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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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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.
The first morning we made a pilgrimage to Sarnath, the birthplace of Buddhism. This is the spot where the Buddha himself gave his first sermon, speaking of the Eightfold Truths and the Middle Path.
The grounds of the deer park at Sarnath were scattered with ruins and new structures, although nothing from the Buddha's time survived intact. Monks in burgundy and saffron robes circled the main temple. Inside were wall murals depicting scenes of the Buddha's life. This was a place of great spiritual power -- one of several in the Varanasi area.
Beautiful Benares Silk
This tour ended (as so many tours in India do) with a visit to craftsmen selling their wares.
In one part of town, Muslim families weave the exquisite silk brocades and jaquards that Varanasi (also called Benares) is renown for.
In dozens of stone homes without electricity, men and boys sit at huge looms, passing brightly colored silk threads thru golden background threads.
Out in a nearby field, men stretch, separate, and dry long silk threads in preparation for weaving, while children, goats, and dogs scamper around.
I'm continually amazed that in India, such beauty is created in such squalid conditions. Silk like peacocks and rainbows is born between narrow, dark alleyways. Like the women who wear these bright silks in the grimy streets, like the diesel-belching trucks decked in tinsel and flowers... Indian people seem to thrive because of the brightness they bring to an otherwise dark and dingy world.
After seeing how the silks were made, we were naturally encouraged to buy some and naturally I did. Two
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See photographs from:
India Gallery
Jessica-xxx, 2008-06-18 19:10:57