From the sublime to the mundane. We are now in Benares, crowded and dirty, but at the same time one of the world’s most fascinating cities by any standards. Benares claims to be the oldest city on earth which has been continuously inhabited, and perhaps it is. For many hundreds of years it has been one of the holiest Hindu places of pilgrimage, and as such it attracts the most diverse types of humanity: the rich, the poor, merchants, beggars, cripples, thieves –all go down to the Ganges to wash away their sins in the holy river… … Here are some Naga saddhus, self- professed saints, who believe in the virtues of nudity. And here are the beggars, who are always to be found at holy places because it is after purifying themselves that the Hindus feel most charitable.
Here are the famous Benares Ghats, the broad steps leading down to the River Ganges.
A shrouded corpse waits to be cremated.
And now let’s go down and join the bathers and take a ride in a boat up and down the river. The purpose of bathing is of course to wash away one’s sins, to cleanse oneself –not so much physically as spiritually. It is believed that the most efficacious method of self-purification is to immerse oneself completely in the holy river three times in succession.
Back in the streets of Benares we have an unexpected piece of luck. Heralded by music and banners a procession is wending its way along. It turns out to be the procession of Jagat Guru Shankaracharya. This guru, from the town of Puri, claims to be the lineal descendant of Guru Shankaracharya the famous interpreter of the Hindu scriptures.
The street noises recede as we leave Benares and return once more to Allahabad. Waiting to greet us is our sweeper Kalawati and two of her six children. And also our friends Ravi and Lucinda Dhawan, with their little daughter Gauri.