Varanasi is considered the spiritual capital for the Indians. From there, pass the Ganges River and you will find several accesses to the river which are called Ghats. They are 88 staircases that lead devotees to the sacred waters of the river, where they bathe and perform ceremonies. In some of them there is, inclusively, cremation of bodies. These were the ones that caught my eye. If in our culture the funerals are generally more private ceremonies involving relatives and friends of the person who died and the family, the ceremonies you will attend in Varanasi happen in the open and anyone can see and be very close. Look carefully. Notice the gestures that happen the same every time, as if it were choreography. Try not to question too much if you can.
In addition to the cremation ceremonies, here are several Ganga Aartis. They are ceremonies of devotion to the river that use fire and other elements, such as rice and flowers, to be offered. The biggest celebration can be seen just after sunset, at Assi Ghat. She is also the most full. I had already attended Aartis in Rishikesh and I must confess that the ceremony touched me much more deeply, probably because I had made a spiritual retreat and was more sensitive.
Read More : Top 11 Things Experience Varanasi
Suggested Tour : 3 Days - Varanasi Tour including Sarnath
When I planned this trip, I made a point of putting Varanasi in the script. But coming here has proven to be a bit complicated. I made several simulations to see which order of cities would be more logical and Varanasi ended up complicating things a bit, because it was a little further from the other cities we would visit. The problem is that transportation in India is a giant adventure!
We ended up booking a flight from Delhi here and then a train from here to Agra. Our flight was canceled and the Indigo Company did not give a shit. They wanted to get us on the same flight the next day, but the problem is we'd be short in town and that would just kill our plans. With some negotiating skills and a little show at the airport, I was able to get us on the first flight the next day. Our flight still delayed 3 hours because of a tense fog that did not allow us to see a hand in the front. The cool thing about it all was that the manager of our hotel (Shree Ganesh Palace) booked for Varanasi was cute, took pity on us and gave the taxi from the airport to there (it was an hour's drive).
At the BO time at the airport, I simply went on tripadvisor on the cell phone and booked a hotel near there. I did not touch myself, but I should have kept the voucher for the canceled ticket, the new ticket and the hotel, since I would have been reimbursed for the safe journey. Pleasure, it's me, AN ANTA.
Going back to what matters, Varanasi is truly a much-needed and memorable experience. Here we have a demonstration of the grandeur of India and the devotion that people may be able to express. Although it is not my most affectionate memory of India, Varanasi will be the most intense and genuine of them.
If your flight is canceled, do not let the company simply arrange the best solution for them. Inquire about other flights, including other airlines, and demand as much as possible that they will find a way.
You can take a boat trip to see some of the ghats and then see the Ganga Aarti (which is held on the shore) from within the river. The experience is interesting especially to see the cremation ceremonies and possibly rely on the explanations of the boat driver. However, I think seeing Aarti on devotees' side is much more exciting. You can see one night from the boat and the next one from the people.
The city was crowded with people, almost all Indian. Everywhere, an apparent chaos of people, horns and animals. It's all part of the experience. Try to take it easy and know that here it is not and should not be the way you would like it.
