Varanasi......Paan,Sarees,& Much more.........

"Yes! It is much more muchier" these words from Alice in Wonderland echoed in my mind as I visited Kashi. Twisting and turning in the narrow alleyways ,leading to a spiritual Wonderland  with so much to feel, absorb and marvel at.

It was a spur of a moment decision to visit the Shiv nagri, as my soul sister Namrata being a staunch  ardent Shiva devotee wanted to visit the place in  holy month of Shravan, albeit it was in my bucket list  , So paying through nose for the air tickets and  the hotel bookings we three (my son trotted along) land in the ancient city of Banaras which is as old as time! Mark Twain has rightly said that it is older than history, existence predating that of Rome, Athens and Egypt.

As soon we step in  to the holy city, the cabbie spitting a volley of paan, his mouth a plethora of hues..(red lips and tongue  with brownish and sepia hues of teeth,  it's a rainbow in the mouth ) welcomes us to Shiv nagri and gives us a whirlwind itinerary for coming three days. Praising Modiji for the sea change in the city and being located on the  Shiva's trident, he drives home all the salient features of the city while driving us to hotel. Temples, sarees, paan and alleys, he emphasises on! The excited anticipation  is in the air and felt under the skin..to be in a city which lives and breathes Shiva!! Rightly called the city of light, the city which unfolds as an interwoven tapestry of culture , tradition, spirituality, myth and mystifying realities.

As  month of Shraavan  is running out, 

 It is Purnima already, our day heralds with Kashi Vishwanath Baba's darshan.The holiest jyotirlinga amongst  the all.   Amid the choc a bloc roads thronging with thousands of devotees ,the  roads bustling  and sizzling with life and vigour,  the streets and alleys dotted with shops selling all Shiva's paraphernalia. From shivlings of all materials, rudraksh bead strings, the rattle drum  ,conches  brass idols and other knick -knacks, the flowers and Prasad to be offered,  though the credulous need to be wary as they are easily swindled and made to pay three times the normal. The  rip roaring ,energetic positive vibes are what you feel as you advance towards the pantheon, divinity in the air touches us. The day is a scorcher ,wiping sweat beads from our faces ,we flounce   our way to the holy sanctum sanctorum . The new compound is spacious enough to accommodate mammoth crowds without any hullabaloo. Amid the chantings of Har Har  Mahadev  our serpentine queue gets near to the gold plated ornate filigreed domes and golden gates  of the temple... The priests who all look alike with slick hair, pot belly  and grizzly chest acknowledge you if you are generous enough in your offerings,but the policewomen manning there is insolent n rude enough to yank us and asking to move forward, I give her my piece of mind and have my soulful tete - a- tete with the lord,who is in the form of a bani Linga ensconced in a silver trough  adorned with flowers  and bathed in milk , the moment looks surreal.one feels blessed to get the glimpse of jyotirlinga,the pillar of fire manifested as Shiva himself after a spat between Vishnu n  Brahma over the lordship of universe .

We go around the compound ,pay obeisance at the Annapurna temple,where Goddess Parvati is said to have fed the lord herself..Not to miss the vermillion smeared Nandi Bull who definitely sits  majestically facing the Gyan waapi.The whole corridor is an impressive one, the construction still on going ,adjacent houses being razed down for connectivity  to other ghats.

Kashi is said to be founded by Mahadev himself.The Ash smeared,snakes entwined, animal skin outfitted  ascetic  Shiva accompanied by dogs,ghouls and ganas is turned into a householder Shankara at behest of Parvati and settled at Kashi ,by the banks of Ganga. The majestic Ganga usually towards its southern terrain moves northwards in Varanasi,as if crashing down straight from the dreadlocks of Shiva,and breaking her fall here.  As we twist and turn through the alleys,which are countless here, we come across myriad temples of Shiva..there are about 500 major ones,  the Ganesha, Durga,, Hanuman ,yoginis temples are strategically placed  around the city which have an astrological  significance.

