Yesterday started off with a four hour car ride at 2:30 am, followed by two flights and another car ride for a total of ten hours of travel by early afternoon. I managed to grab an hour nap, then headed off to the Ghats of Varanasi. I was a little cranky to start, and a cab driver who had no idea where he was going did not help. I made it to the edge of the Ganges and walked along it's length.
Varanasi is one of India's holiest Hindu cities. It sits along along the Ganges and has a series of buildings with stairs leading down to the river. These are called Ghats. On the shore of the Ganges at Manikarnika Ghat, cremation fires burn. There is such an odd mixture at this 3,000 year old site that it is hard to describe. There are tourists watching cremations; there are cows walking up stairs; there are barbers offering to give you a shave; there are people bathing in the river next to funeral pyres; there are limbless beggars; and there are shop owners who introduce themselves, shake your hand, then won't let go asking for 20 rupees for a hand massage. Between the travel and the surreal Ghats, I called it an early night and planned to visit the near-by Sarnath in the morning.
Sarnath is home to 1,500 year old monument called the Dhamekh Stupa. It is built on the site where Buddha is believed to have delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment. Around the stupa are the remains of several old monestaries. Sarnath is also the home to an archaeological museum. Here, in an unexpected treat, was an "Ashokan lion capital". An impressively polished sandstone carving, it once stood on Ashokan pillar. These pillars, roughly 2,200 years old, recorded an ethical code, and they were places all over Ashoka's empire.
Next stop: Bodh Gaya
Varanasi is one of India's holiest Hindu cities. It sits along along the Ganges and has a series of buildings with stairs leading down to the river. These are called Ghats. On the shore of the Ganges at Manikarnika Ghat, cremation fires burn. There is such an odd mixture at this 3,000 year old site that it is hard to describe. There are tourists watching cremations; there are cows walking up stairs; there are barbers offering to give you a shave; there are people bathing in the river next to funeral pyres; there are limbless beggars; and there are shop owners who introduce themselves, shake your hand, then won't let go asking for 20 rupees for a hand massage. Between the travel and the surreal Ghats, I called it an early night and planned to visit the near-by Sarnath in the morning.
Sarnath is home to 1,500 year old monument called the Dhamekh Stupa. It is built on the site where Buddha is believed to have delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment. Around the stupa are the remains of several old monestaries. Sarnath is also the home to an archaeological museum. Here, in an unexpected treat, was an "Ashokan lion capital". An impressively polished sandstone carving, it once stood on Ashokan pillar. These pillars, roughly 2,200 years old, recorded an ethical code, and they were places all over Ashoka's empire.
Next stop: Bodh Gaya
Allen, I have regulary followed your trip to India post GSE and indeed the description is so eloquent that if you write a book on your visit to India, you may get Booker Proze from 2010! Good Luck!
ReplyDeleteHi Allen! Just a huge thanks for keeping the blog going so that we are still able to follow you. I've been appreciating learning so much more about India through you. You paint a great picture!
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