KASHI, BANARAS, VARANASI.

BIRLA MANDIR AT BHU

Call it what you want, but for me the city will always remain Banaras. After all what is Banaras without its sarees, its paan, its thugs and the delicious thandai? All are prefaced as "Banarasi", imagine saying Varanasiya saree, Varanasiya Paan. Doesn't sound good, does it?

It has to be either Banaras or Kashi. I have heard that,  "The world is made up of twelve khand(portion) Prithvi and thirteenth khand Kashi." It is said that Kashi is not a part of our Earth, it is a separate entity by itself and is located on the three spokes of the Trishul of Shiva. Kashi is the permanent abode of Shiva, therefore it is also called Kashi Vishwanath. Perhaps this was Shiva's winter capital as Mount Kailash must be quite cold in winter!

GHATS

Banaras is an amazing place. The river seems to be all pervading as if it is  the life line of the place. Perhaps the city exists only because of and only for the River Ganga. There are numerous ghats all along the river bank. One can walk from one ghat to another and yet another for miles at a stretch. The ghats are well lit and quite safe at any time of the day or evening, the continuity of the ghats are unbroken. I took a lovely long late evening walk from the Assi Ghat to the Das-ashwa-medh ghat, although I had to watch almost every step that I took on the Dasashwamedh Ghat as it is practically the abode of a lot of cows and bulls and also dogs. 

TALL BUILDINGS


The entire bank of the river has huge tall buildings all built by Hindu Kings and Rulers, starting from Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore, Scindia of Gwalior, Bajirao Peshwa of Pune, Bhonsle of Nagpur, Jaipur Maharaja, Nepal King, Jodhpur king and many others from all over India. There are two ghats designated for cremation. One is the Manikarnika Ghat which is never ever closed. It is open at all times throughout the day and night,  and the other is Harishchandra Ghat.

ARATI

The city has been a big attraction for travellers and has always had a heavy  foot fall as pilgrims  travel to Varanasi to die, as it is believed that anyone who dies in Varanasi is promised salvation and does not have to endure the cycle of life and death in rebirth. The understanding therefore is that life "has to be endured".

WATCHING ARATI FROM BOATS

A lot of people from neighbouring cities bring their dead for cremation to Varanasi. In earlier times  a lot of widows would also settle down in Varanasi so that they could pass  the rest of their life in prayer and wait for death and salvation.  It is a place where people do not desire much, are satisfied with what they have, have no aspirations as they believe that being born in Varanasi itself is a reward, as once they die they will be free. 

Civic sense is very poor as every disposable thing is thrown anywhere.   The River Varuna which meets the Ganga is more like a rivulet with dirty banks. The only place where one sees some cleanliness, calm and peace is at the Ghats of the river Ganga. Reaching the Dasaswamedh ghat is not easy, as transport  takes us only up to Gowdhaulia Chowk, then one walks about half a kilometre dodging two wheelers, and pedestrians and walking past small mobile shops selling peanuts, bhel and knick knacks. Along the road divider is a board which says clearly  that parking of vehicles, cycles and putting up stalls along the divider is prohibited. But who cares? Two wheelers are parked, and small thelas sell their ware blatantly  right next to the road divider under the board.

ARATI

Once we reach the ghat, one climbs down wide steps to the river, which is filled with boats wanting to take passengers for viewing the Ganga Arati from the river. The charges per passenger is Rs. 200 and the boatman acts as a guide, takes one around a few ghats and then finds a vantage position in front of the  Ghat, moors the boat and waits patiently for the Arati. The Arati is performed by 7 Pujaris dressed uniformly in cream coloured dhoti and maroon sweater in winter. The Arati is a ritual which goes on for an hour and is a visual delight as the priests use multi pronged Diyas, a mashaal, bells and conch to perform the Arati in unison. In the distance one can see that on other ghats too some more  Pujaris  perform the Arati. The veneration of the River is a very ancient custom and could  perhaps have originated so that people would know the importance of the river which is the most important element for any civilisation to survive.

Religion thrives here. It is all about Gods and temples. There are said to be about 33,000 temples in this city, and at every nook and corner and cranny one can see a temple. I do realise that Religion and Gods have given rise to big business, but I was fascinated to see the statue of a God in a row of shops  in between a small shop selling provisions and another selling vegetables. I saw commercialisation at its best! 

THANDAI

Banaras is famous for its simple cuisine too. The food is always fresh as pilgrims come from various parts of India and eat plain and simple food. One of the best known is the Kachori which is available generally before 12 noon. There is a famous gali called "Kachori wali gali" near the Dasaswamedhghat. One gets Thandai at a lot of small shops, where they will add bhaang only if one wants it added. The lassi of Varanasi is very delicious  too. It is more like thick curd. One particular mithai of this place is called Lavang latika. Poori with delicious potato curry cooked without onion or garlic is another very fast moving item.

