Varanasi Ghats-World of Fantasy

Varanasi Ghats -World of fantasy-If you haven’t seen the India, you have,nt seen the world, if you have,nt seen the Varanasi, you have,nt seen the India and if you have,nt seen the Ghats of Varanasi then you have,nt seen the Varanasi. Because it is the show window of the world of fantasy and the window of most ancient living cities. WALKING AROUND THE GHAT,

DASASWAMEDH GHAT – VARANASI

spirit and pulse of the Ghat. You may also take a boat ride to have a panoramic view of these Ghats. It is something like you are moving a Kaleidoscope in your hand and the scenario is changing, every minute, from one Ghat to another. Look below towards the river, look above, and watch the unique architecture of the buildings, and temples, some having a palatial look, each having its history and mythology related to it. These Ghats were built and inhabited by various dynasties and monasteries and rich men, in due course of the period.

GHATS OF VARANASI

Ghats,s of Varanasi have different meanings for different groups of people. FOR LOCAL PEOPLE –These Ghats are their lifeline. Their daily routine starts by taking a dip in the holy river Ganga. Their life begins at this place and their last eternal rites are also performed at this place, whether Childbirth, marriage, or any other celebration, they come here every time.

GHATS OF VARANASI

FOR TOURISTS OF INDIA AND PILIGRIMS-It’s a place to take a holy dip in the river Ganga, to absolve all their sins, then enjoy its ambiance and boat ride on the river. FOR FOREIGN TOURISTS suggestion to them is, that if you want to enjoy these Ghats, please give some rest to your brain. Don’t criticize, analyze, or compare, just be an onlooker and try to feel the spirit and changing mood at different Ghats and have a glimpse of the world’s most ancient surviving city. You will not find so much of differences and contrasts in any one place in the world. It may be a kind of assault on your senses, but ultimately you’ll love it. SCENARIO AT THE GHATS Look below, people taking baths, some taking a dive into the river, people and priests, performing rituals, offering, water, milk, and flowers to Maa Ganga (mother Gange), as they call it. People sitting below bamboo strips made canopies changed clothes, put tilak on their foreheads, and took blessings from priests, some chanting Har Har Gange, Jai Ma Gange. Walking along the Ghats, you may encounter masseurs, Sadhus, beggars, flower and spiritual article sellers, children flying kites, and people washing clothes at some Ghats.

At Harish Chandra Ghat and Manikarnika Ghats, you may find, fumes rising from the pyres of burning dead bodies, their mourning relations (It is believed that those who die in Varanasi and if their bodies are burned at these Ghats, will get Moksh (free from the tangle of life and death and will go to eternal heaven). A word of caution for these Ghats, that keep silent and don’t do any kind of photography here. You may also encounter some wandering cows, pooing and peeing at places, but local people don’t mind it, because cow is supposed to be a sacred animal by Hindus. Maybe some guy urinating at someplace. These are some of the down points but the administration has recently become aware of them and is going to take action, to make these Ghats cleaner and free from animals. THE BEST TIME TO VISIT is early morning between 5 to 8 AM and in the evening between 5 to 7 PM, when you will watch a very unique and mind-blowing event, GANGA ARTI.At this time many priests will pray to Mother Ganga, by offering multiple lamps, incense, flower water, and fumes, chanting Mantras with the sounds of gongs, which will end by blowing of Conch. THE BEST MONTHS to visit are from October to April- Avoid the rainy season of July and August, because then Ghats are submerged under rain waters. To end with I can say that the experiences on the Banaras Ghats are unique, second to none, spiritual, magical, and unforgettable. (Note- this was my old review written 6 years back, before the construction of the Viswanath-Dham corridor .)
sctri48 Satish Tripathi sctri48@gmail.com