The 2024 Shinnyo Lantern Floating Festival is an enlightened ceremony that honors our fallen soldiers and loved ones lost. It brings closure for family members regarding friends who recently passed. We will never forget our own friends Wayne Spencer from Oregon, Frank Grillo from Ecuador, and several other close friends who have passed recently. The candle-lit floating lanterns provide a guiding light to those who have departed.
This year there were floating lanterns launched for the victims of the Lahaina fires in Maui, the Oceans, victims of war and conflict, natural disasters, famine, disease and epidemics, and the forest. The one hour show starts with the sounds from conch shells, blessings, a live broadcast from Maui, taicho drums, the bows ritual, a prayer from Her Holiness Shinso Ito, lighting the lanterns, then floating them out to sea. The show was Liivestream and can be seen on YouTube or you can click on the link here.
Master Shinnyo Ito was founder of Shinnyo Buddhism and brought the traditional floating lantern ceremony to Hawaii. He chose the date as Memorial Day because it would be meaningful to both cultures. This was the 25th year of this event, and Her Holiness, the Global leader of Shinnyo-en Foundation, joined the celebration. It was estimated up to 50,000 people attended and more than 6,000 lanterns were launched to sea.
The 25th annual Shinnyo Lantern Floating Festival was celebrated on Memorial Day on May 27, 2024 at Ala Moana Beach Park to honor our fallen soldiers and loved ones. Video and photos provided by Mei Xue, Burt and Evelyn Johnson and Livestream from the festival.
Similar to India, the Ganges River in Nepal is a sacred place where Hindus want their bodies cremated and their ashes spread, so they can ascend to heaven for rebirthing. Above is the Pashupatinath Cremation Complex in Katmandu, where a typical cremation ceremony is performed in public daily. Travelers are invited to watch from across the banks of the Bagmati River, which ultimately joins the holy Ganges. The ceremony starts with the coffin or body carried on a stretcher to the temple for its final visit, blessed, and then carried down the steps to a plank on the river bank. The clothes are removed, the body washed with the water from the river by family members, redressed, leaving only the head exposed, before being carried back to the final pyre. The body is carried to the pyre up to a kilometer away, then body is carried in a clockwise direction 3x, placed on the pyre, before the oldest son sets the kindling nearest the head on fire. The body is burned there, which may take several hours. The ashes are then removed and spread into the river.
Katmandu Durbar Square, a former royal palace, is an important site for Buddhist and Hindu rituals. Our guide explained the four faces of Buddha, each facing a different direction, east, west, north and south. Each hand gesture is significant. For example an open palm facing downward signifies generosity.
Buddha was born in Nepal, and his teachings included “Be a lamp unto yourself”. Buddhism in Nepal lost its popularity to Hinduism when Nepal rulers passed laws making conversions to Islam and Christianity illegal, and promoted Hinduism.
The National Art Museum of Nepal is the largest museum in the country, and houses weapons, statues, artwork, murals and collections of Nepal’s cultural heritage. It is well preserved and worth a visit.
The Newari artisans from Katmandu Valley are tremendously gifted with carving intricate designs onto wood, stone and metal. They make masks, sculptures, doors, furniture, puppets and jewelry. In Bhaktapur, two ornate royal coaches with wooden wheels are still brought down the narrow streets during major celebrations (middle). We were going to a restaurant, but the 4 entry steps had been removed to allow these coaches to pass. There were lots of young kids everywhere in Nepal.
The art of Nepal is heavily influenced by religious themes. For the paintings, it may take years to learn to properly make the strokes. A skilled eye can spot the paintings that were created by students vs masters. It relies on skill of the paint application, not creativity, as a student cannot deviate from the folk stories and scenes. An apprentice may work for 7 years to learn the craft before they can graduate to a master level.
The Nepal flag is the only flag in the world that is not rectangular (bottom right and bottom left).
As a side note, we overdid the travel this past year. Burt spent 3 days in the hospital in Katmandu as he was allergic to dust (pollution) and could not recover. Evelyn was suffering from extreme hip pain, so for the first time, we cut our trip short. We envisioned Nepal to have clean air and clear skies because of so many trekkers, but it turns out that Katmandu is one of the most polluted cities in the world.
