Photography, Travel
Varanasi Fog
Weeds and Wildflowers “Shrouded in Fog” Prompt
To visit India is to experience a juxtaposition of opposites at every corner. The smell of flowers meant for pūjā ceremonies mingled with the scent of cow dung confuses the senses. And the vibrancy of the colors — of saris, of buildings, of the painted and decorated trucks and rickshaws and boats — even when they are muffled in a thick layer of fog, changes your perception of what the world should look like.
The first time I visited India, in 2004, I went to study with a particular yoga teacher. But I’ve returned to India many times over the years, not for a human teacher, but to study the origins of the practice of yoga and to experience a culture that felt, oddly, like home to me.
Old town Varanasi is a spiritual destination for all Hindus. It is believed that bathing in the Ganges washes away all sins. And the sacredness of this place permeates the air.
I’ve now visited Varanasi several times, and every time I have been there, the day has started and ended with fog. The hush of the air and the lapping waves against the hand-rowed boats imbues a sense of both spirituality and mystery.
Amongst the throngs of seekers, you can also find the local fishermen.
And the local “rowers,” who take visitors up and down the river all day long, with a lot of muscle power, are everywhere.
You can also find tenders of all sorts of wares out on the waters. I bought a couple hundred of these little coral necklaces (you can see them in the boat below) to bring back to hand out to my students back home. And, to this day, I come across people who still have a strand wrapped around their wrists, and it makes me happy to remember where the beads came from.
And, here’s me, blissing out on the Ganges. It’s been five years now since I’ve been to India, and so much has happened in that time. I’m feeling the pull to return. I know that some things will have changed. But some things will always stay the same in Varanasi.
This piece was written in response to Dennett’s Weeds and Wildflowers prompt: Shrouded in Fog. You might enjoy some of the other pieces:
Erika Burkhalter is a yogi, neurophilosopher, cat-mom, photographer, and lover of travel and nature, spreading her love and amazement for Mother Earth’s glories, one photo, poem or story at a time. (MS Neuropsychology, MA Yoga Studies).
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