Traveling alone will be the scariest, most liberating, life changing experience of your life they said and I couldn’t agree more, after my solo stint to Varanasi.
Varanasi or Banaras, best described by Mark Twain is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together. As I hopped on a train, all I wondered was what this city of enlightenment and death could possibly have in store for me. But I knew it in my heart that the lenses of my camera would capture a lot of stories in the ancient ruins, lanes and ghats.
After reaching Varanasi and exploring the city for a while, I couldn’t help but smile at the irony- People come here to cleanse their souls yet no one cares enough to keep the streets clean. Lost in my own thoughts, I walked towards Dasaswamedh Ghat, which is one of the oldest and holiest Varanasi Ghat, for the famous evening Ganga Aarti. According to the Hindu Mythology, Lord Brahma created this Ghat to welcome Lord Shiva. No sooner had I reached Dasawamedh Ghat than I witnessed these little children cosplaying different Gods of the Hindu Mythology. While capturing their expressions, I observed these children asking money from the foreigners after showcasing their small dance sequence. Unaware that a pair of eyes was watching me, I started walking towards the Aarti podium. I felt two little hands grab my T-shirt and found this little guy looking at me with eagerness in his eyes. “Photo nikala na? Chalo ab paise do!” Alas! No one was spared from the wrath of these innocent creatures.
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The evening Ganga Aarti is attended by thousands of pilgrims who might have travelled from far corners of India and abroad which shows their faith and devotion towards a tradition. The ghat looks like a carnival of Hindu priests, flower sellers, beggars and devotees from dawn till dusk. I sat there for hours and never actually got bored. It was in fact a moment of self-realization about various things for me.
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The next morning, I headed towards the morning aarti area. The aarti was a treat to the eyes. I started my day with this beautiful sunrise in Assi Ghat where the river Ganga meets river Assi. It wasn’t as chaotic as the other ghats because of its location. The boat man was kind enough to impart me some knowledge about how the name “Varanasi” was conceived and that the Ganga is getting cleaner with every passing year. He wasn’t just a boat man but a story teller.
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Sarnath, where Gautama Buddha attained salvation, is now a house to damaged ancient buidings and structures but is a peaceful place to be at. However amongst the ruins, the Dharmekh Stupa stands at 128 feet in height and is quite an impressive structure. It is the spot where Buddha was believed to have preached his first sermon. I was lucky enough to catch a glimpse of so many Buddhist monks praying together.
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My trip to Varanasi was an absolute delight as all my time was spent in doing what I love the most- Photography. I wouldn’t be wrong in saying that Varanasi is a Photographer’s paradise. Here is one of my favourite clicks of the Dasaswamedh Ghat at dawn.
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Sandesh R Nayak (MBA Student IIT KGP)