Introduction

“Are there not many holy places on this earth?
Yet which of them would equal in the balance one speck of Kashi’s dust?
Are there not many rivers running to the sea?
Yet which of them is like the River of Heaven in Kashi?
Are there not many fields of liberation on earth?
Yet not one equals the smallest part of the city never forsaken by Shiva.
The Ganges, Shiva, and Kashi: Where this Trinity is watchful no wonder here is found the grace that leads one on to perfect bliss”
(KKh 35. 7- 10)

“The City of Light”, “The Never-Forsaken”, “The Forest of Bliss”, “The city of Shiva”, these are one of the few multitude of names that the 5000 year old city has been bestowed with. Nothing can sum up Varanasi better than the poem mentioned above. This microcosm of religion and spirituality, holds many secrets and a deep rooted past beneath all the usual city noise, chaos and hurly burly. One is truly left in a trance like state after visiting this magnificent city for there is so much to absorb from it. Our college trip to Banaras was filled with insight and learning that city had to offer.(And well, fun and mischief, of course.)

This holy city in all its glory is the place where the majestic Mother Ganga flows, where Buddha once taught, where a thousand temples, ashrams and universities have been built, where Lord Shiva, the destroyer, resided. It is the city where people from all over the world come to dip in the Ganges to wash away all their sins, to attain moksha or salvation. It is the city of sadhus, sanyasis and devotees. It is the city where a number of religions have emerged through a process of degeneration and recuperation. It is a vibrant city where you can have your fill of chaat, banarasi paan and the most amazing lassi you would have ever tasted without it burning a hole in your pocket. (Ah, nostalgia is hitting my tummy and me hard right now).

Well, no, this splendid city is not perfect; it has its own set of flaws, uncontrolled noise and water pollution, black market trade, “dhongi babas”. And yet, I think the point of our journey was not to be critical or judgmental about this place, but to take in all that it had to offer. The good and the bad and become an integral part of it.