| THE KUMBH MELA |
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| Thousands of people cross the Ganges to reach the Mela grounds on a hot dry morning (26 Jan, 2001) |
| From Delhi we got a first-class train to Allahabad, and I thought "these Indian trains are not so bad", but in retrospect it was by far the best train experience we were to have, with many others to follow which lived up to my worst train ride nightmares. We were going to Allahabad to witness the massive Kumbh Mela ("Koomba Mayla") - a festival which draws tens of millions of religious pilgrims and other visitors. It commemorates one of the Hindu creation stories in which the gods were fighting over a giant "Kumbh" (pitcher or jug) containing the nectar of immortality. The god Vishnu got hold of it and ran away, spilling four drops of the nectar as he did so. The festival takes place in these four places every 12 years (equal to one day in the life of the gods). Allahabad is the most significant of those places, at the confluence of the Ganges and Yamuna rivers, as well as the mythical river Sarasvati. Thousands of people bathe here every year, but the Kumbh Mela is the really big event not to be missed, and we fely very priviledged to be there at this special time. It was reported to be the largest religious gathering on earth (ever?), and the spectacle was unforgettable. |
| When we arrived in Allahabad, the train platform was full of people coming and going from the festival. I thought it looked crowded, but in fact this was nothing compared to the human weight of the Mela itself. |
| A particularly thick crowd swarms into one of the temples on the edge of the Mela grounds. It was from there that we got our first good look at the festival and river confluence (see right). |
| The view from one of the temples showing the Mela grounds extending over several square kilometres and the Ganges and Yamuna rivers. It was a very dry year for these rivers, leaving much of their beds as dry soil, which I suppose was a benefit to the festival, if not so for the rest of India. |
| One of the many performances going on around the mela. The girl couldn't have been more than ten years old, but I guess children grow up pretty fast in India. |
| A more distant view of the Kumbh Mela a few days later when things had quieted down. |
| This "cool guy" purposefully wheeled his Enfield motorbike from the rivers edge over to the spot in front of us to show it off. I decided why not humour him and he seemed gratified to be photographed doing this cool pose for us. |
| Sunset on the Ganges brings another amazing day of religious intensity and human activity to a serene conclusion. |
| We met many people throughout the long festival day who wanted to interact and be photographed with us. After sunset we met this particularly friendly group of students and friends who took us around to many of the food stalls for samples and chai and lots of conversation. They were very curious and generous, and I found at the end of the night my mind was alive with great vibes from the overall experience. |
| In the light of day, Allahabad's streets remind us that parenthood is one of the most coveted of earthly blessings - and to have no sperms is "not a problem!" |
| In Allahabad we had friends with the staff of the train station ticket office and hung out with them drinking chai and talking on and on about many things, so when we got the train to Varanasi it was a special service. They escorted us onto the train and moved two people out of a window seat and made sure we were comfortable there before the train departed. It was an easy day-ride through scenic open countryside and many small villages. |
| From the train window we saw India life in the slow lane, including the common sight of bored policemen drinking chai, smoking cigarettes, and trying to stay cool. |
| At last our arrival in Varanasi (aka Benares, aka Kashi) along the Ganges. This is the rooftop view from Shiva Guesthouse, which sits deep in the back of a narrow alley near the main (Dasaswamedh) ghat. |
| Our room at Shiva Guesthouse. The accomodation was simple yet it was everything we needed, and Shiva was a really nice helpful person. |
| Here is life along the main road leading down to the ghats. There is activity in the streets 24 hours per day. And then there are the ghats themselves... |
| This is the main ghat of Varanasi just after sunrise, when the majority of people come to bathe in the holy waters. It is a place of almost perpetual happenings with people washing, dressing, cleaning, sleeping, selling, begging, exercising, and touts hassling tourists to have a massage and see their shop, etc. Sunrise is the best time to come check it out. |
| Views of sunrise over the Ganges. It's a time of great anticipation with a a sense of cleansing and power - and it's nice to look at too. |
