The Journey to Kashi: Inspired by Mom and the Ganga Pushkaralu
After completing my journey to Rameshwaram and now we are travelling to Kashi before sharing my experience about Kashi. I want to tell a small story how we decided to travel Kashi. So every journey starts with the small idea actually it is my Mom idea to go to Kashi. Because that year is the "Ganga Pushkaralu", a sacred event that happens only once every 12 years, was being celebrated in 2023. So from that moment our planning is full on swing like booking tickets before 3 months advance and checking hotel room for stay and planning the whole tour. At last all planning is done and we are set to travel to Kashi.
Kashi is a place where there are number of stories and things to know and often people are telling that it is the last place in the earth to survive and it is also called as a "City of lights" and Kala bahirav is the rashak(Protector) of the Kashi and Kashi is not only place of temples. It is place for so many musicians, artists, sculptures and there is belief that Kashi is beloved place to shiva why because According to Hindu Mythology Kashi was built by Lord Shiva and he is always residing in Himalayas(Kalish) and from there Kashi is viewed as a city where it is more near to his devotees.
So my fellow readers grab your "coffee or snacks" and lets dive into my story. where I will the tell the tales of Kashi and my little experience throughout my journey.
"Day 1: From Prayagraj to Kashi – A Spiritual Beginning"
Actually it is a 5- day trip and our first destination is Prayagraj and our journey begins with a Boat ride to Prayagraj and scenery is quite amazing. when we riding in boat the gentle rhythm of the boat and cool breeze of air and sound of sea shores is quite amazing. As we reaching to Sangam there are so many people are there and our boat taken us near to Sangam. where 3 rivers will combine Yamuna, Ganga, and Mystical sarswati rivers know as a Sangam and we taken a holy dip in Sangam and went back to river side and my father performed rituals to honour our forefathers. This is a ancient tradition connect to our roots and by doing this. we are expressing our gratitude and taking blessings from them.
And we had some breakfast and we proceeded our journey to Shakthi peetam in the city and there is a scared shrine is there and it holds a spiritual significance dedicated to Goddess "Lalitha devi Amma" and it is believed that it one of the 52 Shakthi peetam in the India. We had a good dharshan and we started our journey towards Kashi.
At night finally we reached to Kashi.
DAY -2 "Kashi Chronicles: A Day of Divine Encounters"
Our second day in Kashi started with taking a holy dip in Ganga river and it is one of the auspicious day and it is the first day of "Ganga Pushkaralu" so we went near to ganga river and there are so many devotees are there offering their prayers to ganga maa. when I stepped into the river I could feel the some kind of energy in it and it is so nice. we spent some time there and offered our prayers to ganga maa and taken blessings.
we taken one boat and moved other side of river. So as the auspicious day and it is first day of Ganga Pushkaralu but what made our day to special that my mom made Laksha vottlu ( a thousand oil lamps). We litted them at side of the river and offered that to Ganga maa and right by the river shore and the beautiful scenery that I can't forget till now and it is highlight of our journey.
After that we went to our hotel had some lunch and we headed to Kala Bhairava temple to visit there is one custom tradition that first we have to visit kala Bhairava temple and we have to go to main temple and it is One of the most important shrine in Kashi. Due to heavy rush in temple it taken quite long time in queue at last we had a good dharshan and the priest explained the significance of temple and kala Bhairava also how he become the protector of Kashi.
According to Hindu Mythology Lord Shiva appointed Kaal Bhairav as Kshetrapal of Kashi to protect Mother Sati's body. A part of Mata Sati's body fell here in order to protect her he kept him as protector of Kashi. This is one of the story but there are so many tales are there that how he become protector of Kashi.
Day-3 "The Sacred Jyotirlinga: A Day at Kashi Vishwanath Temple"
Our Day -3 in Kashi we begin our journey straight to Main temple and heart of the city Kashi Vishwanath temple we had very long queue for dharshan while we are waiting in queue. I can see bustling streets of Kashi vendors selling garlands, threads, and prasad for devotees it was a vivid experience and it tells how our daily life mixed with ancient city. After waiting whole 3 hours in long queue. we had a chance to see the glimpse of Kashi Vishwanath and Annapurna devi and it is scared moment.
when we enter into temple the atmosphere is vibrant and filled with devotees prayers and we can listen the chanting's of lord Shiva and the architecture of the temple is nagara style and it is quite different comparing to south Indian temple architecture which is Dravidian architecture. and finally we have a dharshan of Kashi Vishwanath it is a scared moment and I have no words to explain.
