New Kashi – Modernization Mixed with Ancientness

The Sacred Ganga and the Spiritual Weight of Kashi /Varanasi

River Ganga, the sacred river of Hinduism that originates from Himalayan icebergs and traverses through 11 Indian states and flows approximately 2500 km before falling into the Bay of Bengal, has many colourful stories to tell. But in Kashi, those stories may be less about life’s colourful moments but more related to the pain caused by death. The river also shares its significance of being an important part in providing millions of people with comfort by the way of helping the departed souls attain Moksha through some rituals and a dip in the holy water of Ganga after those rituals and putting the pooja items in the middle of the river. This is a traditional Hindu custom followed for centuries. Even an ordinary dip in the river is also a custom to purify the inner soul by relieving from all the sins one has committed in the present life as per the belief, thereby the river Ganga is sacred and divine for a majority of Indians. And Varanasi is also known to be as old as history, and the stories of death and Moksha can be dated back to the mythological era, to be precise.

Returning After a Decade: I Saw a Changed Temple Ambience

My second visit to this temple in a span of 10 years was for many reasons, and one of those was to see the changes made in this historical temple city as part of modernisation which the government announced as Varanasi Corridor. As there is a saying, only change is constant, and the visit to this famous temple of Varanasi or Kashi or Banaras in 2022 has thrown a surprise by seeing the changes happened to the temple and its surroundings.

Walking Through Familiar Streets Toward the Temple

A temple visit in the early morning is one of the best ways to start the day because of less crowd and more comfort for a peaceful darshan and prayer. I was out on the street leading to the famous Kashi Viswanath temple in the early morning to finish the darshan and the street looked more or less the same as that of my last visit. Even the narrow gully from the road towards the temple remained the same, as it was easy to quickly recollect the same route during the previous visit. Both sides of the walkway had small shops that sells pooja items with several small lockers. As mobiles and cameras are not allowed, people can keep them in these lockers and mostly for free to buy the pooja items from them.

First Glimpse of the New Kashi Viswanath Complex

The line at the security gate was too short, a comfort that is rare in such famous temples. Soon I was in front of the newly built main gate of the temple, even before the thought came to mind about what is the new development was, as no changes were noticed till that point. But once inside the complex, crossing the new, relatively big gate, where another small queue was there for the darshan of Lord Kashi Viswanath, the changes that happened in the temple complex were visible, and on an honest note, my perception of the so-called changes seemed to fall on the wrong side. The memories of the old temple, which was famous as old as older than any known history, have disappeared from the place.

The Conflict Between Modernisation and Ancient Charm

My eyes were searching for the same temple that I prayed at during my last visit within the new development, but sadly, the old stone pillars, black in colour and the temple sanctorum that may tell the story from 1000s of years ago too have been replaced with the luxury of the modern era, with sprawling marbles and granites.

While development is an absolute necessity and all may find enough reasons for making changes as the decades change to the modern era, but here, it was a hard task to make a personal conclusion on whether the development by completely replacing those portions of the main temple which was existed for many centuries, as a proof of showing its age-old history, was justified or not.

A Calm Darshan and A Quiet Moment of Reflection

With these pondering thoughts, I joined a few others in a line for the darshan of the great Lord Viswanath and my wandering eyes saw the changes happened in a glance as per the news read. The temple looked modern with the addition of small new structures for other deities, along with the main one. All those buildings, the corridors, the flooring, the ambience reflected the luxury of richness that replaced the earlier one, which was traditional, time-tested and ancient structures. The temple complex was huge, which might have been a challenge to the authorities for replacing the old gullies, shops, and homes, etc, for bringing such a vast area as part of the temple.

From Temple to Ghat: The Morning Life of Varanasi

A darshan without much waiting in the early morning gave enough time to experience the new premises and other complexes with enough time in a cool ambience of winter. There was ample space after the shrine buildings to accommodate many people during festivals or when it would be really crowded on public holidays and other special days. Arrangements were also available to divert the long queue to two or three to reduce the waiting time. The building and the complex are extended up to the river Ganga or ghat with modern luxury flooring, but sadly, the entry from or exit to the river ghat has not been opened for the public yet. There were mixed thoughts while returning from the temple with a divine feeling of having a good darshan of Kashi Viswanath and with a confused thought over the renovation and development taking place, leaving no trace of a temple that had existed for many centuries.

