Muslim celebration in Varanasi

On December 6, 2011 Varanasi and other Indian cities with Muslim population became a place for a large-scale Muslim Muharram mourning activities. That invariably included zangir-zani (beating oneself with chains).

On Muharram, Muslims take out large processions and mourn the killing of Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Mohammed, who was martyred some 1,330 years ago at Karbala in Iraq on the 10th day of the Islamic month of Muharram. Major mourning processions were held in Delhi, Bangalore, Mumbai, Hyderabad and other cities.

The police had beefed up security to ensure that the day passes off peacefully - and it did.

Dasashwamedh Station, Varanasi

So we have finally accomplished our first wall here. We hope it will serve as a prominent landmark for Russian tourists in Varanasi - the text in Russian above the painting says "Station Dasashwamedh" and has a direct correlation with the big M which stands both for Moscow and for Moscow subway.

Not only the Moscow sub­way sym­bol looks as if it belongs in Varanasi. Artyom also looks more and more like a devoted pil­grim here )

Painting the first wall

We have been painting our first wall in Varanasi from the morning till the darkness the day before yesterday, yesterday we planned to finish our first wall, but still have some details to fix, so will finalize it tomorrow and then you will see the final drawing.

Pintu, the local Varanasi wall-painter, brought us all necessary paints and brushes, and was proactively involved in painting. Especially when it came to climbing really high.

Альбом: Varanasi

Альбом: Varanasi

Альбом: Varanasi

Альбом: Varanasi

Альбом: Varanasi

Альбом: Varanasi

 

Today we went to see the Buddha temples and stupas of Sarnath, to get some inspiration from the painted walls of different country temples there. They were really magnificent.

Альбом: Varanasi

Альбом: Varanasi

Альбом: Varanasi

No more tourists in Vishvanath Temple

We have just learned, that Vishvanath, the most sacred Golden Temple of Varanasi, has ultimately closed its doors to foreigners. As one of the tourists was busted in the temple with a camera in September, the Ministry of Tourism has banned foreigners altogether from getting inside the temple.

So right now there is no way curious travellers can get in - not with the help of the government approved guides, not through the priests, who sit along the alleyways near the entrance to the sacred site.

UPD
As it turned out, Vishvanath has lifted the ban - probably in the wake of new tourist season. So you CAN actually get in, proving to the guards that you are Hindu ) The ban has stayed for two months.

Lonely Planet got lost in Varanasi

Lonely Planet referrs to Varanasi as the second best place to get lost in. After Venice.

Lets's see what it says about Varanasi.
"You could throw yourself into Varanasi’s dark maze of streets a hundred times over and still come out at a different point. Discover temples, sweet shops and silk bargains in its back alleys." - quite right!

"Get found: Countless bicycle rickshaw drivers will be only too happy to take you home – for a price that’s in range of just about every budget." - absolutely wrong!

In fact, there are no rickshaws in the Old city of Varanasi - and we are speaking exactly abou the Old city, since that's the place where tourists wander. Just because it's streets are two narrow for a rickshaw - sometimes it's so narrow that only 1 person can pass at a time. So there's no escape on a rickshaw. The best way out of the Old city (if you can't get yourself back on the road with rickshaws) is to walk down the streets to the river. There you could consult your map and find out where you are - the names of the ghats are everywhere. And from there you can take a boat to where you want to go.
Otherwise you just trust some local to get you out of the labyrinth. Just believe that he actually is a good a person and he will surely help you out )

The upside is - no one has ever failed to find the way out of the Old city )

Bumpy roads - modern karma of Varanasi

More and more people are complaining of backache, neck pain and spinal injuries in Varanasi. The doctors attribute the rising cases to bumpy rides on potholed roads of the city.

Well, I would agree to that. Especially when you are riding in a ricksaw more than 5 minutes. The Russian roads, notorious for their bumps, seem like heaven when compared to those in Varanasi.

Media reports that the figures of people hurt by the roads is growing steadily. "On an average, we are witnessing three to four cases of spinal injures per month and the figure is almost 20% higher than the last year figure," said O P Sharma of department of radiodiagnosis and imaging, Banaras Hindu University (BHU).

