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Travels

Dev Deepawali – A Well Kept Secret

December 15, 2023

The bridges across the Ganges are also decked up for Dev Deepawali.

I wrote quite a few blogs about my trip to Varanasi last year. I mention sailing the Ganges to look at the ghats, the Yogini temple, the magnificent Ganga aarti etc. Last year I heard about Dev Deepawali – a local festival celebrated on a grand scale fifteen days after Diwali is celebrated across the country. At the time I remember thinking I’d love to see that, and hopefully next year.

I forgot all about that until my sister in law asked me about my plans over dinner one night. Within two days I had roped in another friend who roped in another … and soon the four of us were off to the oldest city in the world.

The Celebrations

Dev Deepawali can literally be translated as the ‘Diwali of the Gods’. Although now Dev Deepawali has started gaining traction -it’s basically a local festival, celebrated only in Varanasi. Women dress up in beautiful saris, apply henna on their hands and wear the prettiest jewellery. The high point of the event is the lighting of the ghats with a million (not an exaggeration) diyas. In addition to this, there is a magnificent sound and light show depicting the story of Dev Deepawali, that you can watch. This year diplomats from 70 countries attended the celebrations.

The best way to experience Dev Deepawali is from a boat on the Ganges. The Government of UP organises special cruises on the Ganges and tickets for these are exorbitant. So exorbitant in fact that we didn’t bother checking the prices and decided to get a smaller row boat and split the cost between us. We were 10 people and we split the Rs. 20000/- between us. It’s a good idea to work out a deal with a boatman in advance because the boats sell out fast.

The Boat Ride

Once you’re on the boat you’re required to wear a lifejacket. Police petrol the waters to make sure everyone is safe and that there are no accidents. The ride is basically sailing from the first ghat to the last and observing the different decorations. The entire Ganges had a festive vibe, and it’s truly unique – you won’t see the Ganges like that any other time of the year. We spent about two hours on the boat, and there was never a dull moment. It’s worth planning a trip tp Varanasi just to experience this festival. Also, don’t miss the fireworks.

The Man Singh Observatory

Another place that had a superb sound and light show is the Man Singh Observatory on the Man Singh Ghat. The observatory was constructed by Raja Man Singh of Rajasthan and contains various types of compasses to measure the position of the planets and stars. These measurements were used to tell time and to make the lunar and solar calendars. Today these compasses make for interesting photo ops.

The Observatory was also a palace, and its first floor is now a museum cum exhibition space. There are interactive exhibits about different aspects of Varanasi, such as the art, the folk dances, the weaving and the architecture. Certainly makes for an interesting afternoon.

The main hall on the first floor (which is humongous), has been converted into the sound and light show theatre. The show is only about 15 minutes long and shows how the Ganges came to Varanasi. However, it’s only in Hindi, so difficult to understand for non-Hindi speakers. But I would still recommend it for it’s amazing picture quality.

The Kashi Vishwanath Temple

No trip to Varanasi is complete without a darshan of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. This historic (and controversial) temple draws thousands of pilgrims every year and it’s particularly crowded on the Dev Deepawali weekend. The temple is significant because it’s one of the twelve jyotirlingas, places where it is believed Shiva appeared as a long fiery pillar of light. This legend makes the jyotirlingas special, and contributes to the energy that is palpable here. There are long lines for the darshan, but a ticket can be booked online, and this might reduce the wait time. If you go early morning, you’re less likely to run into the surging crowds.

A Walking Tour

The ghats of Varanasi can be explored on foot and lately many people have started offering walking tours. This is a fabulous way to explore the ghat area, and if you find a good and knowledgeable guide, you can learn a lot about the history and legends associated with the oldest city in the world. Our tour took us through the ghats, on a boat to the Alamgiri Mosque to the bylanes of Varanasi and finally to a great lassi and malayyo stall.

Alamgiri Mosque

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Travels

The Yogini Temple of Varanasi

December 12, 2022

“What foolish person, having reached Kashi – the very vessel in which the treasure of liberation is stored – would wish to go elsewhere in search of some trifling wealth?”

Little did I know that the Yoginis would find me in Varanasi as well.

Our next stop was the Chausanthi Ghat. We had heard about the Yogini Temple there, but had also heard that it contained only one shrine, instead of 64 (like in Hirapur and Ranipur Jhariyal).