Heavenly Himalaya, the tour operator we used, and our guide Dipak (top middle) who normally guides trekkers, were flexible and modified our tour to accommodate our health issues. We also cancelled our tour to Bhutan, where we had intended to attend two major festivals.
After touring India, we looked at options to explore other countries in this region. We decided to explore Nepal, which was less than 2 hours away by air, direct from New Dehli to Katmandu, and the gateway to Bhutan. Our good friend Judy had spent a month in Katmandu decades ago and raved about her $1/night hotel with view of the Himalayas, so this country has been on our list to tour. Nepal borders India and Tibet, China, as well as also touching borders of both Bhutan and Bangladesh. It has diverse geography with 8 of the 10 highest peaks in the world. It was also where Gautama Buddha, founder of Buddhism, was born, and where Hinduism was founded, which is the predominant religion.
Just outside of Katmandu is a UNESCO site, Bhaktapur UNESCO Heritage Square where Bhaktapur Durbar Square (a former royal palace), Pottery Square, Nyatapola Temple are located (photo block above). We were able to enjoy watching the Newari artisans at work making their pottery right on the street. This city is a living museum known for their ornate wood carvings on architectural structures, wood sculptures, carved wood furniture. Many structures had scaffolding surrounding it, as Katmandu is still recovering from the 2015 earthquake, which measured 7.8, resulting in 9000 deaths and 600,000 structures either damaged or destroyed.
Chitwan National Park was established in 1973 as Nepal’s first National Park and is designated a UNESCO site. It is home to one of the last populations of single-horned Asiatic rhinoceros and also one of the last refuges of the Bengal Tiger. The Big 6 that live in the park include the Bengal Tiger (population 128), one-horned rhino, leopard, sloth bear (upper-right and lower-right), gaur, and wild elephant. We could only check off three out of six, as it’s very rare to see tigers and leopards. We saw the rhinos from quite a distance, as tours cannot go off road.
We were captivated by the courtship dancing peacocks at this park during mating season which occur around April-May. The male raises its tail train, then performs a circular dance to attract females. The females chooses her mate based on the display of eyespots developed to impress them. Only males are called peacocks, while females are called peahens. The peacock feather is a symbol of rebirth and hope, so if you see one on your path, it is considered good luck. Of note, the national animal in Nepal is the cow, and the national bird is a pheasant, the Himalaya Monal, not the peacock.
We crossed the river in Chitwan National Park in boats to load onto safari jeeps. We also saw a small enclosure with fresh water gharial crocodiles , a critically endangered species, which are the nearest relatives of dinosaurs that existed 65 million years ago.
There are seven groups of UNESCO World Heritage monuments and monuments located in Katmandu Valley. Included are Katmandu Durbar Square, Patan, Swayambhunath Stupa (aka Monkey Temple). Of note, we found Katmandu to be cleaner and less crowded compared to what we experienced in India.
Again, we appreciated seeing the women who were dressed in colorful outfits.
The video shows various short scenes we experienced in Katmandu Valley, including watching potters, local parades, and temples. Moving images help us relive our experience more so than still photos.
Three days following the end of the Holi Festival is the Kwant Gair Fair held in the village of Kawant. The Rahtwa tribal fair is a wild and exhuberant celebration. Bhil and Koli tribes come together from the region to celebrate the harvest, and where matchmaking is sometimes formalized. The Rathwa Bhils are considered the most primitive tribal group in Gujarat, and one of the attractions of this fair is the dancers who come with painted faces adorned in peacock feathers. Some of the male dancers are painted with a paste of rice-ash to look like the big cats they once hunted. To get a better feel of the experience of what it was like, be sure to check out the video below.
Music, especially drumming, plays an integral part in festivals. The drummers and flute players energize the level of the crowds with the rhythmic beating of their drums, which act as its heart beat. You also see many groups performing traditional folk dances along the parade route. The performers dance with wild abandonment, and some appear to be in a trance, similar to our experience at the Holi Festival. Gujarat is a dry state, yet home brews are readily available.