"Lights, Chants, and Devotion: Ganga Aarti Unfold"
As the sun begin to set we made our way towards ghats of Kashi to see the ganga Harathi and ghats also. There are so many ghats are there in Kashi and there are total 88 ghats are there and The five important ghats in Varanasi are "Dashashwamedh Ghat, Manikarnika Ghat, Assi Ghat, Harishchandra Ghat and Panchganga Ghat" and we went to Dashashwamedh ghat to see the Ganga Harathi. At first we taken ride in boat to see the other ghats. while riding the boat in Ganga there are so many moments to capture and mesmerizing views of ghats and devotees performing rituals and I can see the reflection of temple lights.
Here I want to share a small memory of my childhood. when I am watching the Ganga Harathi and the ghats one memory flashed in my mind there is one famous telugu film INDRA shooted in one of these ghats in Dashashwamedh Ghat and all these memories are flashing in my mind. It is so nice to see all these things.
At last we reached the time to see the Ganga Harathi and we stayed in boat to see the Harathi it is scared view and that time I realized this is the thing we are missing from our busy life and those moments are unforgettable and we are immersed in that and it went so well.
2. Manikarnika Ghat – The holiest cremation ghat, associated with Moksha (liberation).
3 .Harishchandra Ghat – Another important cremation ghat, named after the legendary King Harishchandra.
By this Ganga Harathi our Day- 3 come to end.
Dashashwamedh Ghat offers a peaceful and spiritual retreat by the Ganga, blending serenity with divine devotion.
Day 4: Unveiling the Hidden Treasures of Kashi"
Dhamek Stupa
During my trip to Kashi, I took a short tour to Sarnath, a serene place just 10 km from Varanasi. It stands the Dhamek Stupa, where Buddha gave his first sermon and built by Emperor Ashoka this ancient monument with its intricate carvings, felt like a silent storyteller of history. Walking around the stupa, I could sense the peace that once filled this land. Sarnath, with its calm atmosphere and deep spiritual significance, was a refreshing feeling to the vibrant of Kashi.
Streets of Kashi
To see all the places it almost got evening and we had some snacks and we started to stroll across the streets of Kashi. It has a different vibe each street has a unique story and tell the history of it and there are so many lanes like Thatheri Bazaar known for handcrafted products and there is Assi Ghat lane these streets filled with cafes, Book stores filled with old and modern Varanasi. And chowk bazaar famous for Banaras sarees, perfumes etc.
There is another street for food items you must and should try lassi, kachori sabzi, Banarasi peda, jelebi and Rabdi these are the famous items.
Day-5 Farewell, Kashi – The Journey Ends, but the Memories Stay.
The last day of varnasi filled with memories and unforgettable scenarios and the last day we went to dharshan again and taken blessings from Kashi Vishwanath and this scared city made a big impact on my heart and still there are so many places to visit and we had very less time we didn't covered much. But we have to come in normal time so you can cover more places and we packed our bags and left our hotel and had some dinner in restaurant and left to railway station to catch the train.
This is my experience about Kashi and Rameshwaram my opinion is every one should visit Kashi at least once in their lifetime. you have to see ganga Harathi, Kashi Vishwanath temple, and other ghats from the divine aura of the ghats to tasty food of Varanasi and the spirituality of the Kashi touched my soul this was just not a trip it is a life time experience.
From Rameshwaram to Kashi this is my journey. Hope you like my journey.
Wow, Akhila! Your blog beautifully captures the peace and happiness of Kasi. Awesome. 😍
ReplyDeleteTq yare
DeleteKashi stay with you forever! Your experiences will surely inspire others to embark on a spiritual journey.
ReplyDeleteTq my friend
DeleteVow!! That’s very interesting and spiritual trip I must say
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