Varanasi, one of the holiest Hindu cities, is known for its "burning ghats," where cremations take place in public alongside the Ganges River. Photos of cremations should not be taken.
A boat on the Ganges that looks just a wee bit overcrowded...
The nightly river ceremony at Dashashwamedh Ghat. A lot of people, a lot of flames, and a lot of smoke!
A gigantic wall of spinning thread spools used in Varanasi's extensive silk textile industry...some hand-embroidered sarees can fetch over 40,000 rupees (typical sarees run 200-300 rupees).
Varanasi included a visit to "Guruji," an astrologer who has consulted with Michael Jackson and Goldie Hawn (actual photos provided as proof). I'm not usually into this stuff, but I figured if I was going to do this once, Varanasi would be one of the most spiritual places in the world to give it a whirl!!! He read my palm and told me some startlingly specific details about my future life based on my date and place of birth; I now know when I am to get married, number of children I'll have, age of retirement, and minimum age I'd live up to (!!!)...hmmm.....we'll see about this!!! The information does get into your mind, however, which is so powerful.
Immediately after Varanasi, I went to Bodhgaya, where Siddhartha (Buddha) became enlightened and where I meditated at the International Meditation Centre for 5 days. I asked the monk there his opinion on astrological forecasts, and he shook his head and smiled, which relieved me immensely. Meditating for 5 days was challenging but I very much enjoyed it, and I am committed to now trying a 10-day retreat in the future!! (I sadly somehow deleted my photos from the meditation center :'( ).
Next up: a post from Ooty at the International Training Centre where I worked with Indian vets and veterinary students from the UK!
No comments:
Post a Comment