Kashi/Varanasi/Banaras, the world's oldest city and perhaps the last. I witnessed the beauty of Kashi during the Maha Kumb Mela, which occurs for every 144 years. It was the most crowded city had ever been, with people rushing only to get darshan of Lord Kashi Vishwanath. There were moments where I felt it looks more than just a city.
Streets of Kashi
As soon as we landed at the Varanasi airport, the journey from the airport to the city kept switching between different modes of transportation . When we arrived Kashi finally, no taxis were allowed to go further because of vast crowd, then for the very first time I had experienced rickshaw ride. We felt lost, as the hotel guide delayed showing up. Then a boy came to take us to the hotel, there we witnessed what " Galiyon ki Kashi" means. The narrow galis, where only two wheeler can fit, were filled with creative paintings, ancient time designs, ancient banaras doors, matka chai at the corners of street, and mainly healthy, fit stray dogs.
Unlike in my hometown, the dogs in the Kashi felt different. Perhaps it’s because of the presence of Lord Kala Bhairava, whose divine vehicle(Vahana) is said to be the dog. They knew that most devotees were from South India, many stalls offered idli, dosa, and other familiar dishes. Everywhere we went, we saw malai in sweets, chats, local foods, and even bhaang.
Temples of Banaras
The first temple we visited was the Kala Bhairava temple in the night. With elongated queue it took nearly two hours for darshanam. Getting in and getting out wasn’t easy without Google Maps--ufff. By the end of the day, we barely had time to visit just one temple.
The next morning, we visited Kashi Vishwanath Temple(one of the twelve Jyotirlingas). It's large welcoming doorway, the white marbles interiors, and golden structures inside temple purely mesmerizing moments one can never forget.
The same day we also had darshan of Godess Varaha Devi. Devotees here cannot see the Devi directly, it is the only temple where everyone except the priests must bow down and view the Devi through a small square opening. We also visited other temples like Sankata Mochan Hanuman, Ganesha, and more each holding its own unique story.
Ghats and Maa Ganga river
The Ghats of Kashi are a sacred steps situated along the river. Each ghat has its own story, energy, rituals and spiritual significance. People perform yoga, meditation, holy bath, pujas, cremation rituals.
Some famous ghats of Kashi are Dashwamedh Ghat, where the mesmerizing Ganga Aarti is performed every evening but unfortunately we missed it due to massive crowd during Mahakumbh Mela, it was cancelled and we couldn't witness it.
Manikarnika Ghat, where we get to see dead bodies cremation rituals. In every ghats, Aghoras, Sadhus were seen indulged in their own world with bare minimal clothing.
The boat ride along the ghats on the Ganga was one of my most beautiful moments in Kashi. I wished I could spend a few days continuously on the boat, but I was simply grateful even for that single ride. We had holy bath in the morning during sunrise, performed some pujas over there. It was quiet, divine and timeless
"Kashi teaches us peace, eternal, simple living and so much more 🕊"
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