Temple of Durga
On the way back to the car the guide mentioned something about the goddess loving blood.
Durga, The wife of Vishnu
After the temple we fought our way through the traffic back to the hotel. All the streets of the city were now a literal river of people, cars, ox-carts and all other kinds of vehicles. People were out with umbrellas on this hot day to keep the rays of the sun off their faces. To make matters worse a group of people were parading an effigy of the god Viswakarma through the streets. He is the god of carpenters and builders of all types. This was causing a huge traffic jam. The crowds were taking this god to the Ganges River where they would perform a ritual and then cast into the water.
Sweat was pouring from Raja's face as he leaned into the steering wheel. The guide was rolling his eyes and sighing. Twenty years of traffic jams like this were finally getting
Heavy Traffic in Varanasi
to him. Raja tried to go down some back streets but ended up at the intersection of a main thoroughfare and we were stuck in front of a river of humanity that swept before us. After a few minutes of scratching his head and wondering what to do, the guide, Mr. Singh got out of the car and waded into the traffic and stopped a few vehicles. At this point Raja was able to make a left turn. Once in the stream of traffic we went with the flow and eventually made it to the hotel. I would see them bright and early the next morning.
THE GANGES RIVER
I got up around four the next morning so I would be in the lobby by five to meet R.N. Singh and Raja. At exactly five he walked in the lobby. We got in the car and proceeded in the direction of the Ganges River. There were less people on the streets at this time of the morning. Richshaws were out but many were pulled to the side of the street with the driver curled up in the seat sleeping. Most of the shops were closed at this hour, but there were a few that were open. Cows roamed freely on the streets as well as a few starry-eyed tourists.
When we got to the heart of everything and could go no farther by car Raja found a parking place and the guide and I got out. On the streets the crowds were quickly thickening. We made our way in the direction of the waters edge and passed a maze of shops and hawkers at every turn. We were headed downward through well paved and well worn paths and stairways to the boats below. I stopped to buy a butter candle from a girl. I quickly gave her the few ruppees it cost and she handed me a book of matches so I could light it once I got on the boat. We finally made it to the edge of the river. There was some initial disputing and rapid discussing between the guide and the boat handlers. Then I was helped onto a wooden boat by the guide and a boat handler. I sat on the stern. My view was to the back of the boat.
Dasgastwamadh Ghat
Varanasi was spectacular that morning. People were on the ghats performing Hindu rituals and practicing yoga. Men with painted faces were shaving each others heads. The smoke of a funeral pyre could be seen down the way. Some people were washing their clothes. Others were bathing.
Just then a Spanish couple was escorted onto the boat by their guide. They looked to be in their mid-twenties. They sat down to the right of me. Naked boys jumped in the water from a slab of concrete nearby. A man was pouring Ganges water into the river from a silver vessel while looking at the sun. The guide nudged my shoulder and pointed to the sun. "take a look at that". he said. I looked over my left shoulder and witnessed the most beautiful sight I have ever seen. The sun was a beautiful red ball. You could look straight at it. There were no rays coming from it. It was just glorious. I had never seen the sun like that before.
People Washing in the Ganges
The boat handlers thrust the boat from the shore out into open water. My guide was on my left trying to explain to me different things. He pointed out the names of temples and answered any question I had. It was noisy and confusing the first few minutes until we got steady in the water. The two lads that were maning the row boat were around eighteen or nineteen. The one that was rowing was the novice. The skipper was navagating from the bow behind me with a hand held rudder. The rower was having a hard time rowing up stream. He was straining with all his might but didn't seem to be making any progress.
I looked at the Spanish couple. They seemed to be in a state of shock. There was so much going on all around us it seemed as though they couldn't process it all. Their eyes were the size of saucers.
When we were a little way out from shore I lit the butter candle with the matches the girl gave me. It was in a little cup that could float. I put the cup with the candle in the choppy water and watched it quickly float away. When we were about a fourth of a mile from shore the navigator and the rower traded places. The navigator puffed up his muscles and began rowing like he had done it thousands of times before. He took control of the little craft and got it going with little effort and no sweat dripping down his face.
We wre gliding through the water now. We had passed the ghats and all the people. The guide pointed out the water marks on various buildings that showed how far the water had gotten over the years. There was the mark for 1947, and one for 1967 and other dates.
By this time I had started sitting American Indian style. It's just a habit I picked up somewhere. The guide saw me sitting in this fashion and asked me if I practice yoga. I told him, "no". He said Europeans can't sit this way. Their legs are too stiff. I do admit that I do sit that way because it keeps my legs limber. I didn't know that this was yoga.
A Sadu
We passed a holy man meditating, sitting in the lotus position high on a bluff under a tree.
I asked the guide about the unbrellas scattered around on the ghats with people crowded all around them. The guide told me that their is a priest under each umbrella. After the people wash in the Ganges River they go over to the priest where he blesses them and puts a red mark on their forehead.
We kept going for awhile against the currant of the river and then turned around and started back toward where we started. Now it was easier on the rower since we were now going down stream. We came close to a place where they were cremating someone who had recently died. Puffs of smoke rose into the atmosphere. The Spanish speaking guide tells the couple not to take pictures of the cremation scene. When we rowed away from the site he told them they could take pictures now.
I had read before I came on the trip that there was supposed to be Vishnu's footprints in Varanasi somewhere. I had told the guide earlier that I would like to see them. That was the next thing I was going to do. The boat handlers let the Spanish couple and their guide off near a cremation site. We went down the river a little bit and me and the guide got out of the boat. I paid the boat handlers off and then the guide and I went up a little hill and came upon an umbrella. There was a priest blessing a crowd of people that were huddled around the food prints of Vishnu. They were preforming some sort of ritual and reverencing the foot prints.
After a little while the group of people broke up and began to leave. The preist came over to me and with his thumb put a red dot on my forehead. He motioned for me to come over to see the foot prints. I went over and looked at them. The feet were tiny like the feet of a child. Then someone came up to me and told me that Vishnu really did come to Varanasi centuries ago and stand on that spot.
Vishnu
I had showed an interest in going to a place where they cremate people and seeing that first hand so we walked a little and then the guide delivered me into the hands of someone who works in a nearby hospice and also burns their bodies after they die. He took me up
Creamation Along the Banks of The Ganges
some cement stairs to a ghat. I could hear the crackling of a fire as we went up. I could also smell the smoke. It was like a camp fire. I was surprised there was no smell of burning flesh. I could see the unburned legs of a body sticking out of the fire. The guy pulled me aside and started talking to me. He told me how expensive the wood is. I gave him a little money and then left.
I met the guide at the bottom of the stairs. We start walking up the winding lane that leads back to the street above, but first we stop at the place where the Golden Temple is. The guide tells me it is the most important Hindu temple in Varanasi.
The security around the temple was very tight. There had been a bombing further down on one of the ghats a few months earlier by Muslim extremists. We went through security and then we went to a place where we could see the temple. We went to a couple other places so we could see it at different angles.
After this I was taken back to the hotel to get ready to leave the next morning.
Golden Temple
posted by THE REAL MIKE BAILEY at 8:30 PM
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