The people kept coming from the surrounding areas to join the festivities the entire day. We saw many groups of single women joining the parade, either as participants or watching from the sidewalks throughout the morning and afternoon, with each tribe distinguished by their costumes. It was hot, dusty, crowded and loud, and the crowds became larger and more rowdy through the afternoon. Even the local politician came with body guards to participate (top left). Again, trash was common (bottom right).
These are many colorful characters in the crowd. Some of the single men come down to find single women, and it had been a tradition to kidnap some single women for marriage (although it may be just for fun these days).
The large dangling jewelry is quite common (bottom row) as part of the costumes in this region. Groups of beautiful single women join in the festivities, hoping to be noticed by a potential mate.
We saw many young kids and large families at this event, and the kids were as delightful as ever. We saw many more foreign tourists at this event compared to other parts of Gujarat, as this off-the-beaten-path region is still quite undeveloped for tourism.
The entire airport experience is a bureaucratic nightmare for photographers, as the Indian TSA officials are still using archaic 2-D X-rays, and required every passenger to take out every electronic item for a full inspection. And, some inspectors followed the rules without critical thinking and could not distinguish between lithium vs. alkaline batteries. For example, electric toothbrushes, and non-lithium batteries, which are generally allowed in checked luggage worldwide were not allowed here. For some reason, small Allen Wrenches used to adjust tripods were also disallowed in carry on luggage, and were confiscated.
This is the last stop of our exploratory tour with Fantastic Photo Tours. For photographers, India is a dream for those seeking adventure, color, exotic costumes, colorful characters, and one-of-a-kind photo ops. At the same time, the chaos, the heat, dust and pollution can be overwhelming and the dense crowds can be frightening, yet exhilarating.
The Kawant Fair is an exuberant and wild celebration of the harvest by the Rathwa tribal groups in Gujarat, India, held every March immediately following the Holi Festival. The participants and viewers were intertwined so you could not distinguish the two, and we were pulled along by the crowds to dance with them. Sometimes, the crowds were so dense, we could not get out of the flow of the parade.
The wildlife sanctuary, San Gir, in Gir National Park in Gujarat is home to the last Asiatic Lions in the wild, with approximate 674 remaining as of March 2074. Less than 20% of the sanctuary is accessible to tourists, so many of the leopards and lions were still hidden deep in the jungle. There are very restrictive rules set by the wildlife safari officials. As a result, after three long game drives, we were only able to see a few Asiatic lions walk past at the end of the second game drive (bottom row) and one obscured leopard. The other jeep in our group was able to capture photos of the same family of lions at a watering hole the following morning. The jeeps were randomly assigned to a trail, a guide and driver, and are not allowed to veer to another trail where there were lion sightings. The leopards were quite elusive, but we saw one that just randomly walked by behind thick brush after hours of driving.
Mehmet has some type of safari kharma to encourage the guides to be more aggressive in seeking out the animal hideaways. Our guide and driver just followed the rules, taking zero risks. Since we were not allowed to veer off trail nor allowed to select our trail, we could only rely on sheer luck to have an animal randomly walk past while our jeep was driving along. Our wildlife safari experiences in Africa were significantly more satisfying than anything we saw in India.
The game drives can best be described as large moments of boredom driving over barren landscapes punctuated by an occasional animal sighting. Because of seeing so much of nothing, we finally had Manoj Sharma, our tour operator, pose with a wooden statue of an Asiatic lion (top-left), since we did not expect to see a single lion during the safari. We saw an occasional owl, some wild boars, and on the final drive, we were thrilled to see monkeys jumping from tree to tree overhead of our jeep. We had some comical entertainment at the hotel, where they were performing tourist-oriented African dances (lower left), not traditional Indian dances.
Enroute, we had a chance to visit more tribal villages, many specializing in textiles. The village Bhujodi specialized in making shawls using natural indigo dyes (bottom left and right), and where the indigo was made was called the “Indigo Temple”. The host explained that the natural dyeing process has been passed along for generations.
We visited the Swaminaraya temple, where the Aarti ceremony is sometimes is performed (bottom right). Again, we were impressed by the color and patterns worn by the Indian women.
We visited more villages in the area, where everyone was welcoming to foreigners. In this Off-the-beaten path tour of the tribal villages, we seldom saw any other Westerners. Many times, we were the only tourists, since tourism has not yet been developed in Gujarat.
