Day 5 at Varanasi. I managed to wake up early in the morning
of 430 am only to find myself alone. The three girls figured I would never
manage to discipline to wake up although I did told them I would try. I guess
they assumed try as a little effort put in while in my case when I say try I
really mean it.
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| 5 am in Varanasi |
Walk to Assi Ghat in the early morning was peaceful. For
once Varanasi was quiet without the horns and pons of the auto rickshaw nor
bikes. I got there just slightly past 5 am in time to see the Puja which was
half way though.
The fire line up by 7 devotees with background chant by the
girls from both stage was a breath taking experience. Behind and in front where
the Puja ceremony was being conducted they were flanked by tourist both
foreigner and local.
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| Morning Puja Ceremony in Assi Ghat - Varanasi |
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| Serene Songs by girls for the Morning Puja at Assi Ghat - Varanasi |
I recognised one guy from the hostel and he sat with me by
the river just absorbing the morning ceremony in Varanasi. While the Puja in
the morning was very similar to the evening one it was more serene as lesser
people wake up in the morning and the morning dew was more pleasant then the
sweat infested stench during the evening. People gathered around during the
prayer and after some of the more devoted soul would take a morning bath in the
Ganga as the sun rise in the horizon of the Ganga river. Bright orange ball
rose and as the heat came in we started walking back to the hostel.
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| The Morning bath in Ganga River after puja - Assi Ghat, Varanasi |
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| Two kids in Varanasi - Sunrise |
I went back to sleep but still woke up in a few hours just
in time for the last minute breakfast at 10am. At near 12pm I saw the girls in
the hostel. Showed them the photos I took and they blamed me for not making the
meeting a sure thing. If they knew I was going they were sure to wake up. The
uncertainty of whether or not I was going made them decided to sleep in.
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| Food at Kerala Café - Varanasi |
I invited them to join me for lunch at Kerala Café which was
surprising since they had not eat there although they had been in Varanasi for
a few days. It was very popular as a Café that served authentic south indian
food, cheap beyond words and clean. I brought them there and for once they
broke the rule of sticking to fried rice or fried mee …. They were a very
typical Chinese Girls.
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| Yogurt Rice at Kerala Café - Varanasi |
They tried for the first time Dosa and Chole Bhature …. They
love it …. Still acceptable to their tasebuds and stomacs …
I decided to go for lassi … a long walk to the Blue Lassi
place and invited them again after lunch …. Sceptical as they were they came
along despite the heat and grime. I soon found out that they had never been
into the Ghat wondering. They always stuck to the main road and were now afraid
of it for it was noisy and dirty and full of cows and auto rickshaw trying to
run you down.
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| Water Buffalo - Along the Ghats of Varanasi |
I brought them into the Ghats … walk around got lost walk
more and just reveal in its splendour. The girls love it and for the first time
in days they saw the actual Varanasi. They now understood why I go walking
every day in Varanasi … just wander about and discover hidden passageway and
the beauty of innocent kids playing around the Ghats.
We reach the Blue Lassi eventually after a very long walk.
Two of them had not tried it before but the Taiwan girl had. The PRC girls had
not even seen the burning Ghat. My my … At the Blue Lassi we picked up another
group of PRC and they all bonded chatting in mandarin. I kept silent mostly
enjoying the Lassi but one of the girls could not accept the taste of it. They
were thrilled to have conversation with new people in mandarin since their
English was not that good and everytime a dead body pass by and I nudge them
but they had missed to see it.
Eventually we left the blue lassi place and this time I had
a group of 6 following me to the Burning Ghat. 5 of them had not seen it
before. Steal your heart I say and no photos.
As expected along the way to the burning Ghat we picked up a
local guide. Friendly, young and very polite. He was feeling me, asking questions
and sorts to see how much could he gleam out of the huge group of 7. I told him
I was Malaysian and have been to the burning Ghat 2 times now and this is the
third. For them behind me a first. He knew the standard scam will not work.
When we reach the Burning Ghat it was either the abandon
building or the inner lower area. I headed towards the inner lower area only to
be stopped by our self-declared guide. Family area he said …. Come with me and
see with good viewpoint.
I know that place …. Full of people asking for money. No one
will ask you for money he said …. I guarantee it. I told him that if at any
point in time if anyone … anyone asked for money I will walk away and everyone
with me as well. He kept his word and we went up to the abandon building having
a fantastic view of the Burning Ghat
Burning is learning.
He would explain so much about the Ghat and I gave up
translating to Mandarin as the new group had a better grasp of English.
No women of the family member is allowed at the burning Ghat.
This is because once there was a husband that was cremated and the wife jump
into the fire after him.
There is two cremation location in Varanasi. This one is for
natural cause of death. No pregnant women, kids or people with leprosy are
cremated here.
These people are tied with stones to their body and dump
into the Ganga river
People who are died due to unnatural cause such as accidents
and such are cremated at another place in Varanasi. These souls do not go to
nirvana but are rebirth into the cycle.
No lighter, matches or any fuel is used in the cremation
process. Only wood and the source of the fire is from the Shiva fire maintained
since ancient times.
He showed us the Shiva fire.
The fire is kept alive by a family … the honour of the job
passed down from one generation to another.
Usually the people are burn according to their cast. The
high cast burn above the platform and the lower cast burn below near the ganga
river but as a few days ago the river level was so high all cast was burned on
the platform.
The people below sieved the ashes of the dead before casting
them out to the sea. They are searching for gold within the ashes.
As he explain, occasionally he would have to stop and speak
to some other vultures and shoo them off. He kept his promises and never once
were we disturbed while observing the Burning Ghat. He politely ask if we would
visit one of his shops and that there is no obligation to buy anything. He also
gave his word that there will be no one pushing us to purchase things. I kindly
asked the group and they agreed.
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| Weaving Shop in Varanasi |
The shop was a shop which made silk and Kashmir cloths.
Price quoted was definitely extreme and while I question a lot to gain
knowledge from the shopkeeper I had no intention of buying. One of the girls
ended up buying a pillow case … beautiful silk embroidery but not before
driving a hard bargain. Our guide I suspect gain a small commission from any
sale the shopkeeper gets.
A walk back to the evening puja area where we see it for 10
minutes proved too much for the girls to bear. It was so hot that we were all
bathing in our own sweat and could barely breathe. We ended up splitting with
our new found friends and left to head back to the hostel. I did not expect
today to be a full exploration day but it happened and I was glad.
It was now time to pack up and get ready to leave the next
morning for Bodh Gaya.
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