Yesterday, after several days on the move, we made it to Varanasi, the city of lights. One of the oldest living cities in the world. Our room is right on the river and it is quite a scene here..
Varanasi is one of the holiest (if not the holiest) cities in all of India. People come here to die, to escape the cycle of existence. Many religions believe in reincarnation and Hinduism is one of them. They believe after your body dies your spirit lives on in another body and goes through life over and over and thus goes through suffering over and over. There are certain ways of escaping this “cyclic existence” or samsara and one of them is to die and be cremated in Varanasi and then have your ashes thrown into the Ganges River. So, there are numerous pilgrims here, some to die, some to dip in the Ganga and say prayers.. It is a place with powerful energy in the air.
We spent most of the day wandering around the tiny alley streets. I love to think about what it was like 1000 years ago, as in some ways, I know it has not changed, small shops, a maze of winding streets and people praying... It's quite amazing.
Tonight is New Year's Eve and we plan on playing music with people from around the world. So exciting!!
Enjoy the photos from our wanderings today!!
1 comment:
Thank you for sharing the history of Varanasi. Amazing photos with your new camera. Wishing you and Steven a wonderful 2010 as you ring it in with music and new friends!
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