Varanasi offers moksha amid chaos

The author travels from Sarnath to Nadesar and finally finds peace in the din on the ghats of Benaras

Few places move me to clichés as Benares does. Its ghats exert a strange magnetic pull over me.  Something happens to me whilst there. I take the same old pictures of the boats, drink the same lassi in Vishwanath Gali and use clichés like karma and moksha a lot — often in the same sentence. Maybe it’s because Benares is so overwhelming, a city of chaos, crowds and corpses. Beggars beg, bathers bathe, tourists gawk and pilgrims pray — all near Manikarnika, the fabled funeral ghat where the devout believe that since the beginning of time, Shiva himself has whispered the mantra of salvation to the dead. For this reason, corpses arrive here like tourists to Mussoorie, causing life and death to co-exist in ways even clichés can’t convey.

This time, however, when we land in the spanking new airport at Babatpur, I’m more in the mood to explore the city’s quieter spots than to immerse myself in its chaos. “What about Sarnath? It’s a peaceful and quiet place,” suggests our driver and guide, Raju Shukla. It’s been over a decade since I visited Sarnath. As we drive past Chaukandi Stupa where the enlightened Buddha was reunited with his four companions, I wonder at the changes that have occurred here. The gardens are beautifully laid out, the ruins are labelled and well-maintained and although we are barely 11 kilometres from Benares, we seem to be light years away from its crowds. Other than a busload of Japanese tourists wearing jackets even though the hot sun is bearing down on us, the place is absolutely still.

  Up ahead is the Dhamekh Stupa, which marks the place where the Buddha is believed to have delivered his first sermon after enlightenment. Tourists have stuck gold foil offerings on it. Strictly speaking, these aren’t allowed, but they do look pretty in the sunlight. We walk up to the place where the historic Ashoka Pillar was excavated. The capital now reposes in the Sarnath Museum, but the original base is still visible here. Flowers and lotus ponds are everywhere, and birds chirp somnolently in the afternoon sun.

Peaceful it is, but it’s time for lunch. We’re headed to another jewel of Benares, Nadesar Palace. Built in 1835, this was the pleasure palace where the king of Benares entertained guests like Jawaharlal Nehru, Lord Mountbatten and Queen Elizabeth. Now Taj Hotels has taken it over and converted it into a boutique, ten-room hotel. It’s a quaint step back in time — not only is the palace well-preserved, its original furniture, carpets and fittings have been restored and used as well. Fittingly, a 180-year-old horse carriage awaits to take us for a ride through its ample grounds.

“This carriage was presented to the king by Queen Elizabeth,” says its driver, Naseem Mohammad, as we trot past an old temple, marigold fields and mango orchards. Mohammad reminds me that the fabled langra mangoes of Benares originated right here. Sadly, they’re not in season, but I look at the blossoms on the trees and make a mental note to return in the summer just for the mangoes. “My father, and grandfather before him, used to drive this carriage. When the palace was taken over by the Taj, they decided to retain me.” Mohammad’s family still retains ties to the King. “Even now, we offer our services to him during Dusshera and Diwali for 40 days,” he says. As he talks, I realise how the life and times of Nadesar Palace reflects a Benares that few know well. Benares isn’t just the city of the Ganga, ghats and temples, but also a city where traditions still live on.

“Culturally, people in Benares are totally different from everyone else,” says he. “One doesn’t need to be wealthy to enjoy the pleasures of Kashi, be it sitting on the steps of an ancient ghat with friends or watching artists perform in the Sankatmochan Temple. We in Benares say that all these experiences aren’t free — they’re priceless!"

The next morning, we head to Assi Ghat for a boat ride at dawn, the best time to see the river. The rising sun pinks the tops of the ghats as it rises over the horizon. A shoal of flying fish arch gracefully in a distance as the ghats pass by, as if in a slow motion reel. “If only Benares were always this peaceful…” sighs my city-bred daughter for whom the congested labyrinth of lanes leading to the ghats is overwhelming. Just for that, we ask our boatman to take us to view the evening aarti as well. If dawn over the Ganga is magical, dusk, with its intense assault of flowers, incense and jostling pilgrims, takes one to a different zone altogether.

A stupa in Sarnath

We light our diyas in the leafy boats, set afloat in the Ganga and follow their flickering light till we can see them no more. Meanwhile, seven young priests, all students of local religious seminaries, appear. With great fanfare, the crowded Dashashwamedh Ghat erupts in the spectacular aarti, all seven performing the complex fire ritual in perfect synchronisation.
Around us, there’s a traffic jam of boats as everyone scrambles for a better view. But as I watch the ancient rituals unfold amidst all the mayhem, a strange quietude finally descends upon me. Could it be that after seeking it all the way from Sarnath to Nadesar, I’ve finally found peace in the anarchy of the ghats? Then it sinks in, the ultimate cliche of them all.

When the mind is still, external chaos is immaterial. With that thought, I get off the boat at Assi Ghat and plunge right back into the bedlam of Benares.

Getting There

* Multiple daily trains connect Benares to cities including Delhi, Agra, Lucknow, Mumbai and Kolkata

* Air India, JetKonnect, SpiceJet and IndiGo have daily flights to Delhi, Mumbai and other metros

* Pre-paid taxis are available at the airport for day excursions to Sarnath. Within the city, avoid the perennially jammed roads by opting for rickshaws instead