| Some relatively quiet activity away from the main ghats on a hot afternoon. This is about as quiet as things get during the daytime. |
| A man helps his cows escape the dry heat of the day. He then caught me photographing him, but was friendly and funny, and seemed very proud of his clean cows. |
| We did a day trip to the town of Sarnath about 10km from Varanasi to visit some of the stupas and monasteries here, including this Buddhist temple where the Buddha Siddhartha Gautama gave one of his last sermons after acheiving enlightenment in the [Christian] year 588BC. |
| Despite being a large city, the scenery on the way out of town quickly becomes that of quiet country life - and cute cows. |
| It was on a particularly crazy insane chaotic night of blasting music, dancing, explosions, and a heaving mob of people that I was amused to see this rickshaw driver. He was sleeping motionless as if he was oblivious to all that was happening around him. It's a good example of how the Indians cope with all the mayhem and noise of daily life - they just tune it out somehow. I was impressed. |
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| VARANASI |
| Rooftop inhabitants don't take any shit from the tourisits here, so keep an eye on your stuff, and if you have a rooftop room you better lock the door. |
| The other rooftop view facing toward the city. Three days earlier there was a devastating earthquake in Gugarat, 1000km to the west, which leveled cities and killed many thousands of people. I was trying to imagine as I looked out over the sprawl of Varanasi what would become of it in the event of such an earthquake. These buildings are very old and fragile - they would simply crumble to the ground burrying everything beneath them. It was a chilling thought. |
| Not only are the steps full of amazing sights, but the river is full of bright flowers set adrift during prayers, making the water surface itself into a colourful scene, and the sunrises are typically gorgeous. |
| One of the almost daily processions into the Ganges, where in this case the goddess Kali is taken for a ceremonial dumping into the holy river, naturally accompanied by chaos and incredibly loud music. |
| More action on the main ghat with cows and tourists and always someone wanting to sell something. |
| One of the many street performances along the main road. Almost anytime I wanted entertainment I only had to walk a few minutes from the guesthouse to this area, where there was almost always something captivating taking place. |
| I took several long walks along the ghats which stretch for several kilometres down the Ganges in both directions from the city centre. It's a worthwhile place to wander and watch life take place and meet everyday people, although I never was able to completely let down my guard. As usual, white skin and blonde hair often makes one look like an easy target for hassles and ripoffs. |
| On the last day in Varanasi I passed the burning ghats where dead people are firts given their final bath in the Ganges (a cursory dipping) and then placed on a stack of logs and ceremonially cremated. Photographs of the burning ghats are strictly forbidden, so I had to take this picture quickly and then duck behind a wall, and you can't really even see what's going on without looking closely. We came back that night and approached much more closely to have a better look. I felt very humble and reverant and moved slowly and quietly, not wanting anyone to question my respect for the dead and for the cremation ritual. We sat down about 5 metres from where a body was being laid onto a pile of logs for burning. Then a group of young guys came around us and started talking to us about the cremation process, saying it takes a lot of wood and that some families cannot afford it, etc. and eventually they wanted us to "donate" some money so that some poor old women they had there could be burned and therefore go to heaven. It was a scam - now that's what I call disrespectful of the dead. While this was going on I also was watching this body burn away. The people who do the actual burning are of the "untouchable" caste ("Dalits") and it is one of the many "lower" forms of labour they are compelled to perform. The body lying on the fire was wrapped in golden cloth so I couldn't actually see it, but then the fire stirred and a log broke off and rolled to the ground before us. Only when I looked closer I saw that it wasn't a log - it was a leg. The man simply picked it up and threw it back onto the fire. Then I watched the toes melt and drip before turning black and becoming charcoal. It was just like watching any meat cook, which was somehow both reassuring and disturbing. |
| From here we got a night train to Satna and a bus to Khajuraho... |