Shiva’s Exile From Kashi

There was a time when the Earth was in tatters. There was lawlessness and disorder everywhere and the Gods simply couldn’t control the chaos. Finally, Lord Brahma decided that he would ask King Divodasa for help. In addition to being an effective ruler, he was also honest and kind. He agreed to rule from Kashi and restore order back to Earth, but he had a condition. He wanted no interference from the Gods. During his rule the Gods were to remain in their world. Lord Shiva would have to leave Kashi for the duration of his rule.

With King Divodasa on the throne, the Earth thrived. After many years Lord Shiva found that he missed his beloved Kashi. He decided to send emissaries on his behalf to plead his case with King Divodasa. Amongst the many entities he sent were the Yoginis – all 64 of them.

The Yoginis came to Kashi and soon found themselves assimilating into city life. They found work amongst the city dwellers and were soon embedded in the fabric of the city. However, they were unable to find an opportunity to plead Lord Shiva’s case with King Divodasa. Unable to face Shiva with this defeat, they decided to remain in Varanasi.

Some scholars have even liked the city of Varanasi to a goddess, saying that it is an embodiment of Shiva’s Shakti. Which is why he yearned to come back to Kashi, he was suffering like a lover separated from his beloved.

It is believed that once upon a time all 64 yoginis had temples in Varanasi, but today there exists only this one. “All of them, all that energy, is contained in this one Devi,” the priest explained. I looked at him uncertainly. The temple wasn’t hypaethral, which is what we popularly believe Yogini temples to be.

It was great that the pujari let us take a closer look at the statue of the Chausathi Yogini, and he answered all our questions.

An interesting depiction of the Devi – note the third eye and the animal crushed under the feet. My favorite detail is the ornate nose pin.

The temple has a very small courtyard, where natural light streams in. The space between the temple walls and the sanctum sanctorum (where the parikrama is done) is dark (but not damp). And, interestingly, is filled with ancient shivalingas of different sizes!

Ancient collection of Shivalingas in the temple.

An interesting collection of Shivalingas. However, it was really dark and we had to use our phones to see them.

This was carved into the wall, and reminded me a bit of the carvings in the Yogini temples in Orissa.

The Other Devi in the Chausanthi Yogini Temple

Standing opposite the Chausanthi Devi is another devi. From the face we could tell it was Kali Ma and we asked the pujari about the history of the statue. According to him, a King from Bengal once had a dream in which he was instructed to take the Devi to Banaras and make a home for her there. He is said to have sailed the Ganges and carried the statue up the steps of the Chausanthi Ghat and placed it here. The priest was unable to give us any specifics such as dates and names, relegating the story to the stuff of legends, but the story was compelling. I’ve tried to track down references to the story in multiple sources, but was unable to find anything.

As we turned to leave the Yogini temple, I asked the punditji his name. Pointing to the Chausanthi Yogini and Kala Ma he said “I serve two mas (mothers) so I’m known as ‘Ma-Ma’.”

We boarded our boat again to head to a temple particularly revered by the South Indians – the Vishalakshmi temple.

A Note on the Vishalakshi Temple

‘Vishalakshi’ is the ‘Wide Eyed Goddess’. The Vishalakshi temple was renovated in 1971 with a large contribution from the Tamil fraternity, and it has a completely different vibe from the Yogini temple. For starters, it is jam-packed.

Inside the temple it’s dim and the smoke from the large clusters of incense makes it difficult to see. You can see the main deity as soon as you enter. It’s enveloped in hundreds of saris that devotees have offered to her. In fact, there is a stall selling saris inside the already crowded temple, and you can purchase one for the goddess if you want to. We elbowed our way through the enthusiastic devotees to get to the other side of the temple. The main deities are encased in glass boxes and the smoke and lack of light makes it difficult to see anything. There are numerous shivalingas here that you can offer your prayers to.

It’s dim inside the temple and the smoke from the large clusters of incense makes it difficult to see. You can see the main deity as soon as you enter. It’s enveloped in hundreds of saris that devotees have offered to her. In fact, there’s a stall selling saris inside the already crowded temple, and you can purchase one for the goddess if you want to. We elbowed our way through the enthusiastic devotees to get to the other side of the temple. The main deities are encased in glass boxes and the smoke and lack of light make it difficult to see anything. There are numerous shivalingas here that you can offer your prayers to.