Enroute, we discovered Veraval, a fishing village, where the hundreds of colorful wooden fishing boats were still in the harbor because of a national holiday. The reflections of the colorful boats on the water were breath-taking. Of note, trash is something we saw throughout India. (middle right)
We had an opportunity to stay in several maharaja’s residences, as there were few hotels in-between the long drives between villages. In Palatina, the maharaja created a heritage hotel, where you can still see the unique entry door, where the spikes were used to drive off charging elephants from attackers.(bottom middle)
Seeing sheep and a Rathwa shepherd on the road was common (top left). In another village, Narkota, we saw a vendor (top right) who was able to access some of the remote villages on his dirt bike on the unpaved roads selling his wares. As always, Manoj Sharma, was the pied piper and the kids were filled with song and laughter, which was one of the highlights of our tour of the various remote villages(bottom right).
There are approximately 162 tribal villages surrounding Bhuj in the state of Gujarat. There are various tribal people in the Bhuj area, including the nomadic Rabaris, who are constantly in search of better grazing ground.
Bhuj is known as the textile hub of India and is famous for their embroidery and handicrafts. We visited tribal villages on the north and south side of Bhuj. Fabric is dyed in large vats, then dried in the sun. One village specialized in making hand stamped patterns.
Another handicraft was making metal items for cooking, where the craftsman forms each piece by hand. The wife coats the copper pieces (top-right and lower-left), which is then oven baked (middle-right), ready to be used (middle-left).
We saw a large variety of handicrafts being produced, including textiles, tie-dye, vegetable color dye printing, and lacquer making. Some of the patterns are quite intricate, with the artisan painting each design by dripping a special paint onto the fabric (top-right, middle, bottom-left and middle). The lacquered rolling pins are still made with crude wooden tools (top-middle and bottom-right)
Bordering Pakistan and India is a salt marsh known as Rann of Katch (Dasada). Formerly part of the Arabian sea, the land uplifted and the water dried up, leaving behind vast areas encrusted with salt crystals. The area is reputed to be one of the largest salt deserts in the world.
Today, farmers in this region still harvest salt from the ground water and produce 76% of India’s salt. Salt harvesting is incredibly hard work in temperatures up to 40 degrees celsius (over 100 degrees Fahrenheit). The farmers here are using custom rakes to break up the salt crust (top-right and middle-right), into smaller crystals (lower-right). These farmers only make $4 per ton. They seldom live longer than 60 years of age, encountering serious health issues, having little protection gear against the sun or salt.
Each tribal village is distinguished by the colors and patterns of the costumes the women wear. What is remarkable is the vibrancy of the colors the Indian women wear in their every day life.
As poor as the villages are, the people all seem to be happy and welcoming.
Mandvi Beach is one of the most popular holiday destinations for Indians and is known for its water sports and great sunsets. Camel rides are quite popular (middle-right). However the camels are decorated to the tees for tourists.
Of course, all we were looking for our sunset image with the silhouette of a camel. Mehmet therefore hired the ugliest camel on the beach. It was hilarious watching Francis and Mehmet posing the camel and owner for our sunset shots, as the camel was stubborn, and the owner struggled to control his camel. The resulting sunset photos are top right and bottom left. Enroute, we found an active ship building site where wooden boats were designed for shallow water. The large boats take years to build, and the wooden boats appeared quite weathered.
The children of a tribal village around Bhuj, Gujarat, singing led by our tour operator, Manoj Sharma, the Pied Piper. After the singing is finished, Manoj explains in English what the song said.
Making textiles and copper handicrafts in tribal villages surrounding Bhuj, Gujarat in India.
Poshina is a quaint remote village in the state of Gujarat near the border of Rajasthan, and is not on many of India’s tourists maps. It is described as a place where time stands still. Surrounded by several colorful tribes, including the Bhil, Garasias and the nomadic Rabaris, the scenes in these tribal areas are a photographer’s dream, where it is still untouched by commercial tourism.
