Hi everyone!
I'm picking up where I left off - with my travels to Varanasi. We left Delhi in the afternoon on Sunday (over a week ago now) and took an overnight train there. The train rides have honestly been one of my favorite parts of this trip - you get to have wonderful conversation with the five other people in your compartment, watch India race by as you stand in a train doorway, and be rocked asleep by the train's motion.
We arrived the next morning and walked the short fifteen minutes to the Catholic church where we were staying - the road was a dusty dirt one like most we would see in Varanasi. During the next few days, I stayed with the lovely Nicole and Laurel in a triple room, in a small dorm block behind the church. All of us attended class later that day with Father Emmanuel, a younger priest who sometimes wore a leather jacket and had incredible knowledge of Hinduism. He spoke with us about Hinduism's origins, doctrine, and practices, then did the same with Buddhism over the next few days. I deeply enjoy learning about religion, so this was great!
In the evening, we drove down to the area nearby the Ganga (the proper Indian name for the Ganges) to wander and then attend sunset prayers. The streets of Varanasi are more chaotic than many I've crossed, with peddle rickshaws and cars and bikes and people everywhere. Our group strolled around the ghats, which are wide staircases down to the river. At the bottom, people immerse in the river and pray. It was all lovely in the sunset. All of us as well as many, many other people sat down on a ghat landing to watch the prayers take place.
The word prayer doesn't quite do it justice. What we witnessed were a collection of rituals and songs dating back thousands of years, that have been performed on the river every night since their creation. The oldest Sanskrit songs were prayers of thanks not only to the Ganga River but to all rivers for their sustaining of life. Beautiful. Whatever critiques I may have of organized religion, however many times I question religious practices that perpetuate oppression, there is still something so awe-some in watching diverse people come together to celebrate something greater than themselves. It made me excited to experience candlelight Christmas services once I'm back.
The next morning we awoke early to see the sunrise from boats on the Ganga. All of us boarded a wooden boat and slowly drifted down the river, sailing past different ghats and temples. Some of the ghats we passed are used for cremating bodies - the Ganga is an especially holy place to do so - but most are simply used for prayers. I am fascinated by birth and death rituals (really, by all rituals) because there is something so deep, so connected to what it means to be human in them. The Ganga was utterly beautiful, and it felt AMAZING to be on a boat again, especially on a river with so many stories and so much meaning. After, we sat peacefully on ghat steps and drank chai masala (spiced tea - excellent) out of small clay cups.
Over the next few days we visited a multitude of gorgeous Hindu and Buddhist temples, learning and seeing and experiencing. We also tried some street food - generally safe if it's hot or peel-able - and it was delicious. And on a side note, I discovered that the acoustics in our room's bathroom were resonant and wonderful for solo singing performances. Sadly no one was around to hear my lovely (?) renditions of Christmas carols.
Our last day in Varanasi was Thanksgiving. I was able to briefly call my family on Roshen's cell phone, and it was amazing to get to speak to them <3 In the morning we wandered the streets of Varanasi and shopped, and then went back to the church for lunch - where we'd been prepared a Thanksgiving meal! Mashed potatoes, green beans, meat, chapati, and then cake and ice cream for dessert! It was beautiful. Thanksgiving dinner happened on our overnight train to Bhopal and was simple sandwiches and a banana, but Thanksgiving lunch was wonderful.
The train to Bhopal is where I leave off for now - that's all another long story!
Peace and love,
Malyn
I'm picking up where I left off - with my travels to Varanasi. We left Delhi in the afternoon on Sunday (over a week ago now) and took an overnight train there. The train rides have honestly been one of my favorite parts of this trip - you get to have wonderful conversation with the five other people in your compartment, watch India race by as you stand in a train doorway, and be rocked asleep by the train's motion.
We arrived the next morning and walked the short fifteen minutes to the Catholic church where we were staying - the road was a dusty dirt one like most we would see in Varanasi. During the next few days, I stayed with the lovely Nicole and Laurel in a triple room, in a small dorm block behind the church. All of us attended class later that day with Father Emmanuel, a younger priest who sometimes wore a leather jacket and had incredible knowledge of Hinduism. He spoke with us about Hinduism's origins, doctrine, and practices, then did the same with Buddhism over the next few days. I deeply enjoy learning about religion, so this was great!
In the evening, we drove down to the area nearby the Ganga (the proper Indian name for the Ganges) to wander and then attend sunset prayers. The streets of Varanasi are more chaotic than many I've crossed, with peddle rickshaws and cars and bikes and people everywhere. Our group strolled around the ghats, which are wide staircases down to the river. At the bottom, people immerse in the river and pray. It was all lovely in the sunset. All of us as well as many, many other people sat down on a ghat landing to watch the prayers take place.
The word prayer doesn't quite do it justice. What we witnessed were a collection of rituals and songs dating back thousands of years, that have been performed on the river every night since their creation. The oldest Sanskrit songs were prayers of thanks not only to the Ganga River but to all rivers for their sustaining of life. Beautiful. Whatever critiques I may have of organized religion, however many times I question religious practices that perpetuate oppression, there is still something so awe-some in watching diverse people come together to celebrate something greater than themselves. It made me excited to experience candlelight Christmas services once I'm back.
The next morning we awoke early to see the sunrise from boats on the Ganga. All of us boarded a wooden boat and slowly drifted down the river, sailing past different ghats and temples. Some of the ghats we passed are used for cremating bodies - the Ganga is an especially holy place to do so - but most are simply used for prayers. I am fascinated by birth and death rituals (really, by all rituals) because there is something so deep, so connected to what it means to be human in them. The Ganga was utterly beautiful, and it felt AMAZING to be on a boat again, especially on a river with so many stories and so much meaning. After, we sat peacefully on ghat steps and drank chai masala (spiced tea - excellent) out of small clay cups.
Over the next few days we visited a multitude of gorgeous Hindu and Buddhist temples, learning and seeing and experiencing. We also tried some street food - generally safe if it's hot or peel-able - and it was delicious. And on a side note, I discovered that the acoustics in our room's bathroom were resonant and wonderful for solo singing performances. Sadly no one was around to hear my lovely (?) renditions of Christmas carols.
Our last day in Varanasi was Thanksgiving. I was able to briefly call my family on Roshen's cell phone, and it was amazing to get to speak to them <3 In the morning we wandered the streets of Varanasi and shopped, and then went back to the church for lunch - where we'd been prepared a Thanksgiving meal! Mashed potatoes, green beans, meat, chapati, and then cake and ice cream for dessert! It was beautiful. Thanksgiving dinner happened on our overnight train to Bhopal and was simple sandwiches and a banana, but Thanksgiving lunch was wonderful.
The train to Bhopal is where I leave off for now - that's all another long story!
Peace and love,
Malyn
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