Varanasi (Benares) - Mystical Power Center of India - Part Two
This entry was posted on 3/9/2008 10:34 PM and is filed under India.
That night we walked along the river passing the various
Ghats (or bathing steps) and gawked at the sights. The reason there
are so many steps along the Ganges here is to allow access to the river
at all times of the year. During the flood season the river can raise
up to the top of the steps.
The Pods with Shiva...
Here
were the Saddhus posing for photos, the vendors of floating candles and
flowers for you to make your blessings and set into the Ganges, the
beggars, the lepers and the snake charmers.
Here was the snake charmer and his little hedgehog.
And even some dogs were walking pujas...
We
saw this man carrying these cages of beautiful birds for sale and we couldn't
resist the deep eyes of this magnificent owl. For 200 rupees we bought
him and then set him free. We hoped that his wings hadn't been
clipped, so that he could fly away and not be caught again. We don't
know what his destiny was, but we do know that we bought him a few
minutes of freedom.
Men and women were bathing in the Ganges, brushing their teeth in it, washing their clothes and washing their children.
Even the beetles in Varanasi are colorful...
As the sun went down we went and watched Arati along the banks of the Ganges.
Seven
synchronized Arati young men did blessings and waved huge silver
armatures of flames and incense. It was a magnificent sight with many
people watching from boats and the sky lit up with the flames and smoke
from their lights. We've incorporated our photos into this movie...
