Holy Cow!

Here’s to a world of pure imagination! After a 2 day visit to Delhi and the Taj Mahal (how wild?!), it was off to Varanasi in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh. Varanasi, or Banaras/Kashi, is the holiest of cities in Hinduism and also has a lot of religious significance for Jains, Sikhs, and Buddhists. Situated on the banks of the holy river Ganges, Varanasi is one of the world’s oldest cities, being 4,000 years old (Athens, Bejing, and Jerusalem are the only other cities that share this 4 millennia stint). So here’s the story of how this place gained such spiritual meaning:

* Bhagiratha, an ancient king’s grandson, is upset about a curse put on his family’s land during the time of his forefathers. He goes to the Hindu god Shiva and says "Lord, why are we still cursed? The sins of generations long ago have surely been repaid in full." Shiva looks at him, shrugs and replies "Look, I really can’t help you. Go ask Ganga, one of the Hindu goddesses." So Bhagiratha asks Ganga "Lady, I beg you, please relieve my family and our lands from this terrible curse. If you do, I give you my word we will forever worship you." Ganga, being incredibly merciful, answers "The curse will be lifted if I come down to Earth. But, watch out, ‘cuz if I’m coming down there, I might ruin you all. Go ask Shiva if I can rest on his head instead of the land. That way, I won’t flood the world." And Bhagiratha exclaimed "Alright! We have been saved!"
-> To this day, the Ganges continues to wash away the sins of the people and dances as a goddess on Earth.

I am floored by this metropolis. The population of the city is 1.7 million, yet wherever you find yourself sauntering about, you feel as if you are in one extended quaint town. Varanasi is quite possibly my favorite destination on the trip thus far. Monday morning, we woke up at 4:30 and set off on a 10 minute walk that would bring us to Ganga. It was something spiritual walking down the cement steps to the river – it’s like a total life force. So I’m not a Hindu, Jain, Sikh, or Buddhist, but I sort of felt like I was on some type of religious pilgrimage just trekking to her shores. I feel as if this place has a power to disregard any religious affiliation and just get at your heart. At the banks, people were bathing, performing poojas (sacred rituals), brushing their teeth, meditating – best part of waking up! We got into a boat to cruise the shore, checking out the morning routine of devotees. The river was littered with boats carrying early-rising and curious tourists. What we saw that was indescribably powerful were the funeral pyres built to cremate the dead. Being the holiest of locations in all of India for Hindus, it is believed that after death, a body must be taken to the Ganges and burned to ensure the quickest travel to the liberation from earthly karma (read: "salvation"). Ashes from nearly 200 bodies are tossed into the river daily. As we rowed along, smoke steadily rising from separate piles of wood dotted the shoreline. A little bit sobering, a lot a bit surreal. Water quality is a huge issue – treatment facilities are similar as throughout the country. Poor infrastructure, even poorer administration of laws and regulations. The place where people bathe is the same place where people gather water is the same place where garbage is dumped is the same place where the dead are finally disposed of. The problem with environmental management on this river is that it is considered wildly spiritual; it is absolutely insulting to tell folks that their religious practices are ill-suited in the world of modern sanitation. How else is salvation expected if not from the traditional process of dropping burning bodies into the water? So people continue to overappropriate the uses of the river to dangerous extents.

We arrived back at the Inter-religious house where we’re staying at around 8 and had breakfast. Introductory lectures on Hinduism followed. This religion is phenomenally entertaining but not in a cheapened sense of the word. There are so many intriguing facets, so many characters involved. I’m still far from understanding the fundamentals of this faith so please bear with me as this concept of Hinduism develops! The afternoon was ours; I spent the time doing some much needed laundering of everything I own, resting and reading. We left for a temple visit at 5:30 – to get to the place, we had to walk through narrow streets lined with vendors of fabric, spices, incense, and food. It was a lot of strategic meandering to get around the massive cows lounging in the tight alleys! I loved it – it was like a madhouse with those fun mirrors that give you a totally different and new image every few steps. The temple is on a high security site. In the 1600s the temple had been destroyed by Moghul invaders from Persia. With them, they brought Islam and built a mosque in its stead. Since that time, the temple has been rebuilt, practically on top of the mosque, and now there are some pretty intense feelings associated with the place.

Maybe my strong feelings towards this place are because it’s so honest. Nothing is sugar-coated – it’s saying to you "yes, that’s a burning body, deal with it" or "you got a problem with overcrowded streets?" or "welcome one and all – whatever you believe!". You can really identify with a city that’s in your face – Varanasi has nothing to hide. Everyone I have talked to from SJPD are all thinking "hey, this place is crazy unique and is going to challenge me like nothing before". I think a lot of that is because the sentiments in the group are changing – you can almost hear the others growing. Also, everything is feeling a lot less sterilized, a lot less American-proofed. I feel as if we are seeing a "truer India". It probably isn’t a more real view of the country; the skyscrapers of Bangalore and Delhi are just as much of India as the row boats on the Ganges river are. Goes to show you how seriously dynamic and diverse this nation really is.

Oh, I almost forgot: Happy Thanksgiving! Hope you all enjoy this time with family and friends – my thoughts are with you all, and I wish you a Happy Holiday season!

peace and love