Utsav Diwali in Varanasi and more

Wednesday, November 15, 2017
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India
In the meantime we've also done some more weekend getaways, flying to Kochi, Visakapatnam and Varanasi. We had been to Kochi and Varanasi before but especially Varanasi was amazing to go back to, as it was the special weekend of Utsav Diwali, a great Hindu Festival. The town was filled with people, pilgrims, tourists, gurus, sadhus, devotees and spectators. The atmosphere was amazing and we were once more astonished and fascinated at this country and its people. 
Twice we hired a rowing boat to view the spectacle in the Ghats (stairs on the river) from a distance. This gave a great vantage point and some safety as the streets and ghats were totally crowded at times. Of course we also walked through the incredible maze of small alleyways of the old town, sometimes not knowing where to look anymore as there was just too much going on everywhere. People selling goods, standing in line for hours to visit a temple, performing puja (prayers), taking a ritual bath in the holy Ganges, chanting, begging, praying or just going after their daily business. 
During the day around one million small terracotta oil lamps were placed on the Ghats and lighted up after sunset. The crowds gathered wherever there were no lamps and somehow it actually worked that for some hours, none of the lamps were crushed and a fascinating show of light with the one million oil lamps and cracking fire works was displayed.
Being a holy place, many spiritual Indians wish to die and be cremated in Varanasi. Those who can afford it, are burned on big stacks of wood at one of the many burning ghats. The ceremonies and actual fires can be watched close up any time of day and any day of the year. Those less fortunate, who cannot afford the cost of wood to be burned on, are usually weighed down by stones and submerged in the Ganges. One can imagine the sight, when the bodies compose, bloat and float to the surface once again.
Also in Hyderabad we have been able to witness some festivities. A lot of fun was Ganesh Chaturthi, where loads of statues of Ganesh, the god with an elephant head, were being displayed throughout the city to be submerged in a lake at the end of the 10 days festival. The biggest of these statues was 64 feet tall and quite a sight to behold with all that was happening all around.
Next up will be some more getaways to Puri, Mumbai, Chennai, Kolkatta, Sri Lanka, the Andamans and Singapore! Yeah, we're back to exploring another part of this world! 

Comments

Tom
2017-11-30

Fantastic pictures here, thanks a lot for sharing those with us. I can relate to that guy with the last haircut years ago - been there, done that...;)

2025-02-10

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