EXPERIENCE THE HISTORICAL CITY OF ALLAHABAD ENROUTE TO THE MYSTICISM OF VARANASI ! 02/04/2021-04/04/2021
The state of Uttar Pradesh is not just one of the important political centre of the country but also home to many historical landmarks and timeworn cities of India which were a cauldron of rebellions and revolutions for the Independance struggle against the Britishers, paving the way for the rise of some very notable freedom fighters of the country whose names can be seen etched on roads and buildings as you travel the length and breath of the state .And among these archaic cities,two of the most renowned for their rich heritage and culture are Allahabad and Varansi and a must visit for the travel aficianados .
Our journey started from Kanpur being my present place of residence. Though Kanpur is also one of the historical districts of UP but not a place of tourist interest other then the river ganga flowing through it and few renowned temples of ISKCON , JK temple and Pankhi temple. It is best known for the mecca of engineers ,the IIT kanpur. The driving distance between kanpur and Allahabad by road is approx 212 kms , the highway is good which takes a time of 5-6 hours. But the landscape on way is not much to relish on and unlike other road trips, you ll not find any good eatries or dhabas on way .So its better to keep your own tuck of food and snacks while travelling on this road.
I would suggest a day stopover in Allahabad .Though there are not many tourist spots to visit but as you drive or walk around the city you can soak in the antiquity of the place and appreciate the vintage architechure dotting the place. Allahabad is a big city and many of the headoffices of the banks,central and state governements are located here. huge shopping centres and malls, multiplexes , have also opened up alongside the traditional market areas .The High court of Allahabad is the oldest and infact largest of the courts of the country and its building is an architechtural marvel to behold. Similarly, University of Allahabad is another important landmark which has churned the maximum of civil servants in the country in olden times .However , not to miss is definitely Anand Bhawan which was the residence of Moti Lal Nehru ,father of late Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru .The building has been restored and preserved as a Museum where you can catch a glimpse of the happy memories of Nehru family .It exhibits the living quarters and photographs of a bygone era of childhood and adult days of Jawahar lal nehru and his beloved daughter Indira Gandhi .For me the most fascinating part of this exhibit are the handwritten letters between Jawahar Lal Nehru from his days in jail and Indira gandhi .The strong bond between the father and daughter is evident through these letters .The criss cross writings of a young child Indira makes you wonder those challenging times of freedom struggle and hardships they must have undergone just to communicate especially in times like today when letter writing has almost become extinct with the new age technology gadgets taking over which can hardly articulate the feelings which words penned on a piece of paper can do.
The building and its surrounding lawns and structures have been well maintained by the managing committee. There s a small corner in one of the ground floors where you can also purchase memorabilia in form of books, clocks ,keychains etc .
This is one of the many exhibit photos which i really found very appealing though Indira Gandhi ji is looking mesmerizingly beautiful in all of her photos displayed in the museum .Undoubtedly she was one of the most graceful and beautiful woman of her times.
Triveni Sangam was another stopover .The world renowend Mahakumbh is held once in 12 years here.It is the meeting point of three rivers, ganga, yamuna and the mythical saraswati. The different colours of the waters of river ganga and yamuna are clearly visible in the sangam. However, it is with much disappointment i have to say that the UP government has neglected the preservation and maintenance of this important sacred place of hindus.Only at the time of mahakumbh it is paid attention to and on other days it has been left to the likes of beggars, destitutes and boating touts and it is literally an arduous task to navigate through them to reach the place and enjoy even a single minute of silence .So unless it holds a religious importance for you, it is not much worth visiting .
After spending a night in Allahabad, our next stopover was Varanasi which is only 1.5 hrs from there .Now, varanasi earlier called Benaras is one such place which is worth visiting both from the point of religious importance as well as tourism and our first visit was to Sarnath which is just 10kms from there. It is one of the holiest Buddhist sites boasting the huge dhamek stupa where Lord Buddha gave first sermon to the five disciples.The comlex houses various ruins , jain and buddhist temples and excavations and the famous Ashoka pillar. Broken Ashoka Pillars and fragments of the Ashoka chakra were founded in 1904 during the minning and digging at Sarnath. The Lion capital is still kept safely for exhibition purpose at the sarnath archaeological museum.The lawns within the complex have been meticulously maintained .