Though I can hardly understand how 3 cases can show the 20% increase in number, I'm sure the doctor finds this trend very disturbing.

In addition, there is an almost 10% increase in the cases of neck pain and backache, two most common skeleto-muscular problems. Around 8 to 10 cases are being reported daily at the centre, added the senior professor, who has come up with a special paper on effects of bumpy roads on backache and other skeleto-muscular ailments.

The reports of orthopaedic department, BHU, indicate that knee and shoulder injuries are common problems affecting the young population, while backache and neck pain are taking toll on the ones aged over 50 years.

The youngsters, particularly college going students, in the city drive their bikes at a high speed which makes them prone to accidents resulting in knee and shoulder injuries.

"Wrong sitting postures on bikes coupled with bumpy rides cause backache and spinal injuries, said Sharma, who was former head of the department.

Also, as per the reports of neurosurgery department's OPD, an average increase of 20% has been witnessed in the cases of spinal injuries in last one year.

"One needs to be extra careful while riding motorbikes or driving vehicles on these roads and it is always better to compromise speed for safe and injury-free journey," said Sharma.

Moscow vs Varanasi graffiti contest - the winner

We are happy to finally announce the winner of the contest — ‘Fire, water, wall’ by Ukranian team Interesny Kazki.

Congratulations!

Most members of the Jury have declared that the style, the symbols and the theme of the works by Interesny Kazki fully befits the contest and the city of Varanasi itself.

The key idea of the work is intercommunication of two elements, that are conflicting by nature - fire and water. Tangled together those two forces are omnipresent in Varanasi - the fire of burning dead bodies converses with the Ganges water. Life and death mix and become inseparable. At the same time those two elements stand for two different cultures - Slavic and Indian.

We would also like to point out a work, which has received special praise from the Jury - The Metro.

Artem Semyanenko has chosen a very modern symbol of Moscow, the logo of the subway and made it look alive. The work has original concept, artfully cragted, has a bit of satire is easy to remember.

You can see the gallery of other works here and the short list here.

So our next step is to make it happen offline - the real graffiti on the Varanasi wall. We expect to paint it in the coming fall. Stay tuned!

Dussehra Ganga festival in Varanasi

Ganga Dusshera is a holy festival celebrated on the tenth day of the month of Jayeshta. The festival is devoted to the worship of holy river Ganga.

It is believed that the ‘Gangavataran’ (the descent of the Ganga) took place at this time. On this day, places such as Varanasi, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Garhmukteswar, Prayag etc. hold special significance.

A huge number of devotees flock to numerous ghats located on the west bank of the river Ganga to bathe in water and carry the river clay home to venerate. A bath in the Ganga is believed to purify the soul and clean it of 10 sins. In Varanasi the special aarti sounds bounce across the city, and in Haridwar aartis and meditation are also performed by a large number of devotees on the river banks.

Ganga water is stored in sealed pots in homes and is used on sacred days.

Ganga moving away from Varanasi ghats

The river of faith, Ganga, is changing course and appears to be moving away from the historic ghats of Varanasi, the abode of Kashi Vishwanath. The river is now flowing 7-10 feet away from the banks. Though the media make it look like some extraordinary event, our local friends there admit, that it's the casual annual decrease in Ganga's waters. Soon with the monsoon, the Ganga will gain strength again.

At the famous Dasaswamegh Ghat, close to the Kashi Vishwanath temple, the river is flowing 9 feet away from the ghat steps. At Rajendra Prasad Ghat, Rajghat and Assi Ghat the river is seven, four and five feet away respectively from the ghats’ steps.

According to scientists associated with the Ganga Action Plan, the river is changing course due to massive pollution and lack of proper cleaning of the banks of the river.

Acharya Jitendra of the Ganga Mahasabha says that the administration is not working towards cleaning the Ganga; instead more and more pollutants are being pushed into it.

Moreover, the dams and barrages that have been built upstream are diverting increasing amounts of water for farming and other purposes. For example, around nine percent of Ganga’s waters are diverted to canals at the Bhimgouda barrage.

