The Ghats of Varanasi

Perhaps the single most meaningful experience in India for me was a visit to the ghats in Varanasi.  The ghats are a series of stairs leading down to the Ganges River. The Ganges is thought to flow from the god Shiva's home high in the Himalayas.  Spiritual pilgrims from all over India and the world flock to Varanasi, one of India's most sacred cities, to visit this most sacred of rivers.  As some of the photos below will attest, this trek to the Ganges is vested with a deep spiritual meaning about which an outsider like me can only speculate.  As a tourist, I was only aware that I was witnessing something quietly spectacular.

Spiritual pilgrims on the Ganges.

If you look carefully, you will see white cords slung over the shoulders of at least two of these men.  These white cords indicate that these men are members of the Brahmin caste, the highest varna in the caste system.  The Brahmin caste has traditionally been associated with priests and teachers, but in reality its members belong to many occupations.

Yet a trip to the ghats is not just a glimpse of the deep spirituality of Indians from a variety of religious traditions; it is also a chance to witness life itself, from weddings to funerals, from commerce to prayer.  It is the chance to witness the co-habitation of the forces of tradition and modernization, the sacred and the secular.

This photo serves as an indicator of how the sacred and secular, eastern tradition and western commercial encroachment, meet and mingle in Varanasi. This water tower is adorned with a painting of the god Shiva.  At its base is a sign for Pepsi.

Death, and its rituals, are much in evidence on the ghats.  This building is an electric crematorium.  Further down the river is a ghat for more traditional cremations.  The traditional funeral pyre is still preferred over the newer method.

A body floating in the river.

Another of life's major events is also frequently celebrated on the Ganges.  Above is a picture of a wedding party.  The bride, wearing red and gold, is seated with the groom.

This enterprising twosome won't wait for tourists to come to them; they climb in their boat laden with souvenirs and row out to the tourists.  They were selling film, jewelry, brass pots in which to collect Ganges water, and many other items.

These men and women are dhobis, those who do laundry in the river.  They give the clothes a real workout before spreading them out to dry on the river bank.

Despite the fact that the Ganges is one of the world's most polluted rivers, people can and do fish in it regularly.

Recreation on the ghats:  Cricket is truly the national pastime in India.  Only field hockey and soccer come close to its appeal for the Indian population.  Cricket matches can break out anywhere, the ghats being no exception.  Here you see the scoring for a recent match.

© 1999.  Jody Taylor Watkins and Peter Watkins.  Do not download or reprint without permission. Email.

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