Other notable places to visit are the Banaras Hindu University, another of the India s oldest eminent centres of learning .It is noteworthy to mention that out of the 20 oldest universities in India, state of UP is home to atleast 6-7 of them contributing country's well known scholars and researchers . Apart from BHU, temple of kashi vishwanath , famous hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva situated in the vishwanath gali of varanasi.The gali is also a bazaar for purchasing all kinds of knick knacks as memorabilia .However, due to covid pandemic we had to give a miss to the temple as the narrow tight lane leading to it is crowded .
Next we proceeded to the Ghats of varanasi which is the jewel of the city and most revered of all hindu places.You can give a miss to other places, but if you have not seen the ghats then your trip will be incomplete.
where fires were still smoldering,
and gazed, with our Western minds, into the Ganges.
A woman was standing in the river up to her waist;
she was lifting handfuls of water and spilling it
over her body, slowly and many times,
as if until there came some moment
of inner satisfaction between her own life and the river’s.
Then she dipped a vessel she had brought with her
and carried it filled with water back across the ghat,
no doubt to refresh some shrine near where she lives,
for this is the holy city of Shiva, maker
of the world, and this is his river.
I can’t say much more, except that it all happened
in silence and peaceful simplicity, and something that felt
like that bliss of a certainty and a life lived
in accordance with that certainty.
I must remember this, I thought, as we fly back
to America.
Pray God I remember this. '"
This beautiful poem by Mary Oliver in the Thousands Mornings on her visit to Varanasi best describes the mount of emotions that rushes through your heart as you stand there on the ghats soaking in the majestic flow of river ganges and people standing half inside the water or outside the ghats to pay obeisance praying for birth to prayers for after life.There are 80 ghats and we visited the 80th called the assi ghat which as our knowlegeable and enthusiastic boatman informed that the honourable prime minister and chief minister of UP have taken great efforts to restore alongwith cleaning of the river ganga.This is remarkably one of their noteworthy achievements i would say .Though a morning visit to ghats to offer prayers, to take a dip in ganga river or to just enjoy gazing the sunrise in itself is a experience to remember, but witnessing the spectacular evening aarti of the Dashvamedha ghat is a spiritual and transcendental experience which you can never forget. Though i have been fortunate enough to witness the aartis of Haridwar as well but the one in varanasi is more grandiose. The Dashashwamedh Ghat is one of the most prominent Ghats of Varanasi.It is the Ghat where the evening Aarti is performed. We took a motor boat from the Assi ghat at a reasonable charge for Rs.1000/- though you need to bargain a bit before finalising the price. But its worth spending. The boat cruises along the ghats with the boatman narrating happily the history of the ghats and hindu mythology laced with religious information on the types of corpses that are allowed to burn or float in the river.
What is interesting is that as you cruise alongwith the river towards the dashashwamedha ghat, you can catch glimpse of burning pyres on cremation ghats just next to the aarti ghats.It may sound grim but it makes you contemplate on the cycle of life and death. To attain salvation by cremation in the most sacred place of hindus is the desire of many people.Watching the majestic structures of ghats alongside the rivers sparkling in colourful array of lights is a sight to behold for lifetime.
The boat stops in front of the Dashashwamedha ghat which is already crowded with other boats each trying to jostle with other to secure a good watching place for its occupants .The ghats in itself are also crowded with onlookers .The aarti begans with the chantings from the pandas and gradually progresses into a show of lightening diyas . The entire spectacle is lasting memory. For the people sitting and viewing from the boats, few of the pandas are generous enough to come in to each of them to offer the aarti so we can also offer our obeisance to the ceremony.
Finally, as we row back to the assi ghat, the images are forever imprinted in the mind with an overwhelming feeling of awe and peace. And as has been rightly quoted by the celeberated painter - Paul Klee, “A single day is enough to make us a little larger or, another time, a little smaller.”
Last but not the least no trip can end without shopping especially in place like Varanasi which is the manufacturing centre of banarsi weaves .Most exquisite brocades in hue of threads ,colours , gold and silver are woven in this classic city .The tradtiional majestic saree of benaras is a legacy of ancient arts and culture of India. Though there are numerous shops and markets to purchase but the best local market is godhowalia market which is adjacent to the kashi vishwanath temple lane. Its a market of benarasi sarees and fabrics spread over a huge area bustling with roadside vendors , small wholesalers to big showrooms . You can get good stuff at reasonable price depending on your budget. However, if you have more time or days to spend, it will be worthwhile to visit the karigars quarters also where the actual weaving is done . Varanasi also has one of the largest manufacturing unit of glass beads .So in the vishwanath lane , you can also find shops selling necklaces of glass beads which can be bought at very cheap prices and as a travel collectible to gift.
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