As per a report, the government has spent Rs 36,448 crore on cleaning the Ganga, yet at Varanasi the river is little more than a deadly cocktail of groundwater, sewage discharge and spillage from tributaries like the Yamuna and the Betwa.

A band from Varanasi made it to National Geographic

A wedding photo from Varanasi became the photo of the day on National Geographic website

Varanasi children need to learn about Indian culture

Of all the places in India I would never say that Varanasi lacks insights into the rich Indian cultural heritage. But that's my western opinion, and as it turns out things are not quite like this there.

Daily India reports, that as an initiative to inculcate cultural values and allied Indian ethos among youngsters, a special summer camp has been organized for school children in Varanasi.

The children are taught essence of Hindu culture, relevance of rituals and recitation of passages from holy scriptures such as Vedas, Bhagwad Gita, Upanishads and Puranas.

Every day, the teacher conducting the classes fondly applies a paste of sandalwood on the foreheads of the young Vedic 'scholars', incidentally, all studying in English medium and convent schools.

"It is very necessary for today's children because today, children are convent educated, going far from our traditional culture. So, we need to enlighten them about our Indian cultural heritage since during their routine academics, they are unable to concentrate on this aspect. So, this is the right time to give them the right training. That's why in summer camp we are teaching these children Bhagwad Gita and Vedic Mantras among others," said Ishita Saraswat, a trainer at the school.

On their part, the children despite not understanding the Sanskrit language in which most of the Hindu scriptures are written seemed to be curious to learn it.

"My father and mother are very happy to hear my reciting passages from our religious scriptures," said Avantika Kapoor, a student at the summer camp.

"Since many parents are working, both of them don't have time to make their children understand about basic culture. They don't have time even to make their children be aware about certain basic facts of our culture and hence this summer camp for the children," Saraswat said.

She also mentioned that the young children have learnt a lot about Hinduism right form respecting one's parents and teachers to reciting simple shlokas (psalms) from the scriptures.

Probably, being the territory of wisdom, like I stated in the previous post, Varanasi can never find the current amount of knowledge enough for its children. Right?

Varanasi - territory of wisdom

Most people in the West, when recalling their trip to Varanasi mostly rattle about sacred Ganges and hordes of people and animals bathing in it, dead bodies burning, pilgrims, sadhus and cow shit.

What often escapes their narrative is that Varanasi has long been a center of wisdom and learning.

For the most ancient name of the city is Kashi, the name nearly three thousand years old. As Diana Eck in her book rightfully observes, the most common etymology of the word is from the Sanskrit roor kash, "to shine, to look brilliant".

And when we speak about wisdom India-wise, we inevitably travel into the mystic land. The worldplay in Sanskrit continually underlines the relation of the City of Light to the light of enlightenment. For example, the city is called "City of Light which illumines liberation". Varanasi is also called jnana-svapura, the "embodyment of liberating insight". So the Kashi is pure light and wisdom, which enables us to see into the true nature of things. In Kashi, as the Kashi Rahasya, a 14th to 17th century old text says, one sees one's own soul.

Right next to the mystic wisdom stands the second, more easily comprehended meaning of light in the West - the light of study. As early as 1,000 BC Varanasi attracted worshippers, religious seekers and yogis, who found the city to be an ideal place for their hermitages. And in this period Varanasi became known as a center of learning.

The most famous seeker was, of course, Siddhartha Gautama, who became to be called the Buddha, the Awakened One. In a park in Sarnath he preached to his companions the Four Noble Truths and Eightfold Noble Path, turning the wheel of Dharma.

The legend says that while travelling to Sarnath, Buddha had to cross the Ganges and having no money with which to pay the ferryman, he crossed the Ganges through the air. When King Bimbisāra heard of this, he abolished the toll for ascetics.

Diana Eck cites an Indian historian, who wrote that "Varanasi at this time was so celebrated that it was only suitable for the Buddha to reach a new way and turn the wheel of the law here". And for 1,500 years Sarnath continued to be an active monastic center of Buddhism.