At sunset, the maharaja drove our group to a local village outside of Poshina, where the shepherds were grazing their sheep and cattle. The nomadic Rabari shepherd (top right, bottom right, middle) leads his cattle to the river. The maharaja told us that he negotiated a deal with the shepherds for dung (fertilizer) in exchange for grazing rights on his land. The shepherd’s live a hard life, and we heard that one shepherd had a stroke (bottom middle) that morning and was resting on the cot. He was 75 year’s old, yet looked even older.
At the market once a week, the local villagers come all dressed up, just to shop. The villagers do not hold out their hands out for tips nor demand money to get their photos taken. However it can be quite challenging to get them engaged for a smile. It was often easier for a woman to make the connection. After the men photographers in our group left, Evelyn proved herself a master at connecting with the locals and getting smiles. Yes, it often helps to have rupees in hand to buy souvenirs or vegetables and fruit that are available for sale at the local markets.
At the market, the tour guide gave us each 50 rupees (equivalent to $0.60 USD), and challenged us to see how much we could purchase with that money. Since the vendors did not speak English and we were not told how much things typically cost, we had to learn how to negotiate and determine what things cost. We were surprised how affordable items were, yet it seemed that 10% was their maximum discount. The vendors were not aggressive, and seemed to enjoy the negotiating game, which is an activity that can be done using just sign language worldwide. At the local market, we also noticed that the men were often the tailors.
This is daily life at a Bhil village. To get fresh water, the women carry the metal canisters balanced on top of their heads from the nearest well to their village (top right). There are no paved roads to this village, and when we arrived, we were greeted by cattle with painted horns (bottom left). We were told to walk around them, as the cattle were not accustomed to seeing strangers. In one village, the bulls were ready to charge the strangers, and it took a long moment to calm them. The bulls surprisingly became aggressive many times whenever Mehmet took out his camera and stepped in closer to get his shots, while the rest of us looked distressed, worrying whether our leader would be injured.
The children at a Bhil Tribal Village near Poshina were delightful, and really enjoyed engaging with our group. The Bhil tribe is the largest tribal community In the state of Gujarat, making up 46% of the tribal population. There are more than 700 ethnic groups in India that are recognized as tribes or indigenous. Very few tourists visit the local tribal villages, where the people are quite photogenic yet are often shy.
Sumit is one of the Garasias tribal villages, surrounding Poshina. Each tribal group has their distinctive clothing and jewelry.
Several of the places where we stayed were at former maharaja’s residences. In the past, the Maharajas built magnificent palaces as a power symbol. In 1971, India abolished government payments to the maharajas, so some of the maharaja converted their estates into income-producing heritage hotels where you could live like royalty. Top left is the security guard who greeted us one of the maharaja’s palaces.
Outside of Poshina is where the terra cotta figures were built and fired. The terra cotta figurines are purchased and placed in shrines and sacred groves. (bottom left and bottom right).
We were astounded how many young kids we saw in the tribal villages. The children were captivated by Manoj, the Pied Piper and our tour operator. Manoj would snap a photo of a group of children, then show them his photo, which often were images of monkeys instead of kids, and the kids would break out into laughter. Of course, this broke the ice so the kids were relaxed, had fun, and sang songs for our group. (bottom middle). The kids also get engaged when you show them their photos in the viewfinder (Mehmet middle photo).
Garacias Tribal Village, Gujarat, India. Village children singing local songs led by Manoj, our tour operator and Pied Piper, who has a gift for connecting with kids.
When we heard the destination Gujarat, we were at a loss as to the significance of this region nor where it is located within India. We learned that it is bounded by the Arabian Sea, Pakistan and located just north of Mumbai. It turns out that this is where Mahatna Ghandi, The Father of the Nation, was from. Located on the west coast of India, the state of Gujarat has the longest coastline (990 miles), renown for their beaches, temple towns, historic capitals, textiles and the home to the last remaining Asiatic Lions. It is the 5th largest state and one of the industrial hubs of India with a population of 72.6 million.
Ahmebadad, the former capital of Gujarat, is broken into the New City and the Old Walled Historic City, which is a World Heritage UNESCO Center. Parts of the old city felt as it must have been 100s of years ago, as the people in the villages were authentic, and the historic temples well preserved. It was a photographer’s dream to capture images of daily living, color and historic architecture. Unaffected by tourism, commercialism, the people in both the rural and urban areas live their daily lives, unaccustomed to seeing western tourists nor commercialism. We took a Heritage Walking tour of the walled city, and found a cow (top right) tied inside one of the buildings and told that in this city, cows by law cannot roam freely. Cattle are considered sacred in India and cannot be slaughtered. Once a cow determines where it wants to hang out, the owner of the structure is required to tie it up and care for it for life.
