This morning we woke up early and went to the airport for our Air India flight to Varanasi. Today is the Indian holiday called Holi (holy). You may have seen photos of this. It is the day when they throw liquid and powdered color all over each other. It is supposed to be particularly wild in Varanasi. When we arrived our guide had a silver face and the driver was magenta over a large part of his body. The driver told us that he had some color for us to play with if we wanted to. I was a bit apprehensive thinking about walking around magenta for a week. I had read where you are supposed to coat your skin and hair with coconut oil before “playing.” The playing with color takes place for a few hours before noon. Many people also engage in drinking a certain alcoholic beverage while playing. Then everyone is supposed to go home and bathe. This is followed by visiting family and friends to share a meal together.
So when we got in the car the guide pulled out a bag of color and put some on each of our foreheads.
We also saw our first cows wandering the streets in Varanasi. Yes, it is true they are considered sacred in India and do roam around freely especially in the smaller cities, if Varanasi can be considered smaller with a population around four million.
Mark Twain said, “Benares is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together.” (Benares is another name for Varanasi)
Varanasi is a holy city in Hinduism, being one of the most sacred pilgrimage places for Hindus of all denominations. More than 1,000,000 pilgrims visit the city each year.
We were told that since we had gotten up so early and had flown to Varanasi (a one hour flight) that we should rest for the afternoon and that our guide would come for us at 6:30 that evening. We flipped through the television channels and read for awhile. Then we had a late lunch of yummy Indian food and wandered around the hotel garden. They had some amazing flowers growing on bushes. I think they are a type of peony.
We met our guide and traveled into what we thought was a very crowded city (our guide said it wasn’t very crowded because of the holiday) for the evening Aarti. It is a ceremony performed by seven Hindu priests to express gratitude to the Mother Ganges (the river) and wish her a good nights rest. The Dashashwamedh ghat has seven platforms, each with the items necessary for the performance of the nightly ritual. A priest enters each platform and they perform the ritual in synchronized harmony. There was much chanting, drumming and bell ringing. The priests waved incense and burned various things. We had great seats on a balcony, the perks (or maybe not) of being a tourist in Varanasi.
There are two options for watching the Aarti, one is from the bank side of the river and the other is from a boat in the river. We opted for the bank because on day three we will watch the activity on the bank of the Ganges from a boat on the river. During the evening ceremony the people in boats floated candles on the river. It was an impressive sight.
I am not sure if the Incredible India television commercials are seen globally or just here in Asia. After our visit to India last week I agree that India is incredible. We began by visiting Delhi. As we drove from the airport into the city we realized that there don’t seem to be any traffic laws and if there are everyone disregards them. The drivers are continuously honking and most of the time it isn’t the “get out of my way” kind of honking. It’s more the “I’m just letting you know that I’m here and I may pass you if you move over a bit and make some room.” At night, especially they flash their lights for the same reason. On our first full day we visited a memorial to Mahatma Ghandi, Raj Ghat. This is a simple monument to him in a beautiful garden.
Then after the Red Fort we got in a bicycle rickshaw for a ride through old Delhi.
The Red Fort
And I thought Tokyo had problems with power lines!
Back in New Delhi we visited India Gate, a memorial to soldiers who died win World War I, and stopped by the president’s house.
India gate
The President's House
We visited the Indira Gandhi museum. It is in the home where she lived while she was Prime Minister and also the location where she was assassinated while walking across her garden from her home to her office. It was filled with photos, newspaper clippings and awards. Some of the rooms were preserved as they were when she lived there. I found it very interesting and would have stayed longer if it would have been less crowded.
Indira Gandhi's Garden
Next, we traveled south of New Delhi to see the Qutub Mintar. It is the biggest minaret I have ever seen and obviously better constructed than the mosque next to it, it’s in ruins. The mintar and mosque were built by Muslim invaders in 1193 on the site of a Hindu temple that they had destroyed. The iron pillar to the left of the Qutub Mintar in the photo below is from the Hindu temple. The Muslims were so anxious to get the mosque built that they used elements from the temple in their construction.
We headed back to the hotel to get ready for the next day’s fight to Varanasi, the holiest city in the Hindu religion, situated on the bank of the Ganges river.
WordPress has made it possible for me to keep my posting up while I have been in India without my computer for the past week. I was able to write all my posts prior to leaving and then schedule them to post automatically. Look for photos from our week in India starting tomorrow.
Japan has fabulous bakeries! My favorite is not to far from home, there are good bakeries closer, but Mount Thaber is my favorite. Unfortunately, I don’t think they sell anything very healthy at any bakery here. I have yet to find a good loaf of whole wheat or multi-grain bread.
I stopped by today and this is what I came home with (From L to R, garlic bread, red bean bun, melon pan, and cinnamon raisin rolls):
…this is the building I’d choose to live in. The photo doesn’t do it justice. It is white with clean lines, balconies, and wooden touches. The balconies and roof have plants. I envision clean, minimalist people living here. I think my vision comes from the fact that the Finnish Embassy is next door and ever since I watched a video of a visit Oprah made to a Finnish home, I’ve wanted to get rid of my “stuff” and live a simpler life
