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I must record the most beautifully spiritual events of the past few days in the holy city of Varanasi. This has been one of the most meaningful travels in all my life.
A Pilgrimage to the River Ganges January 19, 2001
Ttrealtravels2005-12-26 16:18:51
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of rooftops below, boys battled with kite strings. Families of monkeys leapt from roof to roof. A cacophony of city sounds rose up to greet us. It was amazing, yet more was to come.
Sunset Falls on the River
After taking a million pictures, we descended into the fray again. Our guide led us to view the cremation ghat, where roaring wood fires consumed the mortal remains of Hindus. The fires are lit from one sacred flame that has been kept burning here for over 3,000 years.
Ash from the fires settled on our faces and in our hair, continuing the circle of life and death. In the midst of death we live, and in the midst of life we die. Here, in the ancient and holy Varanasi on the banks of the River Ganges, life and death mingle eternally.
Past the cremation ghat, we boarded a small rowboat as dusk settled. A little down the river, the nightly ceremony of thanks and blessing to the river had begun. Hundreds of tiny lights and floating bowls filled with flowers were set adrift on the river.
At the main ghat, a huge crowd watched five priests offer a series of prayers to the four directions, often using fire to illuminate their ritual. A deafening din of bells accompanied all.
This was magical. The glowing flames reflected in the river. The peal of bells drowning out all other sound and much thought too. The noise cleared the mind -- and let this ancient spiritual ceremony touch and fill the soul. We took pictures, but the images are forever burned into my heart. Whenever I need peace in my life, I'll turn my mind back to this time and place.
The ceremony ended with a long chant that the whole crowd joined in. Then everyone dispersed, happy and fulfilled.
A Magical Morning
The next morning, we returned to Mother Ganges for dawn ablutions. Every morning, devout Hindus of all ages and both sexes take a dip in the sacred river. Hindus come from all over India to do so. From a rowboat, we watched their bathing as the great orange sun slowly rose over the misty Ganges.
Again, it was magical. The fog met the river and obliterated all traces of any other world. This was really where the sidewalk ends, where the world itself ends, a place that bridged this mortal world and the eternal unknown.
This was what I'd come to India for. To see and feel the sacred power, the holy energy of this place. To touch the divine, to contribute my energy to the eternal, and, in return, take a piece of the divine back in me. My own personal pilgrimage -- dreamt of since age 14! -- is done. I am fulfilled and satisfied with India completely.
See photographs from:
India Gallery
Jessica-xxx, 2008-06-18 19:10:57