Unlike Haridwar which is another pilgrimage town on the banks of the Ganga , Varanasi has a lot of non vegetarian eating joints. Possibly because there is a very large Muslim population here.

The famous Banarasi sarees are mostly made by Muslims.

Varanasi is culturally very rich. In the mediaval times Sant Kabirdas lived here. Tulsidas wrote his Ramcharitmanas here. There is a small temple of Hanuman at a ghat named after Tulsidas where they have kept his Khadau(wooden clogs), and where it is said that he sat and wrote the epic. Ravidas another poet, belonging to the cobbler caste also belonged to Banaras.

The famous shehnai player, Bismillah Khan, the famous sitarist Ravi Shankar, his elder brother Uday Shankar old time dancer Sitara Devi , famous Thumri singers Girija devi  and Siddheshwari Devi were all from here. There is a Banaras Gharana of music as well as of Kathak.

Munshi Premchand, Madan Mohan Malviya, Lal Bahadur Shastri also belonged to Varanasi.

NEW BOAT BEING MADE

I was quite fascinated to see the boats being made on the ghat. Since everything has a religious connotation, this work also starts with a Puja. 

BOAT UNDER CONSTRUCTION

My impression of the people of Banaras is that they are  very satisfied with life. They  seem very stress and strife free and easy going.  There is a lot of tranquility and sense of satisfaction here. Perhaps the positive energies of the Banaras people as well as the tremendous amount of faith, and gratitude of those who come for pilgrimage reverberates and gives this sense of peace here. Salvation  seems to be the goal of all the pilgrims who come here.

It is said that in olden days there used to be a lot of clan wars in Banaras and there were a lot of thugs here. One may have to live in Banaras for months together to know if any such people exist now.

HOSTEL AT BHU


As one moves away from the ancient city of Banaras, one steps into the wonderful open campus of the  modern BHU. It is huge and the hostels look very inviting. The campus is very old as the University was established in  1916. There is a lot of difference between the older hostels and the newer hostels. The older hostels had verandas in front of the rooms and access seemed open. The newer hostels are built with a single entry point with grill gates.  It shows clearly how unsafe life has become over the times.   The Birla Mandir in the Campus has a Shivling as against Vishnu in most other Birla Temples. I was quite fascinated to see the spread of the campus and a lot of tea joints with fast moving snacks and groups of students walking around. 

RAMNAGAR FORT

We went across the River to see the Ramnagar Fort, which was built in the 17th Century. There is a museum here and one has to buy an entry ticket of Rs. 20. The artefacts and items kept at the Museum are good but the maintenance of the museum is extremely shabby. As one enters one sees a lot of Palanquins, horse driven carriages, cars and other transports used by the King and queens. Sadly the entire stuff is full of dust and one can even see cobwebs all over the place. The place has not seen a broom or duster in the past several years it seems.

The Gold zari sarees, and clothes of the Maharaja are now getting  tattered. There seems to be no effort by anyone to take care of anything.

 Information about the artefacts and displayed items was very inadequate.

RAMNAGAR FORT

The beautiful side of the Fort is facing the Ganga. 

Banaras, left a lasting impression on me. It is truly like no other city. It is a place which reverberates with Religion, rituals, death and salvation. Death and cremation are taken in their stride, perhaps because it leads to eternal salvation from the cycle of rebirth. I was told by my boatman that you will not see people wailing for their dead, because they consider that the person has attained a higher position and has got "moksh". 

THE INEVITABLE SADHU

It is a strange city, an ancient city, in fact it is said to be the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, a city that celebrates death and promises salvation. A city which exists around the Ganga and for the Ganga. Ganga they say purifies everything and washes away the sins of every person who bathes in it. Banaras has retained its antiquity, its traditions and rituals. It seems that as the Ganga flows on eternally, so will Banaras go on fascinating people continually. 

BOATS WAITING FOR THE MORNING

PUNE- A CITY WHICH STILL FEELS LIKE A SMALL TOWN

It just so happened that I had to visit Pune for a short trip. I had always known Pune as a town to be passed in transit, either going to Panchgani or a short drive from Khandala. Pune by itself had never really beckoned me. When I found that I was visiting Pune, I thought that I might as well get to know the city a tad bit better.  What I found was that Pune is a lovely little city which has retained its antiquity. It is located at the confluence of the Mula and Mutha rivers. In the centre of the city is its nucleus. The localities in the old town are  named after the days of the week, so we have Ravivarpeth, Somwarpeth, and so on until Shaniwarpeth. In olden times each place had its market on that particular day of the week, naming the places therefore needed no imagination, and also led to no controversies.

Bal Gangadhar Tilak's house.

