Varanasi: the Indus sacred city.. India travel report

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In India, all roads lead to Varanasi, the holy city par excellence of Hinduism.
Varanasi is one of the oldest cities in the world, but especially the spiritual soul of India. A trip to this country can not and should not, in our opinion, does not include a visit to the city.
Ancient Hindu scriptures have called the Eternal City as home of the god Shiva. The same records say that the city incurred more sacred ground on which there is on Earth. For this and much more, Varanasi is the most sacred of the holy cities of India, is the place of ablutions in the Ganges, the ghat, the funeral pyres, where it is impossible to remain impassive observers because the atmosphere full of spirituality only this holy city and issue forward.

Let Varanasi and the Ganges, what is most sacred in India, for the first time and at the same time. For a moment I think to try those same feelings we must attack the pilgrims on their arrival in the city: faith, grace, mercy and eternity.
The city lies along the western bank of the Ganges, the east, it is considered impure. The s'intuisce easily by the contrast of the great palaces and temples, from the myriad of pinnacles that rise here and there, and many ghat, stairways on which a continuous coming and going of people down the river for washing. A tingling of life, therefore, the soul at all hours of the day, the West Bank in contrast to the opposite bank of the river desolate.
Rains, but people seem not badarci much. E 'il solito shower monsoonal afternoon, more or less violent, that we sought from our arrival in the sub-continent, we are also in full rainy season. The river Ganges is in full because of the season so that the ghat are partly submerged by the waters putrid, brown, dirty and melmose.
Our tour starts at the Bharat Mata temple dedicated to Mother India and known for the relief map of India. From here with a tuk-tuk to continue the New Vishwanath Temple in which features the revered Shiva lingam. E 'is dark, but we find the time to visit the last of the temples where entry is prohibited there, the Tulsi Manas Mandir, Sikhara style. The temple is famous because of its walls which is reproduced on the Hindi version of Ramayana, the epic poem that tells the story of Rama, one of the many reincarnations of Vishnu.

The next day at dawn we meet with a boatman who will accompany us to witness the extraordinary spectacle that is repeated every morning at sunrise: the ablutions of the faithful in the Ganges.
At the tick of the first rays of the sun we already sull'imbarcazione ready for the boat trip. Along the three miles to partake ghat a touching performance and taste mystical atmosphere.
During the tour of two hours we see a continuous flow of the faithful down to pray in the holy waters of the Ganges: men, women and children, wrapped them in colorful sari and phantasmagorical, which will cleanse the sins committed. From time to time, we see young people intent on yoga exercises or sadhu in meditation. Going up and down the river in water to see everything, even a carcass of an animal that follows the passing of a docile river. More than any other thing you see so many necklaces floating petal flower, the offers made to the Great Mother Ganga. In any Ghat is a seller of these necklaces.
The Ghat of Manikarnika and Harischandra are the most suggestive places where more than elsewhere, there is the spirituality of Indian religion. Here is practiced the rite of cremation. The bodies of the dead are carried on a bamboo litter simply wrapped a cloth and placed on the funeral pyres, stacks of wood properly prepared, and finally burnt their ashes thrown into the Ganges. We stop in the middle of a cremation, and immediately we are completely surrounded by gusts of smoke mixed ash. Add the heat unbearable, the humidity and smell annoying acre of burned human flesh and understand why it seemed to choke. Sordi bursts one after another within the pyre together with that of the sticks of fuoricasta, staff required to maintain the fire that precisely liven beating on fire with glowing embers of the big sticks.
The guide explains that the three hours of cremation necessary to incinerate a body costing 2500 rupees, or 120,000 pounds, a figure of which only the rich Indians have. The poor can not afford to buy wood and pay all the necessary work to prepare the funeral pyre, so for them there are the electric crematoria much cheaper although less sacred and ritual. The body, in fact, is incinerated in just 15 minutes. The funeral in this case is just 250 rupees, or 12,000 lire.
After the life of the river, c'immergiamo for the rest of the day in that city. Beside the Ganges, Varanasi is a tangle of alleys where hardly pass the tuk-tuk. Observe human figures are difficult to describe and define: the terminally ill, the hopeless, carried far from their families, from all parts of India, to die for the sacred site on which stands the city is propitious for giving life earthly. Those who died in Varanasi has access to heaven. That is why so many old, dying, sick, lame are flocking here now close to the shore, waiting to die!
The labyrinth of narrow streets seems like a sewer in the open air, and yet indifferent, the people buying and selling vegetables on improvised banquets, children playing catch up, the cows graze indifferent as in a meadow. We arrived at the Golden Temple where entry is restricted only to Hindus. Is well aware of an astute and gentle Indian whose house is right next door. If you stop in front of the entrance, the character in question adocchierà and for a small payment of money will be to suggest getting on his balcony where you can see very well the inside of the courtyard of the temple. So we see the faithful to pray on the floor of polished marble, covered with coins and flowers, some withered and other beautiful flowers. From here we see the dome of the right temple, famous for being covered with a ton of gold - hence the name of the Golden Temple - for the will of Maharajah Ranjit Singh. Let's go to the district where Chawki held the most characteristic of the city. Can not describe the chaos of pedestrians, bicycles, cows, tuk-tuk and machine moving without any rules of precedence, or stop, between the continuous and deafening sound of the horn. See, even a traffic light-hearted! We find a 'quiet in one of the many laboratories of silk weaving, for which Varanasi is famous all over the world. A silk scarf to Varanasi must be purchased and absolutely right here, among the precious silks of one of these factories, which looms to work for most children. We take one-to-head in memory of our visit, but what is a scarf, as beautiful, is nothing compared to the many memories that leave this holy city and eternal.
Every Hindu who professes it must, at least once in their life, make a journey of pilgrimage to Varanasi, but the same, I would add, must make every traveler who chose India as its goal. Here more than elsewhere in the Indian subcontinent kaleidoscope, as Pasolini said, "a western that is India has all but it really does not give anything. India, however, that has not has nothing gives everything," translates into truth & # 224