One can not be indifferent to  the colour and spectacle of Hinduism and it's multitude ways to divine. The winding narrow  alleyways have temples nestling  Shiva in every form ,be it sculpted shivling,natural rock form,river bed linga ,idols., posters, the Rudra, KalBhairva, Shankara, natraja, Bholenath...It's Shiva everywhere! The air redolent with the sight and sound of Lord Shiva .

What I had conjured to be a shoddy,crummy , grungy crowded city with foamy,clogged Ganges,dead bodies bobing up turned out totally other way round .The clean  ghats,sparkling Ganges,streets bustling with business ,devotion and spirituality. Religious and mythological grafittis adorning the walls of the city..Even the boats ferrying run on CNG which are less polluting. Infact seeing a CNG filling station in the Ganges left me astonished..I could not spot a shard of plastic or speck of squalor  and filth nearby ghats .

 

As the  dusk starts falling ,we hire a shared boat for a trail across all the Ghats  then, attend the evening Ganga arti at Dashashwamedh ghat.There are about 88 ghats starting with Rajghat and terminating at Assi ghat which is the southernmost.The boat ride across the Ghats is  the most captivating n mesmerizing part of Kashi tour .  With the dusk falling,horizon turning into a riot of colours, silver moonbeam bathing the placid water of  Ganges, stars hovering over the vast sky, western bank of Ganges illuminated with lights ,the temple domes lit up gives the appearance of a heavenly ,celestial Sparkling necklace. It is a spectacle  which has a compelling aura about it.  We halt at the famous sacred Dashashwamedh ghat,where Brahama is said to have performed  a yajna with ten horses in honour of lord Shiva..The ghats are crowded n thronged with people  ,as the colour of sky merges  with the colour of waters...From crimson to mauve to purplish to black , the arti begins .  Our boat has chairs placed at a higher level,we get a comfortable view of the arti along with number of international visitors in the boat.They are equally enticed and enchanted by the awe of the mighty Ganges.

Inspite of  the humongous crowds,there is an uncanny silence as the arti begins ..about ten  priests attired in garish silks,perform the arti with profound adeptness..Hallowed chants and blowing of conches herald the arti, the artistic movements of wrists while swaying the bunch of sandalwood incense sticks around, carrying the  snake hooded siver lamps while offering camphor flames  .The synchronic ,deft hand movements along with phrasing of chants leaves one startled.. holding aloft  tall heavy   metal  lamps emitting multiple flames swaying to the resonating hymns sung in unison by the incredible priests  fills one with rapture and wonder  and lights up the eyes of devotees. Watching the glowing ,dancing flames flickering   and reflecting in water leaves every one agog. The  dexterous and flawless ritual is an unmissable daily routine since ages..The mesmerizing event terminates with offering of flowers to Ganges  and fanning with peacock feathers.  ..Spectators are  left spellbound with a memory to be pinned for ever .

Mughal s have said to have coined the terms  Subah -e- Banaras,Sham - e- Awadh and Shab - e- Malwa to be experienced once in a life time...So Subah -e- - Banaras at Assi ghat is something I have been looking forward to..Though not an early riser,but stifling my yawns,twirling my eyes,somewhat groggy I leave the snuggery of hotel room at around 4 am along with my companions. The morning arti offered to Sun God and Ganga starts at 5a.m  and lasts for two hours.It is a totally breathtaking , captivating, picturesque and spiritual experience to  witness this. Ambling through the warren maze of alleys we reach right on time. Skies still purplish, ,priests outfitted in best  silks start the Arti .  ..performed  almost in the similar manner as the evening arti ..sun slowly cracking in, sky  awash in amber, gold and tangerine  and the first sun rays shimmer and glitter the Ganges in gold. ...as the arti culminates,people pray to sun God,take a holy dip in Ganges to cleanse themselves of bad karma.and the temple bells clanging with a divine clamour,invoking all the Gods and Goddesses..Even if one is not a staunch devotee, the spiritual aura of the place bewitches you..just sitting on the banks,enjoying the lemon tea and watching  the advent of new dawn is exciting as well  soothing , unknowingly one communes and contemplates with inner self. You return energised and re invigorated after this brief brush with divinity. In fact it is the perfect moment for calmness,clarity and contentment.. There is a musical cultural programme by  the famous Banarsi gharana after the arti.. The boat ride at this time of dewy and pristine morning is spectacular and pictures taken very Instagrammable. Many are seen munching on the savouries n sweets like  Puri bhaji,kachori,jalebis ..the aroma of the boiling milk seems wafting from every nook and corner of Banaras. Though a culinary faux pas ,but  street food was given a total miss, because of not so sturdy a digestive system !