There is a feeling of calm in these lanes and roads of Pune. On Lakshmi Road are located most of the traditional jewellery shops. The jewellery of Pune is quite distinct and pretty. The tanmani, the goph and the typical nose rings are pretty. Pearls are used in abundance.

The typical nath( nose ring)

The Kunthekar Road which runs parallel to the Lakshmi Road is full of beautiful saree shops. The only hassle  is that one has to remove shoes to get inside the shop. The Shop assistants are very patient and keep on showing  sarees, one after the other, without asking "what exactly do you want to buy?"

Pune is near Shivneri Fort where Shivaji was born.  Maloji Bhonsale was a Maratha Sardar who served in the army of the Ahmadnagar sultanate. He was born in 1552 and was given the jagir(estate) of Pune and Supe by the Sultanate. His son was Shahaji and grandson was Shivaji.

Shahaji inherited the jagirs after Maloji's death. He followed in his father's footsteps and  joined the Mughal forces under Badshah Shah Jehan, he  later joined the Bijapur Sultanate. From them he received the jagir of Bangalore.

Shahaji was an exponent of guerrilla warfare and it is said that he never lost a battle. He was very well known for his calibre and his services were sought after by the Mughals, Adilshahi as well as the Nizamshahi.

 Shivaji the son of Shahaji and Jijabai,was brought up by Jijabai  in the town of Pune as Shahaji was always away at war and usually lived in Bangalore with his other sons Sambhaji and Venkoji. Shahaji died in 1665. In the year 1674, Shivaji was crowned the Chhatrapati. Pune has always been a very traditional place where they practice Hinduism strictly. None of the Brahmins of Pune were willing to perform the abhishek  of Shivaji as he belonged to the Maratha caste which is not considered  Ruling caste or Kshatriya in the hierarchical caste structure. Bali Avji Prabhu who was Shivaji's Secretary got a genealogical table prepared which showed that Shivaji belonged to the Sisodia family of Mewar, who were considered Kshatriyas of the purest Rajput clan. Then a Brahmin was brought in from Varanasi to perform the ceremonies as the very strict Brahmins of Pune still refused to perform the abhishek, in spite of the Genealogical table.

Shivaji created a large force of soldiers and restored strategically located forts inland as well as on the coast to safe guard his territory. He revived ancient Hindu traditions, court conventions and promoted the usage of Marathi and Sanskrit as against the Persian used in courts then.

Shivaji encouraged the development of Pune and a number of Peths, temples and dams were constructed during his reign. In 1670, Shaista Khan captured Pune, but after the battle of Sinhagadh, the Marathas got it back under their control.
Aurangzeb occupied Pune from 1703 to 1705.
In 1720, Bajirao Ballal Bhat of Saswad was appointed Peshwa or Prime Minister of the Maratha Empire by Chhatrapati Shahu Maharaja of Satara, who was the grandson of Shivaji Maharaja. Pune was located centrally and all parts of Maharashtra, Konkan, Khandesh, Marathawada could be reached quickly, therefore Shahu Maharaja stationed his army at Pune under the Peshwa Bajiao I, for fast expeditions as well as quick sanction of finances.

Ruins of Shaniwarwada

Bajirao I moved his base from Saswad to Pune and started the construction of Shaniwarwada and also many temples and bridges and ushered in the era of the Peshwas.  Bajirao also constructed an underground aqueduct to get water from Katraj Lake to Shaniwarwada, this aqueduct is still operational.Bajirao was a noted General.
 

Mastani Gate at Shaniwarwada

Later Nanasaheb Peshwa the son of Bajirao Peshwa, also developed the city further.  He developed Saras bag,  Heera bag,  Sadashiv Peth, Narayan peth,  Rasta peth and Nana path. After the Battle of Panipat the era of the Peshwa declined but Pune remained their seat of power until they were finally defeated by the British East India Company in 1802. In 1817, the third Anglo Maratha war broke out and the Marathas were defeated at Khadki. The City was placed under Bombay Presidency and a large Cantonment was built here. Navi pet and Ganj Peth were developed during this time.

There is a place called Koregaon Bhima outside of Pune which has become a symbol of pride for the Mahar community. In 1818 there was a battle fought at Koregaon Bhima between the British East India Company and the Maratha Confederacy. There were 25,000 Marathas led by Peshwa Bajirao II who intended to fight the British to regain Pune. The Peshwa sent 10,000 Marathas to fight the 800 strong Company Force, that was on its way to reinforce the British troops at Pune. The Company defended the position for nearly 12 hours and the Marathas finally withdrew. The Company troops had predominantly Mahar soldiers and therefore this battle is regarded as a heroic episode in Dalit History. There is an obelisk to commemorate this battle and contains the names of the 49 company soldiers including 22 Mahars killed in action.Here I must add that due to the prevalent caste system, people other than Kshatriyas did not take up arms with Hindu Kings. There were very rare aberrations in this when the Mughals or other Muslim rulers allowed people other than Kshatriyas to join the Army. After the British came in, they broke the Caste system due to which people who were able bodied but belonged to other castes were also recruited in the East India Company army. 

