Varanasi Part II

Dhameka Stupa Sarnath

Day two took us on a quest to visit the site of where Buddha gave his first sermon. Sarnath is about 10 km outside of Varanasi. A newer Buddhist temple, museum, and ruins of Buddha's first Dharma and Sangha place adjoin each other on several acres of land. Upon his death, Buddha declared Sarnath as one the  four sacred places.

Buddhist nuns visiting the site.

Inside the Sarnath Buddhist temple.

Marisa inside neighboring temple.

Marisa with our Varanasi "guides".

Day three found us being guided by these two young men through the streets of Varanasi. They took us from temple to temple guarding us from the masses of scooters, cows, and pedi-cabs, darting in and out of alleys. They both spoke excellent English and explained every ritual we witnessed. We even got to see the makings of hand-beaded saris.

Hand-beading a sari.

Weaving silk

Varansi is famous for its silk products. Of course we managed to come away with lovely silk pj's and scarves.

The painted saying on this boat made me smile. I'm working on it! But notice the color of the river...

Varanasi Part I

One of the places that my visiting friend, Marisa, really wanted to go was Varanasi, one of the oldest and most spiritual cities on the planet. I had been waiting for just the right person to take the plunge and mingle with two million people, cows, pedi-cabs, sadhus (holy men), and the mystique of the Ganges River.

This holy man, and friend, were often seen outside our little hotel making offerings to a tiny shrine. These sights were exactly what people described when they said Varanasi is like no other place I had been. Holy men mostly wrapped in saffron robes and carrying flag-like staffs, pilgrimage from all over and walk many miles each day throughout the city stopping at many shrines and bathing in the Ganges.

Varansi is said to be 1,000's of years old, being the center of many religious rituals. The Ganges River is especially sacred to the Hindu's as a place to bring their deceased loved ones to be cremated and placed in the river. However, not everyone is allowed to be cremated. Pregnant women, sadhus, lepers and children under 15 are simply weighted down and placed in the river. Add the dung of thousands of sacred cows, no sewer systems, chemical plants upriver, and the Ganges is close to being a "dead" river. Yet, people pilgrimage to the Ganges to bathe in this most holy of  rivers. Children take daily swims to escape the heat, and clothes were laundered along its banks.

Holy men taking their daily baths.

Cremation site along the banks of the river for those not being able to afford or choosing the more modern electrical cremations.

Still, I was deeply touched by the spirituality of the Ganges. Taking boat rides at dawn and dusk offer sights and sounds never experienced. Every night a Hindu ritual called an aarti is held on several ghats (steps leading down to the river).

Marisa on the Ganges

Thousands of people gather nightly along the Ganges for the aarti ritual.

Doreen lighting floating flower and candle vessals.

The banks of the Ganges.

It will take me a long time to process everything that I saw and experienced in Varanasi. It was Marisa's favorite place in India so far. For me the contrast of the sacredness of the river and its utter filth, was difficult to accept. But it is a must-see place in the world.

Jaipur Revisited and the Taj Mahal

My first visitor from Bellingham!

Marisa at Nizamuddin for Sufi singing

Marisa at the Red Fort in Jaipur

My first visitor from home, Marisa, arrived last week. Marisa is renting my Bellingham home and has been my hair stylist for a few years. She is a delightful and fun young women who took the risk to learn more about incredible India. Sure has been fun introducing her to the wonder and craziness of India. The first three days I must have heard, "Oh, my god" a hundred times. By the fourth day it was simply, "Amazing!"She's off to Goa (beach area) for a couple of days. Can't wait to hear her stories.

Decided to take her to Jaipur and Agra on a road trip. We hired a driver and four of us hopped into a van with AC (it's in the 90's right now). Our driver, Dinesh, was amazing; dodging cows and swerving scooters with 3-4 passengers, buses with toploads of people hanging on any graspable part.

Just an ordinary truckload of hay

 You can't think about the craziness of the seemingly no-rules on the roads in India. Closing my eyes often is my only way to stay sane.

Traffic- stopping herd of cattle

Holy cow!

