The Long Train to Varanasi

Monday morning I returned from a weekend trip to Varanasi. Varanasi is a city of 1 million located on the Ganges River and one of the holiest cities for Hindus. Hindus make pilgrimages here to bathe in the river and it is said that if you die in Varanasi, you go straight to Heaven.

I departed on a Friday evening train, along with Louise, Elodie, Lauren, Vivien, Marlies, Clement and Mathieu. Armed with bags of food and many bottles of water, we set off for the long trip. The ride was indeed long (14 hours), but we kept ourselves amused by playing Asshole (also known as Cheesehead) for hours on end. We finally arrived around 8am and made our way to Hotel Alka.

The Ganges is the life of the city. People bathe, swim and wash their clothes in the water. Others sells produce, flowers and postcards along the river's edge. But more importantly, the Ganges is lined with ghats, where people go to pray. And there is the Burning Ghat, where bodies are cremated along the river in a formal ceremony, in which only men can participate.

Fortunately for us, we arrived in Varanasi the weekend of the Chhath Puja. This is a festival dedicated to the Sun God. At sunset on Saturday and at sunrise on Sunday, people gathered at the Ganges and women entered the water to bathe themselves. We enjoyed the sights and sounds of the puja from a row boat in the Ganges at sunset and again at sunrise. Sunday morning we rose at 5:15am for our boat ride. Although it was still dark, the sound of fireworks already filled the air, and as we peered out of our hotel window, we could seen huge crowds of people along the Ganges. Once on the boat, we were paddled along the water and were able to witness the puja in action. Loud music played. Vendors sold flowers and candy. And people were everywhere. At the first sight of the sun on Sunday morning, the crowds broke into a loud cheer. But within minutes, all of the festivities were over and people returned to their everyday routines.

Our return trip back to Delhi was even longer, nearly 20 hours. But my super-sleeping powers kicked in and I managed to asleep for all but a few hours of the trip, to everyone else's amazement. Tired, yet refreshed from the weekend's experiences, I returned to my guest house and starting thinking about my next trip out of Delhi.