Ahmebadad, the former capital of Gujarat founded in the 15th Century, is the largest city in Gujarat with a population of 7 million people. 83% of the people are Hindu, 14% Muslim. People still wash clothes by hand, and we saw a woman ironing clothes using heated charcoal (Top right).
Several of the villages were also celebrating the Festival of Colors and we saw one vendor who had many paint colors available for sale. (Top middle). We specifically avoided areas where the locals were playing Holi this time, since we had not brought protection for our camera gear.
At one of the mosques, we saw a mother with a young baby. The mother applied Henna art (temporary tattoos) as part of the 1-month celebration for continued good health and prosperity to her marriage, plus peace to her house.
The iconic Atal Pedestrian Bridge is an abstract jewel inspired by kites and opened in 2022. When the lights are turned on, crowds of people join to watch the sunset.
We had never head of stepwells before coming on this trip and have come to appreciate the social, cultural and religious significance of these structures. We learned that there are more than 120 stepwells in ancient Gujarat alone, though most have been shut down. Stepwells were designed to ensure water availability during periods of drought. The architectural structures became monuments and we were introduced to several of the largest and most beautiful structures in Gujarat, The Sun Temple, Rani Ki Nav and Adalj Vav.
Adalaj Ni Vav stepwell descends 5 stories deep with 1000s of uneven steps leading down to the water. (Top left). Evelyn struggled to motivate herself to walk up and down all 5 levels, so the woman (top right) grabbed Evelyn’s arm and walked her all the way to the bottom, and others volunteered on the upward climb to the top. The people were proud and wanted us to see every aspect of their culture.
In addition to being known as the city of Death, Varanasi is also called the City of Light, and renowned as a city of learning for centuries. In ancient India, its name is derived from the Sanskrit verbal root Kashi, meaning “to shine”. The city has 8 universities imparting traditional religious education. Also, many come to study philosophy, Sanskrit, astrology, as well as modern sciences. This city has a 79.2% literacy rate, compared to 79% in the USA. Varanasi is considered one of the oldest cities in the world (at least 10,000 years old) and you can see the ancient architectural styles as you float along the river.
Ganges River is a source of water to 40% of the people in India, and is considered a lifeline in India. It is sacred to Hindus and has many cultural and practical significance. For some people, it’s their livelihood, including bringing food to market up and down the river, source of many jobs (including our boat captain), cremation, cleaning. For others, it’s their place for socialization and for others, it’s a place for meditation. More significant is that the fertile soil grows the crops that serve the area. Yet, it is threatened by severe pollution. Hopefully the Indian people will rally to clean up their river.
Varanasi is also known as the spiritual capital of India and the birthplace of Buddhism, where Buddha conducted his first sermon at a Buddhist Center called Sarnath. Around the Buddhist Temple are many educational phrases on placards (upper left and lower right). Currently, 80% of the Indians are Hindu, 14.2% Muslim, 2.3% Christian, and 0.7 % Buddhist. The balance includes Jain, Sikhs and other smaller groups.
India is comprised of 14.2% muslim, and we had a chance to see a mosque which is nicknamed “Baby Taj” (right), designed by the same architect as the Taj Mahal. There were great reflections, and we learned the reverence of ayatollahs from Iraq and Iran (middle left). The fastest growing religion in India is Muslim, primarily people from Pakistan.
Varanasi is a center of arts, crafts, music and dance. Its musicians and dancers have gained international fame. Varanasi is considered the cultural capital of India, and famous for its saris, gold and silver jewelry, and opulent embroidery, as well as dance and music. We were introduced to the classical Kathak Indian dance form above, which was astoundingly mesmerizing. When the dancer performed, her movement was characteristic of flamenco dancing combined with tap dancing, but she was barefoot, slapping the white marble floor instead of hard sole dance shoes with metal taps. Incredible. Watch the video below to see and hear her in motion.