This holy man was leading his holy cow along the highway in pilgrimage to the next temple.


 Since I had been to Jaipur before, I wanted to discover some new sights. Didn't have to look too hard. The Royal Observatory Jantar Mantar was a gem of a find! Dating back to the 1700's, this open-air observatory is full of ancient astrological and time-telling structures. So far, this is one of my favorite finds in India. The Maharaja Jai Singh was a passionate astrologer and astronomer. Huge sculpture-like sundials and zodiac charts feel like a giant board game. One of the time instruments still tells time within two seconds of accuracy!

"Clock"

Libra zodiac piece

Of course, we just had to take the elephant ride to the Amber Fort. I do struggle with the treatment of some of the elephants. Although it was supposed to be abolished for the elephant "driver" to use a metal hook, ankush, to poke the elephant, our driver was using one. When I asked him how many trips he took with his elephant each day, he said from 9-7 P.M. Took the joy away a bit.

Elephant with a "turban"!

Cristi and her mother, Ellen (visiting from Texas)

Family making and selling puri for the passing elephant drivers.

The Amber Fort is magnificent. I was really able to focus on more of the details this time.

Inlaid marble ceiling.

Silver mosaics!

After two sensational days in Jaipur, our driver began the long journey to Agra, the home of the Taj Mahal. Five to six hours of driving in the U.S. is quite bearable. But on Indian highways, it is a like a surreal theme park ride that you can't get off!

Camel carts all along the way.

Trucks are hand-painted.

Agra is not a lovely place. There are many historical sights worth seeing, but I was glad that we were only there for the day to see the Taj. Our driver secured us VIP passes because I have an Embassy ID. No lines, thankfully, and a private guide who has taken many dignitaries on the tour. Or at least that is what he told us!

The glorious Taj Mahal

 There is really nothing quite like the Taj Mahal. Inlaid marble throughout with precious stones. The entire structure is perfectly symmetrical from all sides. And imagine, built for love!

The classic "Diana" pose

Dinesh managed to get us home safely through mad traffic for another five hours of driving. Nice to be back home. Next...Varanasi!

Nizamuddin and Sufi Singers

Kris in Nizamuddin alley. Photo taken by Tim Steadman.

 

Entry into the basti of Nizamuddin. Arch is low to remind those entering to bow.

On Friday night a group of us took a walking tour of the neighborhood called Nizamuddin. Nizamuddin is a 12th century village that grew around the shrine of the Sufi saint Hazrat Nizamuddin Auliya. Today this mostly Muslim neighborhood is home to over 15,000 residents. It is known for its congested narrow alleys, tombstones, pilgrims, markets, mosques and spiritual music.

Sufism is a form of Islam, but is considered a softer more multi-cultural form. It is a mystical dimension of Islam and worshipers believe that through dancing, singing and prayer they can achieve closeness to God.

 

View from a rooftop.

We were very relieved that we had hired a guide, as we would never have found our way through the maze of alleys and venders selling everything from plastic flip flops to flowers and incense for offerings at the shrine.

Toothbrushes!

Our guide explained that these were a type of stick used for cleaning teeth. Wish I had bought one to try!

Stone carving on one tombstone of a woman.

A mausoleum from the 1500's

 

Kids playing hide-n-seek with us

Man taking picture of us as we took one of him!

Shannon at shrine of Nizamuddin.

Men and women are required to wear head scarves when in the worship area. The women are not allowed into the mosque, and cannot walk in front of any man praying.

Kris, Karen, me, Shannon and Anne. Photo taken by Tim Steadman.

 There were many homeless and disabled people sleeping in every nook and cranny. All people in need who come to this  basti (community) are fed daily. So those who make the pilgrimage often just find a dark alley to call home for a few days or much longer.

"Home"

A group of men who had come to study

The end of our tour ended with listening to a small group of Sufi singers in a small Dargah. Sufi singers have been singing Qawwalis for over 750 years at the main shrine. The songs are designed to raise listeners to a state of haal or spiritual trance. I must admit that I was mesmerized bv this most beautiful singing.