Varanasi, India's holiest city
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Varanasi, India's holiest city |
| Varanasi (Benares) |
| One of the oldest cities in the world,
Varanasi has retained Hindu
traditions that have not changed over several thousand years. We arrived in
Varanasi late one evening after having rushed through the unsafe State of
Bihar. As now usual in hot India, we looked for a hotel where we could
safely park Troopie. Varanasi being full of narrow streets, small shops and temples,
that meant staying a little outside the city centre.
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| Hinduism is one of the oldest
religions in the world extending back beyond 1000 B.C. In the 6th century
B.C. Buddhism and Jainism came along as a reaction against Brahmins and
the caste system and since then all of these have been intertwined. From a
Western point of view, there are tens of Gods, Goddesses and
reincarnations and worship can take hundreds of forms. Hindus believe in
Brahman, the One without a second, without attributes, the source of all
existence. Brahman has 3 facets with attributes : Brahma the creator,
Shiva the destroyer and Vishnu the preserver or sustainer. Each Hindu is
free to worship his or her favourite God or incarnation. Belief in
reincarnation, the systems of karma (conduct or action) and dharma
(appropriate behaviour for one station in life) and the belief in the
caste system, however, are unifying factors. Hindus believe one will be
reborn according to one's actions in the previous life. Going up means
going up in the caste system (for men), becoming a man (for women) or
eventually escape the cycle of reincarnation and achieve liberation (men
only). Going down can mean going down the caste ladder (there are 4
castes) or even becoming an animal. Having said that cows and snakes are
considered sacred. There are MacDonald restaurants in Delhi but no beef ! Offerings to the
Gods and deities are made all over India all over the year. They can be
given at temples, private homes or sacred sites. Flowers and petals are
seen everywhere.
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| Varanasi is a major
pilgrimage centre associated with Shiva. Hindus will
bathe in the holy waters of the Ganges, a ritual that is said to have their sins washed
away. Many Hindus believe the city is an auspicious place to die and be
cremated as it will enable them to
break the cycle of rebirth and go straight to heaven or liberation. Hindus
cremate their dead and funeral ceremonies are designed to purify and
console both the the living and the deceased. Coffins are replaced by wood
that is bought by weight.
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Temples, palaces and other old buildings on the banks of the monsoon swollen Ganges
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Children being "driven" to school (left), the brisk business of rowing around tourists on the Ganges (centre &right).
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| Varanasi left a strong and
long-lasting impression on both of us as we are not used to being so close
to the intimacies of life and death. We don't believe we have ever
witnessed a city where our senses have been so overwhelmed by the
surroundings. Dirt, poverty and dead bodies floating all accepted as part
of their belief.
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We are doing well !
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