As the ashrams back at that time were Indian universities, Varanasi outlive all other cities in India as such a center and became synonymous with classical learning. The ritual journeys to Kashi to study the Vedas has become an integral part of initiatory and wedding rites in distant parts of India. In some Hindu weddings the groom should declare that he would renounce the world and go to Benares to study the Vedas. Thus he initiates the bargaining for the bride and the brides' family makes him abandon the thought. And in some parts of India the initiation ceremony for young men includes a mock journey to Varanasi - seven steps in its direction symbolize ancient journey to the source of all wisdom.

Today Varanasi houses the famous BHU - Benares Hindu University, the largest residential university in Asia, with over 12,000 students living on its huge campus, dominating over South part of the city. According to Wikipedia, it ranks as the second best university in the field of research in India after Delhi University and it is also ranked as the best overall university of India on all parameters.

And another university that I should mentioning speaking of learning in Varanasi is Sampurnanand Sanskrit University. The University website says that "Benares has been most appropriate for the University", and that's true, it's not a simple coincidence, that Varanasi is the place for worldwide acknowledged Sanskrit University. I personally know some Russian guys, who study there, so "worldwide" is not just a figure of speech.

There are also a lot of students clearly visible on streets of Varanasi. Mostly school children, students are dressed like everyone else, but school kids wear different uniforms, each style appropriate to one's school.

I absolutely agree with the point Diana Eck made in her book - the ancient traditions of seeking of wisdom are still visible in the streets of Varanasi.

That's the important thing I would like the travellers to percieve in Varanasi.

Varanasi Graffiti Contest

GoVaranasi is proud to announce the graffiti contest for the ancient Varanasi.

The graffiti project “Moscow VS Varanasi. Tags of two realities” is designed to make a jump out of established boxes in our mind — about Russia, India, graffiti, creativity and cities’ environment… whatever boxes are about.

The idea of the contest is to find the best sketch for the famous Indian city Varanasi.
The contest is open for everyone from any country, the participation is free.

If you have a desire to create something really cool, to explore the depth of India, and if you don’t hold any ideologic and hygenic prejudice against Varanasi, you are welcome to send in the sketch to us!

The jury board consisting of talented and authoritative Russian pro’s in graffiti and design will choose the winner. The winner will go on a trip to Varanasi absolutely free of charge to make the painting on the wall of the Varanasi’s Main ghat.


Beginning of the contest – 25th of April, 2011
Deadline for entry – 20th of May, 2011
Travel & exe cu tion — October 2011

For more information about the contest click here

Bringing parents to die in Varanasi

Al Jazeera made a small movie about those who come to die in Varanasi.

The story is about Mukti Bhavan hospice, which provides lodging for three families who brought their old parents to Varanasi. One can stay in the hospice not longer than 15 days, because it's not like a hotel, - says the manager of the hospice

Dust storm and 1 000 baloons explosion hit Varanasi

Severe dust storm and 1 000 baloons explosion strike Varanasi as dropping temperatures by 3 degrees brings respite from scorching heat.

Times of India report, that the dust storm accompanied by light showers disrupted the power supply in many parts of city. The southern parts were worst affected as snapping of electric cables was reported in these areas. Reports of uprooting of trees and snapping of tree branches creating traffic congestion came in, even from the neighbouring districts.

Utter chaos prevailed at Azad Park in Lahurabir area when fire broke out after over 1,000 balloons exploded simultaneously on Monday afternoon.


Просмотреть увеличенную карту

To take part in the Bharatiya Janata Party's rally, one Sunita Singh along with her supporters carried out a procession from Nati Imali area. The participants were carrying 1,000 balloons. While passing through Lahurabir, they entered Azad Park to garland the statue of Chandrashekhar Azad.

In the meantime, the balloons exploded simultaneously, after which the hydrogen gas spread there. People clothes caught fire in the incident and many panicked, alleging that the bomb went off.

But when police reached the incident site, it became clear that the incident took place due to simultaneous explosion of balloons. The injured were rushed to the nearby hospital.

Benares 100 years ago

Looking at the old photos we can see for our selves how the city stays the same through hundreds of years.

Varanasis, just like in the 1900s, hide from the sun in the shade of bamboo umbrellas offering prayers for the dead souls on the ghats, bathe in sacred Ganges, burn at Manikarnika.

