Yet another early start to the day in India. First let’s back up just a little though. Last night I could not sleep so I didn’t go to bed until almost 1am. Then, to make matters worse, for some reason still unknown to me the front desk called my room at 2:15 and 3:30. I could not understand what was being said, but I could not sleep because as soon as I would almost get into a good sleep the phone would ring. Finally, to put the cherry on top our 4:45 wakeup call came at 4:15. I could not believe it! So I laid in bed until 5 and then rushed to get ready and get on the bus by 5:15. Don’t worry I made it. It just made for a long night which then turned into a long day.
Once the whole group was on the bus we traveled to the Ganges River again. This time there were much less people. We quietly stepped onto a wood paneled boat that was steered by just 3 young men who could not be any older than I was. Once on the river I began to see everything the tour guide had told us about. I could see people stripping down to their under garments and bathing, people drinking the water, and people washing certain dishes that had religious purposes all in the Ganges River. For me this was so foreign. None of us could really understand what was happening, except that it was part of a belief that the people in the Hindu religion truly believed in. On the river I also saw a little further down some of the old buildings that are now being turned into hotels for people to stay in. I thought that this was so strange also. I mean, this old palace that used to house just one or two people will soon hold hundreds of people who want to be an observer to the Hindu practices. I soon realized though that we do this in the states all the time. I had just never really thought about it quite the same; now I do. A little further still I noticed a person actually spreading the ashes of a loved one. In the moment it was very somber. I could see the pain on this woman’s face. I could tell that she really loved this person, but yet I could also see a glimpse of hope in her eyes. I can only think that this glimpse of hope was that maybe in this persons next life would be better or easier, or as they would say closer to nirvana.
As an outsider I was amazed at how people could bath in a place where they knew people’s ashes had been spread. Again, I just had to remember that this was a part of another culture. One thing I should say is that people believe that once you bath or touch in any way the Ganges River then you have a remission of sins or forgiven of all sins to help escape the cycle of life and death.
While traveling the other way on the river I got to see the Crematory. This building had some beautiful architecture, with very simple yet elegant carvings. There is a flame that they keep lit 24 hours a day. There is also a never ending pile of wood surrounding the building. While our guide was telling us about the cremation process he stopped and noticed that there was actually a family going through a cremation ceremony right then. I saw a family morning the loss of a beloved member. The body was wrapped traditionally: in white cotton with a colorful silk sheet over them. The body was laying on the steps of the Crematory while the family said what our guide could only assume was the traditional ceremonious script. We were never close enough in the boat to actually hear anything. This ceremony is the family’s last chance to help their loved one reach closer to nirvana. Again, although I did not understand fully this ritual or the reasons behind it I could feel the pain this family was feeling.
At this point our guide told us that for 13 days after the cremation the family would morn. The first 10 days the family mourned in almost solitude, then the family would spread the ashes on the 11th day I believe and the last 2 days were in celebration of that person’s life. He also told us that this ritual could be completed in just 3 days in modern society because of time constraints due to work and modern day life.
During this whole journey on the river I got to watch the sun rise. This was probably my favorite part of the whole time on the river. To slowly watch the sun reflect off the water was breath taking. At first it was almost completely dark when we arrived. Then the sun gently inch by inch began to give life to the dark colored water. Within a half hour the once black river was now a shimmering blue with what looked like little specs of glitter jumping out of the water as a boat passing by would lift an ore bringing along with it sprinkles of water. In the middle of this river watching the Hindu rituals I could not help but think of my own religion. There was a moment when the sun officially rose, and the River was a beautiful blue gently pushing the boats along with the current almost like a dance. I sat in our boat reflecting on everything that I was encountering, how I had gotten to this point in my life, and how my faith had helped bring to this moment too. In this moment I could remember how I personally feel about my own faith and felt as though I could relate to the people here practicing their own faith.
After this we got off the river and began to walk back towards the buses, but in a very zigzag way. We walked down an alley that could not fit more than 2 people across and even that was pushing it. We walked up stairs that led to yet another layer of Varanasi that I did not existed. Although I had walked down a similar way I could not see how all of these layers were occurring just a few feet away. While walking down one of the alleys we ran into a cotton store. Here we got to purchase tapestry, clothes, and scarfs all made from hand woven cotton made in India. It was great fun! I did buy some things but part of the fun was just looking at all the different types of patterns there were.
After we all completed our purchases we went back to the hotel to eat breakfast and then head out for one last stop before we had to catch our plane. We went to the place where Buddha gave his first sermon. Here I saw where Buddha’s Estupa was, which is where part of his ashes were buried after his death. I also saw the temple where he gave his first sermon, the place where he was said to live for 3 months after his enlightenment, and a museum that helped depict his life. I think for me one of the most interesting things to see here was the monks who were here because this sight is one of the 4 main sites in the Buddhist religion. I really enjoyed this aspect of the trip. I think that this part of the trip would not have been the same without seeing the monks who were visiting.
After this we went to a silk store. In the silk store we got to watch silk being woven. It was really cool to see it made by hand. We got to look around the store and buy a few things. Of course silk is more expensive so I only bought one scarf but still it is pretty cool to say that I bought this handmade scarf in India! We didn’t have very much time here because we had to get ready for our flight.
We hurried back to the hotel to eat lunch and then back to the airport to go back to Kochin. The flight was good, I was so tired but of course (you all know me) I talked and had really good conversation with all the people who sat around me. Back on the ship though I hugged my roommate for what seemed like forever because I missed her so much and then crashed! I needed to catch up on some sleep because I still had 2 awesome days planned in Kochin.
me at sunrise on the Ganges
the Temple to the left is where Buddha gave his first sermon
No comments:
Post a Comment