Within hours Kashi, Varanasi or Benaras grew on us. As we roamed aimlessly around the ghats of Varanasi, we could connect with this ancient city. The first impression of Varanasi can be quite overwhelming. The city, that is said to be even older than history is chaotic, confusing and in a state of pandemonium. We were greeted by a cacophony of various sounds and for a moment we rolled our eyes and thought, “why another crowded place”. Didn’t we have had enough of them. But we found that there are so many things to do in Varanasi and gradually, we fell in love with the ‘chaotic, crowded, dirty’, but an endearing Kashi.
The first impression that I have of the city was when I visited Varanasi during my childhood. We lovingly called the place Benaras. My memory fails when I try to recollect those experiences. Then I read ‘Joy Baba Felunath’ by Satyajit Ray and I wanted to come back to Benaras again to trace the path the iconic detective character had taken! (For the uninitiated, I am talking about Feluda, the suave Bengali detective who holds a dear place in almost all Bengali’s hearts).
So we traced the narrow alleys of Vishwanath Gali, we totally embraced the colour, sound and odour of the place. As we watched the corpse being burnt on funeral pyres, we could understand how ephemeral life could be. As we watched the many people performing the last rites of their loved ones at the ghats, little boys getting their head shaved for the first time, we realized that faith is unquestioning belief. We are happy that we experienced the city of light, not just visited it! And so we decided to write a comprehensive Varanasi Travel Guide that might help you with your visit to this ancient city.
Post a Comment