We are staying in the old city of Varanasi. The streets are to narrow for any kind of transportation except motorbikes. There are narrow alleyways that connect the buildings from place to place. It is easy to get lost here. The ghats, entry ways to the river, connect the houses along the river via walkways that follow the river in front of all the buildings.
Varanasi Sights
Our hotel. Our room faces the Ganga. Great view of the river traffic, sunrise (when it is clear) and the monkeys who jump from building to building.
Our home made charging station.
View from our room. Boats take tourists up and down the river, for the morning sunrise, to see the Manikarnika Ghat (Burning Ghat) and the nightly bell ringing, incense burning and singing by some Buddish priests at the Dashashwamedh Ghat.
The lanes are very narrow and you have to step aside for the motorbikes and wandering cows.
Boats on the river. The sand beach area across the river is flooded during the monsoon season
Cows every where. They eat the garbage in the streets. At night they go home to their owners.
The Brahma bulls are very dangerous and often have their horns shortened. We were walking down the street and this bull charged Charlie and got him with his horns, ripping Charlie's pants and scrapping his arm with his horns. The people kicked the bull away from Charlie. Charlie was pretty lucky on this one.
Manikarnika Ghat- This is called the "burning ghat" because this is where people are brought right after they die to be cremated. The fires here burn day and night cremating the dead. You cannot take pictures of the burnings. There were 15 bodies being burned when we arrived and we saw at least 20 more bodies being brought to the river for cremation in the one hour we were there. Only the males of the family attend the cremation. The men chanted and danced to the drums as they brought the body down to the river to be immersed in the Ganga (to clean the sins away) before being put on the fire.
Wood is brought in by truck and off loaded down river onto boats and brought to the ghat. People pay for the wood that is used in the cremation of the deceased.
The sinking temple. At one point in time part of the temple sunk into the river and has remained that way ever since.
There is a group of monkeys that live around here and travel from building to building looking to get into people's rooms if the room doors are left open. Then they steal what ever they can get their claws into. One came into our room and stole our toilet paper. Jane saw him and yelled and he dropped the paper, hissed at her and scurried off to another building.
The Blue Lasii Shop was made famous by a review in Lonely Planet. It was started in 1925 and the grandson still runs it. We gave them a try.
Mixed fruit lassie.
Strawberry lassie. They were both tasty.
The clay bowls that the lassie is made in are shot out after the bowl is used.
Dashashwamedh Ghat- ** A group of 5 priests daily in the evening at this ghat perform "Agni Pooja" (Worship to Fire) wherein a dedication is made to Lord Shiva, River Ganga (the Ganges), Surya(Sun), Agni (Fire), and the whole universe. "Wikipedia"*
We went to view this event and the ghat was filled with people sitting around the ghat and boat loads of people out in front of the ghat. It was a great performance.
The priests singing a song.
Inscense being spread through the air.
Boat loads of people out in the water waiting for the evening presentation.
No comments:
Post a Comment