On the way back, I collected my mobile and camera from the shop and took another gully to exit that leads to the famous ghat known as Dashashwamedh ghat, where the famous Ganga Arti takes place. The gully and road towards the ghat were crowded, despite the time being still early morning. The ghat also looked busy with the presence of many people, some of whom came mainly to do pooja for their loved ones who had left this material world, and others were too many to experience the river Ganga, to take a dip to relieve the sins of their present life, for boating, and to watch the Arti conducted every day in the evening.

Ghats are riverbanks with steps in the shore that lead into the river, and there are plenty of ghats along that side of the river Ganga. The cool breeze of an early winter morning while standing on the banks of the holy river Ganga was a refreshment for the soul and mind, especially compared to the hectic day-to-day life.

Setting Out on the Ganga: A Boat Ride of Silence and Meaning

Boats of varied sizes and capacities were seen along the shores, in the river, and agents were canvassing people who were waiting at the different locations to invite the visitors, consisting of all age groups, in groups and families to fill up their seats in the boats lined on the banks. Boating was my priority too after the temple visit to avoid the disappointment of the last visit and soon, we were also in a motorised boat that set its journey through the hearts of the river Ganga, which looked still, cool and calm, unlike in Haridwar – another holy place for Hindus, where the flow of the same river looks furious and turbulent.

The boat moved towards the right first, where the famous double-decker bridge of Varanasi was visible far away. As we moved to the centre of the river, a perfect view of the famous Dashashwamedh ghat with a stage-like platform and some decorative areas was seen clearly. This is the main ghat among many and the famous Ganga Arti will be conducted here every day. Watching the Arti was another purpose of this visit, too. The rest of the banks on the side were also ghats with separate names, some of which are just ordinary, and a few have their own identity with other notable structures on the shore. The other side of the river, with no ghats but only the sandy shore, also looked busy at a few locations with many people gathered there for different purposes.

As it was the initial days of winter, the cool breeze in the not-so-hot morning was a perfect climate for being out in the open, especially in a place like the middle of the river Ganga. As the initial excitement of boating in the holy river with photo shoots, selfies, and videos got over, many mixed feelings passed through the mind while sitting with a peaceful mind and enjoying the tranquil motion of the boat along the ripples of the river Ganga. Travelling through this part of the holy river, which is believed to be a place where millions of souls might have attained their moksha or been liberated from the sins and settled in Heaven as per Hindu belief, made my inner senses a surreal feeling in that morning.

The Sacred Dip: A Moment of Relief and Purification

After crossing several ghats, the boat took a U-turn and after some time, it moved towards the other bank of the river, which looked a little crowded but less than the main ghat opposite. These banks were mainly for those people who wish to take a dip in the river Ganga. Arrangements were also available for ladies to change clothes since they also came with the purpose of taking a dip.

Our boat also stopped at this location for a few minutes as some of the people accompanying us also wanted to have a dip to relieve the sins of their present life. Knowing the importance of it as per the traditional Hindu belief, we too joined them. On an honest note, it brought great relief to the soul for a few minutes after the three dips by fully lowering our body inside the river Ganga water for a few seconds, and it was not a surprise then, why many people are visiting Kashi only for this purpose.

Manikarnika Ghat – A ghat that leaves you with an empty feeling

Once everyone was back in the boat with a fresh soul and mind after relieving the sins committed in this present life, literally, our boat left again and moved towards the other end, and it crossed the Dashashwamedh ghat from where the boat started its journey. As the boat moved ahead further, we saw what none of us in fact does not necessarily be interested in. It was the famous Manikarnika ghat where hundreds of dead bodies are brought for cremation every day.

The centuries-old belief that the souls of those people who are lucky to be cremated on the banks of the River Ganga in Kashi may go directly to the place of the Gods without any obstacles in their path to heaven, as believed based on the Hindu custom, is still relevant among many people. Because of the same reason, this ghat always looks busy and burning.

The return of the boat along that side brought us to have a closer look at the Ghat and realise this ghat in the famous place of Varanasi has an altogether different purpose from a losing cause. Queues were also seen there, and the place looked busy with many people consoling each other, waiting with lifeless bodies for their turn, which all those moments remained as moments that had never been cherished as a traveller. The boat returned to the starting location, and the place looked more crowded and busier than earlier. There was plenty of time left before going back to the same place to watch the Ganga Arti in the evening.

Evening in Kashi: A City Full of Energy and Anticipation

An evening stroll through the streets around Lord Kashi Viswanath temple, which has an abundance of history, was worth it for the day, and the long walk ended again at the same place, namely Dashashwamedh ghat. The hustle and energy were entirely different among people in the same place compared with the morning, as many people gathered at that time were for pooja or just taking a dip, while in the evening they were for to enjoy a festival-like function known as Ganga Arti.

