3. MY 6th TRIP. MARCH' 04

From Gorakhpur, Uttar Pradesh,  it's a couple of hours by road to Nepal. Foreigners may cross over from India.....

Namaste!

Soon, in 7 days time, I leave alone on my 7th trip to India. It's winter in the North and temperatures can dip but it's more comfortable in winter than summer (so I've been assured) when temperatures can soar to as high as 45 deg. and there's dust everywhere. I'll melt!
What lies ahead on this great adventure this time round? I shall keep you posted on my return late Jan.'05.

I was last in North India in March '04 where I spent a month in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. (UP) In between travelling the vast distance between the 2 places, I stopped over in Varanasi.

In the early morning hours, standing on the Ghats, watching the sun rise over the Ganges, is a moving spiritual experience. Like the Silent Watcher, my eyes took in the amazing scene that unfolded before me - the daily rituals of the Indians and their special connection to the Ganges. 
 
The Indians must surely be the most unselfconscious people on Earth. Lots of tourists look on and snap pictures of them as they change under a sari or sarong or strip down to their swim trunks, many neither trim nor taut. Bellies hang out, folds of loose skin and wrinkles aplenty as they swim and float and immerse themselves in a cleansing ritual that is as old as the country. All around, bare chested priests chant and performed 'arati' - fire offering - inevitably, the beggars and other hustlers add to the local colour. 

 As I offered a lit candle and flowers to the Sun, I closed my eyes and felt transported as the Sun warmed my body and every inch of me seemed to tingle. 
 I hopped on a boat which takes tourists up and down that stretch of the Ganges where the action is. More and more budget class accommodations have sprung up along the Ghats, they look precariously perched almost one on top of the other. This must be the most lucrative real estate in Benares. 

I chose to stay at Hotel Surya, a cosy, quiet place away from the hustle and bustle of the Ghats. It had a lovely garden with large colourful dahlias in bloom and in the evenings when the fairy lights come on, it becomes a dining area under the stars, complete with candles and plastic green and white checked tablecloths. Looked like some European family B & B. 
The room was about S$25 a night. 

The great Ganges has baffled visitors from all over the world. Every day, all sorts of rituals are performed here, from cremation of the dead after which the remains are dumped into the river; dhobies wash their customer's laundry along its banks, people use it for bathing and as their toilet. 

While on the boat, I spied a human carcass, carelessly wrapped in cloth and plastic sheeting. My host tells me it's the second body he has seen on his visits. Those who don't have the money to pay for a cremation release their dead into the Ganges.
 As the boats moved up and down this stretch, a few swimmers are seen floating in the water, oblivious to the gawking tourists and totally unafraid a boat might paddle into them. They look almost comical, their ample bellies sticking out of the water. They looked more like beached whales. 

Truly, the Indians surrender totally to the Law of Karma.

Ancient rituals down by the Ganges





 

Puja with flowers and candles, washing, bathing rituals