I came across an old newspaper that my wife had kept aside as it carried my brother's article on his pilgrimage to India. My brother was a journalist and upon his return from India he wrote a beautiful piece for his paper. I would like to share some portions, the amazing moments, of his four page writing with Siddha Heartbeat readers.
His wonderful experience was published on February 9, 2012 in the pull-out section LIFE & TIMES Travel of the New Straits Times daily.
It is evening by the time the Spice Jet airplane lands at Lal Bahadur Shastri airport in Varanasi, India. With expectant excitement, my wife and I reach Hotel India in the Cantonment area, not far from the Ganges river and its famous temples and ghats.
It is our first visit to what is considered the oldest living city in the world, going back more than 3,000 years. It is also called by other names, the chief of which are Kashi - its first and oldest name - and Banaras (also spelt Benares)
After a bath, we take a cycle rickshaw to the Dashashwamedh Ghat to see the daily evening aarti (prayer ritual) to Mother Ganga, as every Hindu here refers to the River Ganges, India's longest river. ........ Against the darkening sky and the river backdrop, the mesmerising well-choreographed ceremony is a sight to behold. ......
The following dawn, my wife and I are again at the Dashashwamedh Ghat, this time to take a boat ride. The view is spectacular, especially with the rising sun kissing the buildings and the river. We stop at the Kedara Ghat, where I take a bath, performing a ritual that millions of pilgrims have been doing for 3,000 years or more.
I disappeared. It was not just my body that disappeared from view, my thoughts too, vanished. I remember stepping into the cold water of the River Ganges at Varanasi, India. I remember the sudden cold that whipped my body as my legs touched the water. I remember taking the ritual three dips in India's longest and holiest river. That's when my mind went blank.
How long was I in the water? In chronological time, it could not have been more than 10 minutes, but Mother Ganga had reshaped my sense of time - it was expansive and deeper. And I was awash in a feeling of peace.
A flash of light in my face brought awareness back. A Caucasian woman in a boat a couple of metres away was taking pictures of me and others who were bathing.
As I ascended the steps of the Kedara Ghat to where my wife was waiting, my mind flew back to a time, 20 years ago, when I had had a similar - but so much more intense - experience. (I shall reproduce my brother's earlier experience in the next posting).
After the bath, we walk up to the Shiva temple at the top of the ghat, where a linga sprouts from the ground. We touch this representation of Lord Shiva, and pray, before returning to the boat.
After breakfast, we proceed to the main temple in Varanasi, the famous Kashi Visvanath temple. Later, we visit the Sankatmochan temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman before proceeding to the unique Bharat Mata or Mother India temple.
Wanting to see the riverfront again, we take another boat ride the following morning. At Manikarnika Ghat, we see a cremation taking place. After the boat ride, we go shoping for Banaras saris in an enclave of Muslim weavers in the suburbs.
The following day, as we board the Spice Jet aircraft to New Delhi, we leave Varanasi with a heavy heart, and a heavy bag.
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| Courtesy of the New Straits Times |
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| Courtesy of the New Straits Times |