"A Divine Evening in Banaras"
A Divine Evening in Banaras
Banaras is an Indian city which is 320 kilometres south-east of
the state capital, Lucknow on the banks
of the river Ganges in Uttar Pradesh. While writing this article, I would like to remember Mark Twan statement written about Banaras, ''Banaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together.'' Banaras is the holiest of the seven sacred cities in Hinduism. The 23rd Thirthankara of Jain
religion Parshvanath was born at Bhelpur
in Banaras. So Banaras is a pilgrimage centre for Jains also. This city has an important role in the development of Buddhism and Ravidassia. By call of the goddess Ganga I got opportunity to go Banaras before
Covid -19 pandemic 18 months back. There was divine experience, when I spent my
evening in Dashashwamedh
ghat Banaras.
Although
Banaras is holy religious city, Banaras is also famous for flourishing fabrics,
ivory, perfumes and sculpture industries.
We did pre-planning of our trip. We decided to stay in Godaulia because of its central location and accessibility. We began our day by taking a self-reflective boat ride with the distant chimes of morning rites at the Assi Ghat. After boatride, it was time for taking some delicious jalebi, kachori, sabzi and tea which is popular breakfast in Banaras.
In the
afternoon we decided to dodge the evening crowd and go on our fabric quest. We
felt pleasure while meeting up with the artisans. Talking with the artisan
community there we realized despite Varanasi being the hallmark of Hinduism the
fabric industry is majorly run by Muslims. Here Hindu and Muslim live
altogether with love. This shows that India has Unity in Diversity.
After
meeting with artisans, we stopped and ate Aloo Tikki and Papdi Chat at
the very famous shop of Banaras Kashi Chaat Bhandar. There was a lot of crowd.
We caped it off with the Magai
paan. Magai Paan is famous for its unique quality of melting in mouth.
Magai Paan is not only just delicious but also economical for us.
Ganga Aarti
River
Ganga is boon for Banaras. Ganga water is considered very holy in Hindu
religion.
It is a lifeline to millions of Indians who live along its course and depend on
it for their daily needs. The river is revered as a goddess whose purity cleanses the sins of the faithful and
aids the dead on their path toward heaven. According to scientific
research Escherichia, Enterobacter, Salmonella, Shigella and Vibrio like
pathogenic bacteria were isolated from Ganga rivers and their numbers were
compared with the bacteriophages present in the river water. So it is confirmed
now that purity of the Ganga is due
to bacteriophages. The Ganga water remains fresh for long time. Every
Hindu wants to take bath in holy river Ganga when he comes to Banaras.
Then we went to Dashashwamedh ghat. The Ganga Aarti Ceremony held every evening at the Dasashwamedh Ghat at Banaras is one of the most spectacular religious or devotional rituals carried out in the world.
Ganga aarti takes place in a choreographed way as pandits stand clockwise in front of the River Ganges to offer the Aarti. The religious ceremony is held close Kashi Vishwanath Temple.
The city is the epicentre of the Hindu religion, the memorable place for many Indians and I am very aware of how lucky I am to be with my family.
The Sun is setting
and we are on the boat in front of Dashashwamedh ghat. We are here for the evening aarti on the
ghats along the river. Our boat is one of dozens which makes its way slowly
to the spot where the pandits are already in action. We cram together, most of
us Indians but many foreigners understanding very little but soaking up the
sights, sounds and smells of this moment. We board our boat to watch
the evening puja, striking out into the river for a better view of the pandits
chanting on the ghats in front of us. The whole aarti is a visual treat. Seeing a group of
pandits in saffron robes in beautiful. The colours in a frame are worth a
watch. There is the water, the deity, the saffron costume, golden brass lamps
and people. A lot of incense sticks are lit and the canvas of the evening
surely seems brighter.
Watch the synchronised action of the
oil lamps. It has a huge fire and those lamps are really heavy. Although, the
pandits are trained to hold them. The uniformity of the movement will surely
leave you baffled and speechless at the same time.
Peacock feathers and yak tail fans
are also waved in a synchronised manner during the aarti. After the ceremony
ends, people lit small lamps and leave it in the river with flowers as
offerings to Ganga. You might want to stay till the end and experience that as
well. The river looks beautiful with lamps lit up.
Pandits of all age groups draped in
silk type material robes in saffron and other shades offer an Aarti with huge
golden looking brass lamps to Maa Ganga. It is said that these lamps are also
around 2 kilograms. They are lit with small fires and they hold it in front of
the river.
The other rituals include the ‘blow of the conch shell’ that loads your senses and the aroma from the smoke of burning incense sticks. They are also laid and waved in big patterns followed by the circular movements of the large burning lamps.
It is also done in a rhythmic manner as the chantings happen and bells sound in the background. It is one of the best visual treats with display of total devotion to Maa Ganga in grandiose.
Banaras is built along the northen bank of the Ganges; in the distance are the low plains of the opposite shore and in between them, wooden boats make their way up and down the river.In the distance, we can see the smoke rising from the cremation at Manikarnika ghat.Every facet of life is played out along the river. The pyre burns almost 24 by 7 at Manikarnika ghat.Witnessing a burning body aquaints you to the basic fact that after death body is reduced to ash hence learn to be humble and lead a simple yet inspirational life.
We felt divine experience
seeing Ganga aarti. An evening in Banaras was fantastic. I suggest you to do
come Banaras and watch Ganga Aarti of famous Dasashwamedh Ghat. I hope you will
feel joy.
Dr. Mayank Chandrakar is a writer also. My first book "Ayurveda Self Healing: How to Achieve Health and Happiness" is available on Kobo and Instamojo. You can buy and read.
For Kobo-
https://www.kobo.com/search?query=Ayurveda+Self+Healing
The second Book "Think Positive Live Positive: How Optimism and Gratitude can change your life" is available on Kobo and Instamojo.
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