The ancient city of Shiva

Seeing Varanasi by boat at dawn is popular with westerners, and for good reason. It is also very still and peaceful for a city with some of the worst traffic in India.


We jeeped down from the hills with occasionally showery weather in a share taxi. A little sad to leave the hills. I must say that it was an honour and priveledge to accompany Cathy on this quest to reconnect with auntie Grace's history in the region. It certainly opened doors I could never otherwise have imagined.
The Mahananda Express was due an hour or so after we got to New Jalpaiguri station, so we enjoyed a hearty breakfast at the station and rode in air conditioned comfort through the day and overnight to Varanasi (also known as Benares or Kashi, the oldest continually inhabited city on Earth). Comfort compared to sleeper class anyway - it was still the warmest night we have had for weeks. The a/c doesn't have the usual procession of beggars that sleeper class does, although some eunuchs came through for alms. They have a curious cultural role in Indian society. The train was due in at 3:20am so after rising early the train was 2 hours late. Still it was no major hassle and we arrived at a pleasant enough guest house not far from the river (THE river - the mighty and sacred Ganga). We took a tour this morning with the hotel owner to a few temples including one of the oldest in Varanasi, which was attacked by terrorist bombers a couple of years ago. We deliberately only arranged to stay one night here due to the heat - May anywhere on the North Indian plains is hot, but here is the epicentre. It is around 45 today and the power is off at the hotel so no fan. In the relative cool of the evening we will go to the bathing ghats at the river and a dawn foray is planned there with camera tomorrow morning before catching the train onward to Hardwar.
I remember reading a book by Paul Brunton who was an English journalist who travelled through India in the 30s looking for yogis and holy men. Here at Varanasi he saw old people lined up at the river looking at him in a way he felt disconcerting. He mentioned it to his driver, who said that they felt pity for him. The wealthy sahib was shocked at such a suggestion, but was then told that these people will attain Liberation by dying at Varanasi and then consigned to the Ganga, but as an Englishman he has no hope of such Grace.