Most people travel to India to see the Taj Mahal, and while I was happy enough to tick the ivory-white marble mausoleum at Agra, India off my bucket list, my dream was to dangle my feet in the River Ganges at Varanasi as the sun was rising. It might sound a little bit strange, but I guess I’m a bit that way inclined.
As one of the world’s oldest cities, Varanasi was a must-see for me. It is renowned the world over as India’s most spiritual city and it is located in the north-east right along the banks of the famous Ganges.
Varanasi is all of India combined. Here you will see the rich, the poor, the poorer-than-poor, the religious and the dead. It is the place Hindus go to pray, to wash away their sins, and to honour those who have departed the mortal world. I had heard that to be cremated here on the banks of the Ganges is to attain Nirvana. As cremation is such a big part of Varanasi, prepare yourself – you will see bodies being burned, you might even see a body float past your boat.
If you’re worried about what that might smell like, it’s not horrendous. Most cremations use sandalwood. It can be confronting to be an onlooker (photography of cremation is not allowed), but I found there was something peaceful about the occasion too. It is part of the custom here and something I was happy to embrace.
Tourism is part of the everyday at Varanasi – more than two million people come here every year. I was surrounded by the noise and the chaos of the traffic. Dust was everywhere, as was dung – cow dung to be exact; there are plenty of smells to assault your senses. There are a lot of cows wandering around Varanasi. Some were friendly, while others were a little too friendly. Don’t allow yourself to be intimidated by them.
There are Holy Men and ceremonies at night, so I got myself a little boat, headed out onto the river and scored myself an awesome view, before heading back to my hotel for a good night’s sleep.
My hotel was ideally located, less than 6km from the Golden Temple (Kashi Vishwanath Temple) and other attractions near the River Ganges. Rising at dawn on the following day, I strolled through the city. Men, women, children and cows jostled everywhere, but it wasn’t long before I was exactly where I wanted to be – with my feet in the water as the sun was coming up. Mission accomplished, and surely I’m now a little bit more holy.