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We take a boat ride till Manikarnika ghat which is  a Maha cremation ground where  bodies are reduced to smouldering heaps of ashes round the clock ,said to grant salvation and freedom from the cycle of death n birth.. The liberation is rather celebrated...   The place leaves us agape,the monkey mind of the Wonderland gets numb and still,  the red blue flames,black cinders ,singed hair, cracking bones display a melting pot of life and death. It dismantles and punctures the big fat ego we harbour and perceive ourselves as a speck in the infinite cosmos,outgrowing the vices and the hideousness.. We exit  the ghat and enter  the  maze of alleys but heart n mind stayed back there..

After visiting the famous ancient Sankatmochan and Durga temple we visit the vast sprawling BHU campus and the beautiful Birla temple within.

The other day is dedicated to Sarnath, famous, as lord Budha delivered his first sermon to his five  disciples here.  The architectural splendour of the monuments and ruins here speak volumes of the grandeur  of our glorious past .The Budhist temples with gompas,stupas  are too grand, serene and awe-inspiring.The bodh gaya tree stands majestically and revered by all. 

What fascinated me most was the archaeological museum at Sarnath.It s a huge one and home to relics dating back to Gupta and maurya empires..Was too excited to see the wonder and splendour captured in stones  in form of various figurines and statues which I had seen in my history books The Lion capital of Ashok stands majestically at the entrance of the gallery..And the lions were as ferocious and roaring as sculpted in the  emblem at new parliament. The uproar and brouhaha was uncalled for. We visit the old and  grand Sarangnath temple too,Sarnath gets its name from the diety itself .

Being in Banaras  and not purchasing a saree would be a social faux pas,so we go the adjacent village of weavers and get couple of sarees from there.The conscience doesn't allow to bargain ,seeing the toil n labour of weavers..but they really weave magic and we are satisfied for not being fleeced with knock offs.

It's a belief in Banaras that the pilgrimage is not complete unless one visits the Kaal Bhairav temple, as we are in the last lap of our sojourn the visit is mandatory. Again it is approached after traipsing through winding  alleys,  it is also called' the kotwal of kashi', the belief is that no one can enter the city without the consent of Kaal Bhairav.Legend says that after Shiva beheaded the fifth head of Brahma ,he kept the skull in his hand and atoned for the misdeed ,the kapaal is said to have fallen here in Kashi and people come to atone for their sins and also allays from the fear of time.  The kaal bhairav arti too is an enchanting one  with huge rattle drums beating, conches reverbating ,bells  jingling and cymbals clanking amid the hymns and chants gives goosebumps as the devotees whoop and holler " Har har Mahadev".

While terminating the  divine trip it will be another gaffe if the paan is given a miss,so the cabbie takes us to a renowned paan kiosk where  SRK , big B  and other bolly wood stars have appeased their  betel taste buds,  the celebrity pictures  with the owner are displayed  boldly  in the shop. It is indeed prepared with passion and skill. The leaf slathered with almost 25 ingredients, embellished with a clove and a cherry,swathed in silver covering offered with an elan!!

We  may travel and explore number of places yet  some places actually open up the soul and mind and we are forced to explore new parts of self. We experience uncrumpling  and expansion of the leashed and locked minds...in true sense" the band akal ka taala" opens up!

"We may check out from the place,but can never leave it..".