Varanasi is such a diverse city with something for everyone. In 2023 it was declared as the first Cultural & Tourism Capital of SCO. This designation will be a boost in tourism and showcases what this city offers. We saw very few western and Asian tourists in this city. Most appeared to be pilgrims visiting from other parts of India, and we enjoyed seeing many characters.
We admired how ornately dressed the Indian women are when they are in public. We also found that women are fully dressed when they go down to the Ganges to cleanse their souls. (left middle)
What is always fascinating is the huge loads that are carried by bicycles around the country.
This is the final blog for the Ultimate India Photo Tour with Fantastic Tours We want to thank Mehmet and our guides, Singh, for showing us places we would never have explored on our own. Next stop is Gujarat, located on the western coast of India, for our second tour of India this year.
Classical Kathak Indian dance, Varanasi, India, performed by local artist. We were surprisingly impressed when watching her perform in a private show for our group.
Varanasi is considered the religious capital of India and the mecca for Hindus. This is where many Hindus come to die and where they want to be cremated, since those who believe in reincarnation believe that it will free them from the cycle of rebirth and lead to salvation. Imagine not having to return in the next life as a scorpion or a pet monkey. It may be worth the pilgrimage. Varanasi is also known as the City of Death, where about 100 people are cremated daily. The corpses are carried through the streets to the death ghats (cremation platforms) leading down to the holy Ganges River. The great cremation ground is known as Manikarnika Ghat and can be seen above throwing out the most smoke (top right).
Hindu cremation rituals are quite public and have become quite a touristy event, with people on charter boats wearing life jackets rowing past (top right) numerous and simultaneous burns. We did not hear chanting nor drums beating, nor gasps of shock and awe though, so it appears quite respectful. There are also long cues of dead bodies waiting for their turn to be cremated in several locations along the Ganges River (Top Left). The ritual includes taking bodies to the riverbank, blessed with holy water from the Ganges by a priest (bottom left). Once cremated, their ashes are released into the sacred Ganges River. Beforehand, families negotiate the amount of wood needed for 3-4 hours needed to turn a body into ash, and negotiate with a priest to bring the special fire from the temple to light the pyre. Boats with tourists go up and down the Ganges to witness these spectacles, as Varanasi is considered an extremely holy site. There is more relief than grief.
The Ganga Aarti is a devotional ceremony that takes place both night and morning and performed by priests every day. At dusk, thousands of people as well as hundreds of boats from canoes to party boats crowd around the ghats (platform) where 7 priests perform the traditional rituals. “Amid blowing of conch shells, the ringing of several bells, the clanging of brass cymbals and the chanting chorus of mantras, the priests venerate Ganga, the lifeline of Varanasi, with brass lamps that rise several tiers”. This ceremony offers fire to the gods and it is a spectacle not to be missed. See video below to get a flavor of the experience.
It is SO crowded on the river that the boatmen are accustomed to wedging themselves in for the show, and people are walking across boats to get closer to the performance or sell their wares or food. We saw a girl selling balloons, who would jump across several boats (bottom right). Another priest was offering blessings, marking clients with color on their foreheads, lit in candlelight as he traversed across several boats. Boatmen were constantly pushing other boats away from crashing into each other, yet even with hundreds of boats all jammed together, it all seemed so normal to be this crowded together.
Varanasi is the holiest city in India and one of the top seven cities for Hindu pilgrimages worldwide. People can be seen bathing along the holy Ganges River to wash away their sins. Approximately 81% of Indians are Hindu. The water in the Ganges River is reported to have 25 times more oxygen than any other in the world, and thus has purifying powers. For Hindus, they believe that life is incomplete until they have bathed in the Ganges at least once in their lifetime. The Ganges is ranked as the 5th most polluted river in the world. No, we did not step into the river.
Veranasi is also considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. After attending the sunrise ritual, we toured the market area. There were lots of activities, including family members hiring priests to perform blessings for their deceased, meditation, and private family ceremonies.
Priests in Varanasi perform the Ganges Aarti ceremony every day. This video was shot before sunrise on shore, and the show is mesmerizing. Tourists worldwide come to experience this performance and absorb the spiritualism and energy, which is unlike anywhere in the world.
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