The Kashi Travelogue

Posted on Trivia – The Spice of Life on 08/03/2024

[Here’s extending Mahashivratri and Women’s Day wishes to all the readers!!]

A short spring break for school going children is the best thing parents can ask for. This is an apt time to visit many a place in the Gangetic plains, given the fact that the climate is salubrious. One place that has long been on our list for a family holiday is Kashi. We finally decided that the time had come to go on a family holiday to Kashi.

Call it Kashi, Varanasi or Banaras – the names are myriad and so are the hues. Kashi is considered to be the oldest living city of the world. It is a city that never declined. It was never deserted. It one of the most revered cities for Hindus. Lord Shiva – the patron deity of Kashi – is said to be extremely fond of the city. It is also believed that the city rests on his trident (trishul). Kashi with its numerous ghats along the river Ganga is the place where many come at the fag end of their lives to attain mukti or salvation. Being cremated at the Manikarnika or Harishchandra ghat is considered to be the gateway to attaining nirvana. Kashi is the city where not just life but death is also celebrated. While navigating the bylanes, one is sure to repeatedly witness the four great sights that Gautama Buddha had witnessed centuries ago before he left home.

[ Here I must mention the movie Mukti Bhawan (2016) where confronted with his father’s weird demand to go and die in the holy city of Varanasi and attain salvation, a son is left with no option but to undertake this journey. This is a very different movie which is worth watching. Celebrating death as it does in a very different way, it also speaks of the journey of life fraught with various challenges. Life in Kashi has been portrayed very realistically. The film can be seen on Disney Hotstar.]

The Kashi Vishwanath and Kaal Bhairav Temples

Image Courtesy : https://www.pilgrimagetour.in & https://espiritokashi.org

The first part of our stay was dedicated to seeking blessings at the two most revered temples – the Kashi Vishwanath and the Kaal Bhairav Temple. The Kashi Vishwanath temple holds immense significance for Hindus as it is worshipped as one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva. There is a popular belief that Lord Shiva actually stayed here for some time. And Kaal Bhairav is considered to be the kotwal of Kashi (who metes out punishments to the citizens of Kashi).

Image Courtesy : https://www.google.com/search

Having sought the blessings of the patron deity and the kotwal of Kashi, we set out to explore the other facets of this resplendent city. We went to the Ram Nagar fort which is across the Ganga which is also where the royal family of Kashi lives. While the fort is decrepit and unworthy of spending any time, the only good thing about Ram Nagar is the special lassi – which is lassi + malai + rabri – all in one, which makes it a rather sinful delight and one that you cannot resist! The Shiv Prasad Lassi Bhandar is very popular.

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We chose to drive down to Ram Nagar from the city and take a traditional boat with oars to cross the Ganga back to the main city. It is a pity that with the advent of motor boats and cruises, the ordinary oar boat is far outnumbered. The forty-five minute traditional boat ride across the Ganga in the early evening was thoroughly enjoyable and refreshing. Sitting in the boat, as the oars created tiny whirls in the river waters, there was a certain indescribable serenity discovered within. We got chatting with the boatman who was happy that he had found passengers after a long wait.

[One must however insist that life jackets be provided as the boatman was quite nonchalant about basic safety measures].

We reached just in time for the evening Ganga Aarti at the Dasashwamedh Ghat. The steps of the ghat were choc-a-bloc with pilgrims and tourists; everyone scrambled to find a vantage point on the steps. As the sun set and the light cool breeze blew, the lamps were lit with hymns being chanted and the conches being blown. The experience was divine.

Image Courtesy : https://www.tripadvisor.in/

There is of course something inspiring about the city of Kashi for it has been the birthplace as well as the karma bhumi (work place?! can’t find an apt English word for this) of many a great poet and thinker. Here I refer to Sant Kabir’s abode – Kabir Chaura. This is a place where you will not find many tourists. It is an off beat and serene area in the city. It was at Kabir Chaura that Kabir spent his childhood. This place also houses Kabir’s updesh sthal (preaching platform). It has now been developed into the Beejak Mandir. It was here that Kabir taught his followers the basics of the Beejak – which is an anthology of his works. The approach road to Kabir Chaura is very tastefully done up with his hard hitting matter-of-fact couplets (dohas) adorning the walls. One can also buy publications here; I bought the beejak in the hope that I would find the time to read it in the near future. The chaura is spotlessly clean and very well maintained. One can sit for a while and seek inner peace here.

