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Morning Ablutions
Every morning, devout Hindus descend the stairs of the Varanasi ghats to wash their sins away in the holy waters of the Mother Ganges.
(Astute readers will recognise this re-processed photo as a copy of one that is in my masthead slideshow.)
Sunrise is the beginning of something …
The pilgrims on the Varanasi ghats along the Ganges are absolutely absorbed in their preparations of offerings to the Mother Ganga, in their ritual ablutions in the sacred waters, or in their pre-dawn meditations. Time loses all meaning.
Pilgrims have been travelling here to bathe in the Ganges River since time immemorial, and many of the ritual practices – with their roots in Hindu mythology – have changed little in the last 4000 years. Varanasi is the holiest of the seven Sapta Puri – holy pilgrimage sites in Hinduism. Naturally endowed with spiritual powers since the site was reputedly founded by Shiva, Varanasi can bless you with moksha – liberation from the cycle of birth and death.
While the spectacular evening Ganga Aarti on Dashashwamedh Ghat attracts both pilgrims and tourists in great numbers (see: Life and Death on the Varanasi Ghats), the devotional rituals along the river start before dawn.
So, long before sunrise – with the benefit of a headlamp – I made my way through the dark and quiet streets to Assi Ghat, where shrines were already being tended, lamps were being lit, and homages were being paid.
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Tending the Shrine
It is early, and the streets are dark just off Assi Ghat in Varanasi. But, already women have risen to tend to the holy shrines in honour of Shiva.
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Morning Aarti
In the absence of the kind of audience I saw the evening before at Dashaswamedh Ghat, Hindu priests perform their morning aarti.
Candelabra
An aarti is a devotional ritual that uses fire as an offering – in this case, to the Goddess Ganga, or Mother Ganga.
Garlands
Years after my visit, the State Government expanded and formalised the morning aarti, founding the Subah-e-Banaras program in 2014. The patience and care that was taken to prepare the rituals I watched had nothing to do with audience – and everything to do with ones own relationship with the Gods.
Lighting Offerings
Young children sell diyas – small lamps with a candle surrounded by flowers.
Ritual to the Mother
Facing the river, the lit lamps are circled clockwise, to chants or prayers, …
Offering to Maa Ganga
… before being set off into the river. Diyas symbolise goodness and purity; lighting them dispels the darkness.
Old Woman and her Kumbh
Pilgrims to the Ganges all have water vessels with them so they can carry a bit of the precious river away for further rituals.
Wooden Boats on the Ganges
Finally! The sky is taking on new colours as the sun slowly makes its way around the horizon and through the haze.
Copper Kumbh
Old Man and his Kumbh
It always amazes me how different the sadhus all are!
Old Man and a Sacred Stick
The stick this man carries is not substantial enough to be a staff, but is clearly important.
Stilllife Found: Brass Kumbh
Morning Meditation
Seated, draped, and still, this figure was finally touched by light as the sun rose.
Woman Making an Offering
The women making offerings all have baskets full of bits and pieces …
Paraphernalia
… and assorted utensils, all of which have a special role.
Morning Prayers
The sun (surya) is the visible God in Hinduism.
Sacred Waters
So, combined with the waters of the Mother, this is an auspicious time and place.
Water Pot
Even as a non-Hindu outsider, I felt something in the air, and wandered the ghats in a dream-like state.
Whenever I revisit the ghats – whether through my photos or simply in my memories – I return to that sense of stillness, outside of time’s march. As we all struggle through these challenging times, this can only be a good thing!
So, as one day slips into the next, and one year drifts into another, I wish you a beautiful sunrise – and a healthy Happy New Year.
Pictures: 10April2010
