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Wednesday, April 4, 2012

varansi

from delhi, we took an overnight train to varanasi. located along the banks of the ganges, varanasi is one of the world's oldest continually inhabited cities. it is also one of the holiest cities in hinduism. a series of ghats (=steps leading down to the water) runs along the river for several kilometers. some of these are "burning ghats" where bodies are cremated, and the ashes are then put into the ganges. hindus regard it as particularly auspicious to have one's ashes put into the river at varanasi. they also place the corpses of dead cows into the river, and i saw several bloated and skinless cow corpses floating along.

many of the citizens of varanasi also bathe in the ganges, and they brush their teeth with its water. they cool their water buffalo in the river, and they play cricket on the ghats. they say morning and evening prayers in the river, and they use its water to make their morning tea (which i quite enjoyed, and, for five rupees, was very affordable).

along the ghats sit many sadhus (hindu ascetics or holy men), and there are nightly religious services performed at the main ghat. the city also attracts quite a number of dread-locked youth from europe and america. boatmen line the river. for a hundred rupees (=two dollars) they will row tourists out for a pleasant trip and good views of the city.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

agra

while staying in delhi, we got up early one morning and took the train to agra. we spent most of the morning at the taj mahal. in the afternoon, i visited the fort in agra, which was also built by mughal rulers. as you know (or will have guessed) the taj mahal is stunningly beautiful in person.

in the evening, we found a simple restaurant with rooftop dining and wonderful views of the taj mahal. so we spent the evening outside, enjoying the view as the sun was setting. that night we took the train back to delhi.