We reached much in advance of the time Arti starts. Many people are already seated in the surroundings of the platform from where the Arti can be seen clearly without any obstructions. Another option for watching it was by sitting in a boat that will be positioned in front of the ghat where the Arti takes place. A few priests had already started arrangements for the Arti in the podium-like area.

Grand Ganga Arti – Witnessing Spiritual Synchronisation on the Riverbank

River Ganga is considered to be descended down to earth from heaven, and it is worshipped as a Goddess as per the Hindu mythology and the Arti is a form of offering pooja for the Goddess Ganga. Apart from Varanasi, Arti is also famous in Haridwar and Rishikesh, which are other two popular Hindu pilgrimage locations due to the presence of the same river and the divine history these places have related to Hinduism. Every day, as the sun fades away slowly in the evening, ghats of these three places will be lit with oil lamps held by many priests with synchronized motion in the air amidst chants, prayers and chorus from hundreds of people gathered around which makes the event one of the beautiful evenings for everyone who were lucky to have their presence in these places to watch it.

We opted to sit in a boat to watch the function, and the program was about to start by the time it had been stationed in a perfect location among several boats full of people who were eagerly waiting for the same. The platform was lit with the light coming from 11 poles with semi-spherical tops over which LEDs are wrapped that look like a white umbrella spreading light all around.

Different types and sizes of lamps that will be lit with oil and bundles of incense sticks, along with many other things, were arranged for pooja at seven places on the platform side by side in a line facing towards the river. Soon, sound from the blowing of a conch shell was heard in the atmosphere, which marked the start of the Arti. 7 priests clad in saffron attire were chanting mantras, slokas, making the entire place divine. Circular motion of a handful of lighted agarbathis from them spreading fumes with scent, which looks like purifying the whole area for further pooja.

Many people seemed to be familiar with the chants as there are instances where part of the prayers at the end of the slokas will be sung by all, thereby turning out to be a chorus in between. Priests are immersed in the pooja with different shlokas and hymns, and in between, they stand up from their sitting position as the pooja progresses. After some prayers, they light small lamps with oil and do pooja in uniform movement facing towards the river. Again, they go back to the previous sitting position, reciting mantras. Fans made with peacock feathers and yak tails were also waved in a synchronised motion, making each stage of the 45 minutes Arti as special and divine as possible, a treat to watch for all. Towards the end, as the sound from all the priests and others surrounding the entire area was at its peak, the most striking part of the arti had begun.

The relatively bigger oil lamp, pyramid in shape and multi-layered, is lit up, all the priests again stood up and started offering pooja to the river by rotating and making up and down motion of the completely lighted lamps in several layers, which looked like the flames from those seven oil lamps were spreading energy all around and eventually to all those witnessing the same. The chorus from 100s of people’s voices was an extra add-on for that energy, and all these were making a marvellous scene in front of the river Ganga for everyone. All their moves were in perfect synchronisation or choreographed to make the entire pooja ritual a mesmerising and unforgettable event.

Lamps on the River – Divinity floating in the Ganga

By the time the Arti finished, it was the public’s time to participate in the Arti and offer pooja to the river Goddess Ganga. People who were standing close to the river started placing small lighted ghee lamps arranged in small earthen shells kept in leaves, along with flowers and fuming incense sticks, over the water that moved with its flow.

Many such lamps from different locations or nearby ghats of the river were flowing along with the ripples, which was another fascinating sight to watch as part of Arti, and it remained for quite some time that most of the people were waiting for their turn to access the steps and offer the ghee lamp to the river.

A day that filled my inner self with spiritual energy

As our boat was riding back to drop us in the shore, the sight of many such lamps flowing through the river was something that could be carried as a memory for the rest of our lives. Once back in the ghats after getting down from the boat, we too bought the lamps and floated on the river trying to be part of a divine function that was taking place. The whole day starting from the darshan of Lord Kashi Viswanath, the boating on river, observing the scenes from the burning ghat and at the end of the day the festival like atmosphere and pooja with oil lamps made the day worth more than what one could ask for in a divine city like Varanasi or Kashi or Banaras, a city that claims to be older than the known history.

This write-up is from my latest visit and reflects the transformed, modern Kashi. It offers a fresh perspective compared to my earlier blog. To read the previous post, travel information Click here.

Click here for the official portal on the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Official Web Portal