Varanasi: Life, Death, and the Sacred Ganges
Varanasi is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on Earth, and on its ghats — the stone steps descending to the Ganges — every aspect of Hindu life and death plays out in the open.
Varanasi — also known as Benares or Kashi — is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, with a history of settlement stretching back at least 3,000 years. It sits on the western bank of the Ganges in the state of Uttar Pradesh, and for Hindus it is the holiest city on Earth — the city of Shiva, the destroyer and transformer, where dying is considered the ultimate liberation. To die in Varanasi is to be guaranteed moksha — release from the cycle of death and rebirth — and the city draws pilgrims, ascetics, and the dying from across India in a continuous stream that has never stopped.
The ghats — the broad stone steps that descend from the city to the river — are the heart of Varanasi, and the 88 ghats that line the western bank of the Ganges are the stage on which the city's spiritual life is performed. At dawn, the ghats are crowded with pilgrims bathing in the sacred river, priests performing puja, and boatmen offering sunrise tours. At dusk, the Dashashwamedh Ghat is the setting for the Ganga Aarti — a nightly ceremony in which priests perform an elaborate ritual of fire, incense, and prayer that draws hundreds of spectators to the steps and the boats on the river.
The Manikarnika Ghat is the main cremation ghat of Varanasi, and the fires here burn 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, consuming the bodies of the dead in a ritual that has continued without interruption for centuries. The cremations are performed in the open, on pyres of wood stacked on the steps of the ghat, and the smoke from the fires drifts across the river in a constant haze. Photography is not permitted at the cremation ghats, and visitors are expected to observe in silence and with respect. The experience of witnessing the cremations — the matter-of-fact efficiency of the process, the grief of the families, the indifference of the river — is one of the most profound and unsettling a traveller can have.
The old city of Varanasi, behind the ghats, is a labyrinth of narrow lanes — galis — too narrow for vehicles, where cows wander freely, sadhus sit in meditation, and the smell of incense and marigolds mingles with the less pleasant odours of a city that has been continuously inhabited for three millennia. The Vishwanath Temple, dedicated to Shiva and one of the twelve jyotirlinga shrines in India, is the spiritual centre of the city — non-Hindus are not permitted inside, but the lanes around it are lined with flower sellers, sweet shops, and the workshops of the weavers who produce the Banarasi silk for which the city is famous.
Banarasi silk — the silk fabric woven in Varanasi with gold and silver thread in patterns of extraordinary complexity — has been produced in the city for centuries and is considered the finest silk in India. The weaving is done on handlooms in the workshops of the Muslim weavers who have dominated the trade since the Mughal period, and a single sari can take weeks or months to complete depending on the complexity of the design. The Banarasi sari is the traditional wedding garment of Hindu brides across northern India, and the workshops of Varanasi produce hundreds of thousands of them every year.
The Sarnath archaeological site, 10 kilometres north of Varanasi, is one of the most sacred places in Buddhism — the Deer Park where the Buddha gave his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, setting in motion the wheel of dharma. The Dhamek Stupa, built in the 6th century AD on the site of the Buddha's first sermon, is the most impressive of the surviving monuments, and the Sarnath Museum contains the Lion Capital of Ashoka — the finest example of Mauryan sculpture, which was adopted as the national emblem of India after independence.
The best time to visit Varanasi is from October to March, during the cool season, when the temperatures are comfortable and the air quality is at its best. The Dev Deepawali festival, held on the full moon of the Hindu month of Kartik (usually November), is the most spectacular event in the Varanasi calendar — the entire riverfront is illuminated with hundreds of thousands of oil lamps, and the Ganga Aarti ceremony is performed on a scale that transforms the ghats into a river of light. The Mahashivaratri festival in February or March, when the city celebrates the night of Shiva, is another extraordinary occasion, with processions, music, and all-night rituals at the Vishwanath Temple.
