India: Uttar Pradesh

Varanasi aka: Benares, Kashi, वाराणसी, وارانسی

39 people want to go here. 57 people have been here.

Entries

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johnmccartney
Seattle

Worth visiting!

A tip I have about this place

try to get lost every day, until you can’t anymore

mbjesq
Pondicherry

Worth visiting!

A review of this place: Varanasi: Shit-Hole of the Gods

My review Called Varanasi: Shit-Hole of the Gods provides a glimpse of the tragedy of this place.

Be sure to read the comments for dissenting views.

alain
Tainan

Worth visiting!

The first time I went to this place

I jumped into the Ganga river and took a bath…such a unforgettable experience..

pscheuring
Mill Valley

Worth visiting!

Superlative

Exceeded my expectations. As exotic as the world comes, in my humble opinion. Saw the funeral pyres, vibed it up with the cycle of life along the river and ghats: cremations, ablutions, con jobs, prayers, monkey shit, cow shit, human shit…it’s all in-your-face as so many previous travelers have said. Life, with all the filters stripped away. The sublime, the base, the shameful, the inspiring, all in one place. That was Varanasi for me.

pscheuring
Mill Valley

Worth visiting!

Why I want to go to this place

To sit with the dead around the funeral pyres beside the Ganges. To see the truth in death and fully apprehend the Buddhist concept of anicca, or impermanence. Monks back in the day used to sit in the charnel grounds surrounded by decaying bodies to fully understand what becomes of every one of us. A macabre reflection, but from what I understand, ultimately enlightening…and one that allows one to better appreciate the days that otherwise fly by uncelebrated.

And that’s the aim of all of this. To truly live. To understand the stakes. And to be grateful for the fragile, sublime dream we negotiate daily…