Ghats of Varanasi Part I: Morning

Varanasi, or as the locals call it, Benares lives in its ghats. The ghats are stone/brick/concrete steps that lead from the riverside streets into the water of the Ganges flowing timelessly along. The entire city faces east and therefore, is often called the city of mornings. The ghats and the ancient forts and buildings lining it get bathed in the magnificent golden light of the rising sun as the residents and visitors start tottering in to the ghats signalling the break of day.

If you want truly experience the soul of the city, you have to explore the ghats from the Raj ghat (also called Adi Keshava ghat) in the north to the Assi ghat in the south. You should start your exploration in the wee hours before sunrise and end the day watching the magnificently orchestrated Ganga aaratis at the Dashwashmedh Ghat. In between, you should walk through the lanes and bylanes connecting the city with the ghats to experience the many faces of Benares.

Start your day early, at least half an hour before sunrise. It'd still be dark and you'll get a chance to witness the first rays of the sun light up the darkness. 

Waking up early in Varanasi has its perks.

Watch the residents step up to a new day!

Out of eighty ghats of Varanasi, a few are reserved for cremation while the rest serve as bathing ghats and as jetties for boats to take off. While the open cremations can be visually upsetting, especially to foreign travellers, they stand testimony to the fleetingness of life. In the photo below, a lady clutches her rosary beads as she watches funeral pyres burning at Manikarnika Ghat at Varanasi, India. The local boatman remains unfazed. According to Hindu faith, those cremated here are released from the cycle of rebirth.

The ghats of Varanasi are a great leveller where all walks of life converge in the morning.

Once you finish your boat ride, take time to walk around the ghats; you can easily walk along the shoreline and move from one ghat to the other. A common sight is to see pilgrims offer prayers for the ancestors on the ghats of the holy Ganges river.

Among the various activities going on in the ghats of Varanasi, it's quite common for the locals to get a good shave at one of the barbershops on the ghats.

Watch this space for more pictures of the ghats of Varanasi after sunset and please feel free to let me know how you liked this post using the comment feature below. If you like this post, please feel free to like and share with others. 

Wrestling in Varanasi

I have always been fascinated by wrestling and on my recent trip to Varanasi (Benares), I finally managed to get a closer peek into the world of traditional Indian wrestling. Varanasi is one of the oldest seats of the sport in India and in erstwhile eras found patrons in the various Aakharas (traditional gymnasiums) where wrestlers would live and practice the sport under the watchful eyes of their guru.

Luckily, the aakhara culture is still quite prevalent in these parts of the country. Varanasi alone has more than twenty aakharas that coach and nurture young talent. I visited the Tulsidas aakhara near the Assi Ghat in Varanasi to capture the vibes.

I was lucky to be able to present on the day of the finals of Benares Kesri--the local wrestling championship. It was a unique experience watching wrestling matches sitting on the steps of the Assi Ghat among the cheering crowd. The atmosphere was fully charged with the supporters of individual wrestlers egging their favourites on. However, it was quite challenging to photograph the action due to thick crowd and the unpredictable fast-moving action. In the end, I was, happy to come back with a few good shots of the action.