Lettre from Seoul 53
Varanasi
The evening Ganga Aarti from 2017, at the Dashashwamedh Ghat on the banks of the Ganges River in Varanasi.
This is a sacred Hindu ceremony performed at dusk* to honor the Ganges River, which is considered a manifestation of the goddess Ganga.
Performed by priests, the ritual involves synchronized chanting of mantras, ringing of bells, and waving of large, lit oil lamps in a mesmerizing and devotional spectacle. Devotees also participate by offering fire, flowers, and camphor, often floating small lit lamps down the river, and can watch from the riverbanks or from boats.
In Hindi, a ghat is a flight of steps leading down to a river landing for ritual bathers.
The ghats of Varanasi are 84 riverfront steps leading down to the Ganges River, serving as important centers for religious and cultural life. They are used for bathing, prayer, and cremation.
The specific reference to 84 is significant in Hindu culture for a variety of reasons, much like 12 in the Judeo-Christian world.
This year, mid-September rains battered Varanasi and left much of the riverfront underwater – or, at best, a series of slimy and slippery patches of mud.
Regardless, life goes on and family members still gathered on slightly higher ground for the ritual of cutting the hair of a female infant, known as the Mundan ceremony. This is a significant Hindu rite of passage, symbolizing spiritual purification, a fresh start in life, and an offering to the deities.
Ritual bathing in the Ganges River
Located outside of Varanasi, Sarnath is a place where silence spoke, and the Wheel of Dharma turned. This is where Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon around 528 B.C. and set the path of enlightenment in motion.
Rush-hour in Varanasi
*Each evening as the sun's last rays reflect off the boundless waters of Mother Ganga, we gather for Ganga Aarti. This divine light ceremony is filled with song, prayer, ritual and a palpable sense of the divine. The “aarti” – an ornate oil lamp, lined with dozens of flames burning in pure ghee – is offered to God.