The only thing that has changed - there were much more trees back there, and less people.

photos from oldindianphotos.blogspot.com

Geography of Varanasi

As for the physical geography of Varanasi,

Varanasi is located on the Western bank of the Ganges river in Northern India. The Indian state is Uttar Pradesh. In Varanasi the sacred Ganges makes a moon-like turn and flows to the North, while usually most rivers in northern hemisphere are destined South.

If we count from Delhi, Varanasi is 780 km to the South-East of the capital.

If you drive a car, or rather, hire a driver, the road to Varanasi will take more than 16 hours. You will have to ride creepy Indian roads, which are unlit at night and remain in dire condition for the last 50 years. As one school of Indian driving puts it, local "roads" are not meant to commute from here to there, it’s the road themselves that run from here to there.

You can also take some time to enjoy the countryside and hire an auto rickshaw, this is one of the most extraordinary ways to travel – it will take you a couple of days. I personally have not heard of any foreigner, who found the courage to make such a journey.

The most common way to get to Varanasi is taking a train (13 to 17 hour-long trip) or book air tickets (1.5 hours flight). The train tickets cost around Rs1 000 ($ 25), flight – from Rs 2 000 to Rs 10 000 ($46-250) depending on the season and the time of booking. The cheapest tickets are booked about 2 months before the flight.

After you have landed in Varanasi, you will need a taxi to reach the city – the price tag is around Rs 550 ($13). The ride will take about 1.5 hours depending on traffic situation, which is totally unpredictable.

As for the mystical geography of the city,

Varanasi is considered to be the center of space and time, located above the Earth. The locals believe that the city rests on the Shiva’s trident, between Heaven and Earth.

The common belief is that it’s not very easy to reach the city. The molecules of your destiny would tuck in such a way that would hinder your trip plans. But at the same time whenever you decide to come to Varanasi, the sheer determination to accomplish that makes your karma a bit better. And it will drastically improve onwards should you enter the city, see the Ganges and bathe in it.

And if you have come to Varanasi for however a short trip, you will probably tilt towards visiting it again and again. One of the names of the city is Avimukta – a never forsaken city, maybe that is the reason why a lot of people do come back.

Pinda death ritual

Maybe you have heard about one very interesting ritual with rice balls - pindas, performed after death in India. Since this ceremony is easy to spot on Varanasi ghats, we have decided to take a close look on it.

We called our friend brahmin in Varanasi, and here is what he said.

The pinda, though very small and seemingly unsophisticated, plays a significant role in death rituals, assisting the soul of the dead person to avoid some serious problems.

After the cremation, when the soul have left the body through the hole in the skull, the rice balls are offered to the soul during 12 days. A new ball each day. Why 12? Because it takes exactly this amount of time for the soul to reach the world of ancestors - the mysterious Pitriloka.

On the way to Pitrilka the soul may encounter some grave troubles. Like it can get stuck between Heaven and Earth, turning into a ghost or into an ever-hunger spirit. But the pinda rituals actually help the soul to proceed smoothly on its way.

The balls symbolize a transferring body and offer a temporary asylum for the soul. The thing is, after death, the soul gets quite confused - what to do and where to go. And since there is no body anymore, it needs some anchor. And this is what the pindas are made for.

There's also a theory, that the soul actually feeds on those balls, but that is not very clear. The balls are composed of rice flour, and sometimes sesame and barley flour. What exactly meaning is assigned to those ingredients, our friend brahmin couldn't tell us on the spot, but promised to ask his grandfather, a 90 year old ayurveda professor. We'll keep you updated on this. Probably, the soul somehow likes the sesame.

On with the ritual. On the 10th day there's a special ceremony for the balls. The pinda is left on the ground for the crows. Crows are considered as a symbol of Yama - the lord of death in Hinduism. The crows are very greedy, and yet very clever. A lot of things could be discovered watching their behaivour. So sometimes the crows would not come near the pinda, as if something or someone scares them away.

This means that the soul tries to get the attention of the relatives. It hovers above the rice ball and keeps the crows at a distance - this is the only way the soul can send a message to the relatives.

