Varanasi

Varanasi, also known as Benares, and to devout Hindus as Kashi, is one of the oldest living cities in the world.

Situated on the western bank of a large bend in the Ganges (Ganga) river, the heart and soul of this ancient urban phenomenon are the ghats, an interconnected multi-kilometer-long series of stairs that lead down to the banks of the holy river. At 50-75 feet above the river, connected by the stone stairs, are tower temples, shrines, maharaja’s palaces, ashrams and music schools. It is to these ghats that the Buddha first came after attaining enlightenment to teach his Dharma. In the words of Mark Twain, who visited in the waning years of the 19th century, ‘Benares is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks older than all of them put together.”

in Hindu tradition, the city is where Lord Shiva holds court and so the city is crammed to overflowing with images, shrines, lingas, temples and emblems of the mighty Destroyer and Preserver of the Universe. It is to this city that Hindu pilgrims stream like ants after sugar all year round, to seek blessings, propiate the gods and securitize their afterlife. Indeed, to die in Varanasi is to short circuit the seeming eternal cycle of death and rebirth and proceed straight to heaven.

of all Indian cities, Varanasi is my favorite. Visiting again, in early December, after many years and armed with my trusty Hipstamatic, I found the city come alive in a new and exciting way.

adventures in hipstaland