The Treasures I Found on the Ghats of Varanasi!

Varanasi had always been on my bucket list, but little did I know that this ancient other-worldly city would nourish my soul in unimaginable ways.

 

The first thing I did after getting off the train was hit the foodie’s trail. Tamatar ki chaat, gol gappe, aloo tikki, malaiyo—I hogged it all at one go before heading off to spend the night at a hostel close to Dashashwamedh Ghat.

Early the next morning, while it was still dark outside, I walked over to the ghat and hopped on to a boat for a sunrise boat tour. The air was cold and calm, as was the water of River Ganga, with just the chirps of enthusiastic water birds filling the air. All alone, in the middle of this holy river, I felt at peace for the first time in months.

Since it was a sunny winter morning, I decided to walk along the ghats, stopping by to admire the graffiti and sip on a hot cup of tea from the stalls around.

While each ghat is beautiful in its own way, the one that amazed me most was Manikarnika Ghat. It carries a heavy aura of death, and yet, not an ounce of negativity. The burning pyres once again reminded me of the transient nature of our existence and the never-ending cycle of life and death. I was fortunate enough to be able to chat with an Aghori sadhu. He wasn’t very friendly, but he still obliged me with a picture.

I had always imagined the Ganga arti to be a chaotic and noisy ritual, but strangely, there was definite order within the chaos. There was synchronicity, and a palpable energy that made me feel one with the Universe.

And this is how I came back home with the bag full of memories.