Apparently, the soul is in pain because of vasana - a fundamental desire, which it failed to fulfill during lifetime. And if the relatives are ready to help, they should approach the pinda and say "Should you have any unsatisfied desire, come to my dream or let me know about it in some other way". And then the deceased person will try to establish a contact.

On the 12th day the soul finds itself in Pitrlioka, and its future is defined by its karma. The soul can attain - reunite with the God, or get a new life on Earth.

Later on the pinda ritual is done after in a year. The name of the deceased is muttered over the rice balls and the family dips into Ganges rivers. If the first ritual was performed in some sacred city, like Varanasi, there is no need to perfom it for the second time.

Potters enjoying sun in Varanasi

Varanasi potters were finally out in full strength to take advantage of the warm and shining Sun and lend their vigour to giving shape to various-sized earthen cups.

"We could not have asked for a more opportune time for weather to improve than the holy Magh month," said Sunil Vishwakarma, a senior potter. "It not only marks the start of the wedding season but other sacred rituals and festivities also create a demand for out earthen cups. Then, there is always the high demand of tea to be served in these cups in this season," he elaborated.

The recent cold weather, which lasted for 10 days, had caused nearly 50% slump in their business as most of the tea stalls and kiosks across the city had opted for plastic cups. Even more so, the faint sunlight could not provide sufficient warmth for drying the pots, causing delay in their preparation.

"The extended sunlight with increasing intensity is a blessing for clay materials that get harder and bind easily under these conditions," said another potter Ashok Karmakar.

Over 10,000 potter families reside in Varanasi depending on the clay crockery business. The demand for earthen cups reaches its peak in the winter season due to increasing consumption of hot beverages, especially local tea with milk that is preferred in earthen cups. 5 rupees a cup.
The cups then get smashed against the pavement.

based on The Times of India story

Hotels and districts of Varanasi. Train station area

All the tourist hotels and guesthouses in Varanasi are compressed basically in three main districts of the city.




If we enter the city from the airport, the 1st is located close to the Varanasi train station, the 2nd - is around the Main Ghat (Dasashwamed) - Godowlia / Church Crossing, and the 3d is the Assi Ghat surroundings.


It seems that they are different only location-wise, but each location has a powerful impact on the exposure of the city. Usually visitors come to Varanasi only for a couple of days on their first trip, and the choice of the area where to stay instantly shapes the face of the city, which they will see. 


So first about the train station area. The hotels, that are located both in Cantonement and Lahurabir area, are for those, who 


1) come to Varanasi for a really short stay, not to actually experience the city, but rather to spend the night before boarding the train or flight to another destination.
2) don't really bother engulfing themselves into the atmosphere of the eternal city with all its beggars and touts, cow manure everywhere and old temples, which you can enter only with your shoes off.


Those on a way to another destination will spend the night in some yawnful, but clean Buddha Hotel. Buddha is a twin brother of drab airpport highway hotels in Delhi, between domestic and international terminals. Those who stay there would not go out curious about nightlife in Benares. And we must say, there's actually hardly a place to visit around the hotel, if you dare to navigate the pitch-black alley that leads to and from the hotel. And in the morning they will eat their breakfast and move on with their trip.


The second group of travellers will book the luxurious Renaissance or Taj Ganges - 'a quiet and peaceful getaway from the madness of Varanasi', as its customers put it. It truly is. The high-end Taj is located quite far from the old city, and from the ghats, to have repeated rides back and forth every day. So those who don't want to be bothered, will remain peacefully settled in a place once occupied by a palace. 

Such travellers will probably have an SUV ride to Sarnath, and watch from the boat the evening aarti ceremony at Ganges. They will stare at the ceremony as detached observers, like it is some kind of a Third World tribal show, that apparently has no importance in it whatsoever.  


They will eat some sterilized Indian food from a nice cutlery in the hotel's restaurant (a buffet for just 750 rupees), and have a dignified, yet lonely, walk through a shopping arcade right next to Taj, which keeps all hussle of the city out of its premises by setting up a fence around the shop and a security post at the entrance.


They will see the abridged version of Varanasi, because all its magic, and every single chance to percieve sacred and auspicious nature of the city are hidden inside the labirynth of narrow lanes and scattered around ancient ghat steps to the Ganges, which they will never touch.