Pune is very well known for its educational Institutes. Fergusson College was founded in 1885 by the British. The Symbiosis Institute, Film and TV Institute, The AFMC and other establishments of the Armed Forces speak a lot for the climate and atmosphere for education in Pune. 

Aga Khan Palace

The Agha Khan Palace was built in 1892 by Sultan Aga Khan III. This graceful building was used by the British to house Gandhi and other prominent nationalist leaders  following Gandhi’s Quit India campaign in 1942. The main palace now houses the Gandhi National Memorial where one can see the room where M.K.Gandhi used to stay. The palace is a very beautiful and luxurious place.  Kasturba Gandhi and Mahadev Desai died here and a memorial has been built for them in the garden.

Kasturba Gandhi and Mahadev Desai's memorial.

Perhaps because Pune was very strictly traditional it also became an important centre in the social and religious reform movements of the late 19th century. Prominent social reformers and freedom fighters lived here, including Gopal Krishna Gokhale,Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Vitthal Ramji Shinde, Dhondo Keshav Karve, Jyotirao Phule, Dr. Raghunath Karve, Tarabai Shinde and Pandita Ramabai.  These reformists demanded the abolition of caste prejudice, equal rights for women, harmony between the Hindu and Muslim communities, and better schools for the poor. 
One more person of prominence who lived in Pune  is Anandibai Gopal Joshi(1865-1887)who was the first lady physician of India who studied in USA. Society in those days was such that Hindus were not allowed to go across the sea. There were many restrictions and Anandibai faced a lot of hostilities from society at large as they presumed that by going abroad Anandibai would loose her status in society and could also change her Religion. She convinced people that she would not convert and also that she was going only to pursue studies. It is commendable that a fifteen year old girl could take bold decisions and bold steps to educate herself. It is said that her husband Gopal Joshi was instrumental in educating her and also for sending her abroad, although the means that he used were harsh, as it is said that he used to beat Anandibai. She became a Doctor, returned to India but sadly she suffered from TB and stayed in Pune to get treatment but died before she attained the age of 22.

Memorial of Mahadji Scindia

Mahadji Scindia of Gwalior, was the Commander in chief of the Maratha Army under the Peshwas. He died in Pune and there is a beautiful memorial dedicated to him in Pune.  

Where Mahadji Scindia was cremated

Mahatma Gandhi was imprisoned at Yerwada Central Jail several times.Yerwada Central Jail was built in 1871 by the British and  has been a very famous Jail as many freedom fighters were jailed here between 1930 and 1942. These included Gandhi, Nehru, Subhash Chandra Bose, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, and Savarkar. The Poona Pact where Gandhi went on an indefinite fast to protest against the Communal awards was also signed at this Jail  on 24th September 1932, between Dr. Ambedkar and Gandhi.

This jail also remained in the limelight  after Independence, as during Emergency in 1975, Balasaheb Deoras, Atal Behari Vajpayee, Pramila Dandavate were imprisoned here. Anna Hazare, Telgi, Arun Gawli, Sanjay Dutt have also been inmates here. The last notorious criminal of this jail was Ajmal Kasab who was hanged and buried here in 2012.

Pune  has been a hub for reform, freedom movement, tradition, strict conservatism and a salubrious climate for education. The Osho ashram with its very free thought was also established at Pune.
Inspite of being so close to Mumbai, it has maintained its distinctness. The Marathi language spoken at Pune is considered very pure, the conservatism and practice of Hindu Religion is very strict.
It is a large City in size but maintains its identity as a small town.
The Shaniwarwada built very lovingly by Bajirao I is now in ruins. One can only see the walls of the Fort as well as a gate from where Mastani his second wife who was a Muslim could enter the Wada. There is Kelkar Museum here which is one man's collection of artefacts. A portion of the Mastani Mahal has also been kept at the Kelkar Museum. 

DAGDU SHETH GANPATI

The Lal Mahal, Dagdu Sheth Ganpati are some more places to see at Pune.Lal Mahal was the palace where Shivaji spent his childhood. The original building was destroyed and what stands in its place is a recent building.

LAL MAHAL FACADE

Yes indeed, Pune retains its slow pace, looks pretty and neat and does not appear to want to grow up to be like its neighbour Mumbai. It is a beautiful place with a lot of greenery, lots of Universities and educational Institutions.
The new developments in the periphery of the town are distinct from the Old town of Pune, it is growing, glowing and young. Yet the simplicity of the old town, its people, its undercurrent of the pride in their Puneri language, culture, and cuisine stand out.