Varanasi- Starting Where The Road Ends
National Geographic Traveller India|November 2017

A spiritual journey of time, emotion and transcendence in Lord Shiva’s city and the Mecca of Hinduism

Aditya Sinha
Varanasi- Starting Where The Road Ends
“Where all others’ paths end, ours begins,” the Aghori baba near Harishchandra Ghat says. His skin is deepest burnt-brown; his head-cloth and body-wrap black. Only his eyes blaze white, answering my questions with weary amusement. I’ve caught him during his daily late afternoon hunt for wood from a spent funeral pyre at the cremation ghat.

Varanasi is Hinduism’s Mecca and Lord Shiva’s city, mystical and weird like Shankar Bhagwan. It is the Lord’s Matrix: it is spiritual punk. Foreigners come perhaps because they see the mysticism with a clarity that sometimes eludes Indians, for whom Varanasi is a filthy, squalid, never-ending small town. Varanasi is the departure spaceport for salvation-seekers before they head to the s-dimension (“s” for spiritual).

Varanasi aka Banaras aka Kashi (city of lights) aka Anand Kaanan (forest of bliss): The name derives from the five kos of land between the rivers Varuna and Assi. Mythically, Varanasi sits on Shiva’s trishul’s middle prong. Eighty ghats watch the river Ganga flow by. A handful of lesser, postmodern ghats have lately sprung up. Cremation mostly happens at Harishchandra Ghat and the larger Manikarnika Ghat. Located near the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Manikarnika Ghat is a few hundred metres before the popular Dasashwamedha Ghat. Manikarnika’s mythology is that Shiva was passing by with Goddess Sati and she lost an earring (mani karna in Sanskrit) here, condemning the spot to forever have funeral pyres.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 2017 من National Geographic Traveller India.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة November 2017 من National Geographic Traveller India.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVELLER INDIA مشاهدة الكل
Best Of The World 2023
National Geographic Traveller India

Best Of The World 2023

Travel inspiration is everywhere. The question is where to go next. Here's our annual list of enlightened destinations for the year aheadplaces filled with wonder, rewarding to travellers of all ages, and supportive of local communities and ecosystems. Framed by five categories (Community, Nature, Culture, Family, Adventure), these destinations are under the radar, ahead of the curve, and ready for you to start exploring.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November - December 2022
Coorg: A WILD ROAST
National Geographic Traveller India

Coorg: A WILD ROAST

Back in another timber den of Karnataka, native wildlife and humble stories surprise Suhas Dwarkanath as he sips on a bold cup of robusta.

time-read
10+ mins  |
November - December 2022
DIVING INTO RAS AL KHAIMAH
National Geographic Traveller India

DIVING INTO RAS AL KHAIMAH

THE U.A.E'S NORTHERNMOST EMIRATE IS ALL ABOUT ENJOYING NATURAL TREASURES, FROM SOARING OVER THE AL-HAJAR MOUNTAINS ON THE WORLD'S LONGEST ZIPLINE TO PERUSING PRECIOUS PEARLS BY THE SEASHORE

time-read
6 mins  |
September - October 2022
OF SEA, SAND, AND SERENITY
National Geographic Traveller India

OF SEA, SAND, AND SERENITY

Thrilling encounters with the ocean's unknown, wandering in paradise, and chasing sunsets defines a getaway at the Sheraton Maldives Full Moon Resort & Spa

time-read
5 mins  |
September - October 2022
ΑΝ OCEAN OF ZEN
National Geographic Traveller India

ΑΝ OCEAN OF ZEN

At Ozen Reserve Bolifushi, days are coloured with surreal sunsets, fantastic feasts, and underwater adventures

time-read
4 mins  |
September - October 2022
A WADE IN THE WATER
National Geographic Traveller India

A WADE IN THE WATER

Lavish indulgences over and underwater at Baa Atoll's the Westin Maldives Miriandhoo Resort pamper your senses

time-read
5 mins  |
September - October 2022
MUCH ADO OR NOTHING
National Geographic Traveller India

MUCH ADO OR NOTHING

At LUX South Ari Atoll, indulgence has no limits. Whether you choose the exhilaration of a shark chase or the lulling langour of a post-massage reading session

time-read
5 mins  |
September - October 2022
ALL-SEASON SPLENDOUR
National Geographic Traveller India

ALL-SEASON SPLENDOUR

At Four Seasons Maldives' twin properties of Kuda Huraa and Landaa Giraavaru, conservation and opulence go hand in-hand, allowing guests to immerse in a responsible holiday

time-read
10 mins  |
September - October 2022
Brewing on an Ancient Land: Wayanad
National Geographic Traveller India

Brewing on an Ancient Land: Wayanad

A coffee connoisseur's road trip across Kerala's Wayanad reveals the storied history of the beverage, rooted in spice trade and accidental discoveries.

time-read
4 mins  |
September - October 2022
From Bean to Cup CHIKKAMAGALURU
National Geographic Traveller India

From Bean to Cup CHIKKAMAGALURU

How far will you go for coffee-out of your bed to the bubbling moka pot in the kitchen, to your favourite café for that morning kick? The search for a perfect and flavourful start to the day sends some on an all-India road trip across the country's top plantations.

time-read
5 mins  |
September - October 2022