The weaver of Sarai Mohana from whom I directly bought the Banarasi Saree

Those who know my weakness for handloom sarees would by now know what is coming next. You got it right – the famed Banarasi Saree!! A piece of advice that I would want to give anyone who is really interested in buying an authentic Banarasi Saree at a reasonable price is that you must go to the weaver villages and directly source the sarees from the weavers. We visited Sarai Mohana en route to Sarnath. This is a village located just about 7 -8 kilometres from the city centre; it is relatively clean. The weaver and his family were extremely welcoming even though we went unannounced. While the challenges for the handloom sector remain the same through out the country, it is heartening to note that the Taj Group and now Reliance is providing the weavers work by getting sarees for their staff woven by weavers here. This commissioned work has helped the weavers economically. They have also travelled to Mumbai to work on site. And yet, the weaver I met – who was a master weaver – was rather unassuming. The best Banarasi Saree which is light weight and pleasing to the eye is the Tanchoi/Jamawar. I had enquired the price of this saree in the city. I got this at Sarai Mohana directly from the weaver for half the price!!

These images are taken from various websites

One of the highlights of the Varanasi visit was the food. There is a delicious spread on offer for foodies. The cuisine of Varanasi (especially the staples) is pretty much like that of Bihar. This can be attributed to the fact that Varanasi is not very far from the border of Bihar. No wonder you find delicious litti chokha – which is widely eaten in Bihar – in Varanasi! The best part is that in many eateries, food is served in biodegradable cutlery. Chai and lassi are served in kulhads, which adds an earthy flavour. The bowls and plates are made of sal/teak leaves.

The one thing that you must taste once before leaving the city is its paan. With many a Bollywood number describing the paan of Banaras and the magical effects it has, we did try the variety which was sans supari and tobacco. With several condiments and natural flavours added to it, the paan was heavenly indeed. The problem however is that many in Banaras believe in painting the town red by spitting paan. If only they would stop that!! Here are some of the places that we explored and found good for eating. The places were relatively clean and hygienic. Some of them are in the Nadesar area, where our hotel was located.

Where we ate street food in clean surroundings – Shri Ram Bhandar, Nadesar

Where we enjoyed the authentic Banarasi cuisine – Baati Chokha, Teliya Bagh

Where we relished the Banarasi Paan – Krishna Paan Bhandar, Nadesar

Where we had lassi – Shiv Prasad Lassi Bhandar, Ram Nagar

The Annoying Part of the Trip

What however put us off in Kashi was the fact that the lack of hygiene is accepted as a way of life and is even romanticized. People do not mind sipping kulhad chai or lassi in the dusty lanes with open drains. Ditto for the kachoris, chaats and the samosas. In fact, there is an entire gully near the Vishwanath temple called the Kachori Gully which is famous for such small outlets selling snacks, lassi and chai and people devouring them without any qualms about the lack of cleanliness. The ghats also lack clean sanitation facilities. The few toilets that are there are unclean and not fit to use. In a couple of places, I did try to reason with the locals about not littering the place. The counter they came up with was that since there are people to clean the place, there was nothing wrong in littering. To add to the lack of cleanliness is the lack of traffic sense. Traffic jams in the narrow lanes near the Ganga ghats are also accepted as a part of life. The human driven cycle rickshaws are quite common in this part of the city. The cattle and the stray dogs jostle for space with equal aplomb as the humans. You would find many a befuddled foreign tourist observing the chaos with great disbelief.

This brings me to the end of my Kashi travelogue. The visit to Kashi was an enriching and invigorating experience. It offered lots of food for thought – for the soul, the mind and the belly. While we did go to Sarnath, I choose to tell that story some other time.

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