The Vishalakshi temple finds a permanent place as one of the shakti peethas. Some say Sati’s eye fell at this location, while others say it was her earring. (For a background on this story see the “Natrajasana” chapter in my book Beyond Asanas.) This temple is also connected to two other goddesses – Kamakshi (Love-Eyed) from Assam and Meenakshi (Fish-Eyed) from Madurai.

Beautiful doorway next to the Vishalakshi temple.

No photos are allowed inside the Vishalakshi temple. This is a beautiful doorway next to it.

Picture from 'Banaras City of Light' by Diana L. Eck.

An old picture of the Chausanthi Ghat.

Instagraming at the Chausanthi Ghat in 2022.

[This blog is the final part of a series of blogs about my time in Varanasi. Click here for the previous one.]

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Travels

A Day in Varanasi – The Ghats & Death

November 22, 2022

Boats anchored at Assi Ghat. We were there on the day of Chhath Puja, and all the ghats were festive.

“Oh Agastya, One should not be amazed at the notion that this Ganges is really Power, for is she not the Supreme Shakti or the Eternal Shiva, taken the form of water?”

The Ghats of Varanasi are legendary. Originally all the ghats were clay, but today many of them have been rebuilt with concrete steps. The ghats here that infuse the city with a certain air of romance. Walking along any of the ghats (which remain largely unchanged for the last 3000 years), it’s possible to imagine the wooden ferries transporting goods from other kingdoms to Kashi. Yogis, brahmins, travellers, kings, servants, artists, philosophers…all came to Varanasi on these ferries. And like visitors today, they were also on a quest…

And the most poignant quest for a living being is a peaceful death. Drifting along the Ganges, the bustling life at Assi ghat contrasts strikingly with the burning pyres at Manikarnika Ghat. There is a saying that goes ‘Kashyam maranam muktih‘ which means ‘Death in Kashi is Liberation’. It is believed that if you die here, you’re sure to attain moksha. According to legend, this is because Yama has no power in Kashi, and it’s Shiva that presides over your death. So this city finds itself the receptacle of the old and the sick.

The Ganga aarti, a part of the Subah-e-Banaras program at Assi Ghat.

A boat ride on the Ganges is a mandatory part of any itinerary. Watch my video about Varanasi (including boat rides) here. Our boatman led us to the Hanuman Ghat, from where we were to board our boat. It’s unclear why or how this ghat gets its name. A large number of South Indians inhabit this ghat today, including Mr. K. Venkat Raman. The next ghat is the Chausathi Yogini Ghat – which was our first destination for the day.

The Chausathi Ghat – You can still see the domes of the old building and a new board in English is placed right under the old one written in Hindi and painted on the wall of the buildling.

It is said that once upon a time Holi used to be celebrated on this Ghat in honour of the 64 yoginis. Legend goes that when Shiva wanted to come back to Kashi, he sent many emissaries to King Divodasa. Amongst these were the 64 yoginis…

The Leaning Temple of Varanasi. It tilts at an angle of 9 degrees!

On a rickshaw after ages! Near the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

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Travels

A Day in Varanasi – Called by the Yoginis

November 6, 2022

Ever since the publication of my second book, I’ve been compulsively taking photos of both books. This picture was taken during a particularly leisurely breakfast during Diwali week.

Those who’ve ever been to Varanasi know that any amount of blogs/books/videos fall short in describing its unique vibe. There’s so much the city has to offer that one trip isn’t enough. Whether it’s food, textiles, history, yoga, architecture, culture or spirituality – there is something for everyone. In writing about my time in Varanasi I wasn’t sure how to encapsulate my experience in a single blog. So this time I’m going to try something different. Instead of encapsulating, I’m going to see if I can recreate a special day for you.

During her first visit to Varanasi, my friend Sowmya discovered the Chousathi Yogini temple there. Her account intrigued me. The temple she described was architecturally different form the ones we had seen in Ranipur Jhariyal. What’s more, there was only one yogini idol in the temple. Yet, the priest insisted this was the temple.

This city is fabled to be as old as time, an ancient city whose narrow winding web of lanes are fragrant with the smell of devotion, where faith is palpable even in seemingly forgotten crevices. A city whose power can be felt in the crowds that still throng there in search of salvation. A city where you can casually enjoy a glass of lassi at the Blue Lassi Shop and hear people chant ‘Ram naam satya hai‘ as they carry their dead to the Manikarnika Ghat…

I’d recommend reading ‘Banaras City of Light’ before you visit Varanasi. But I’m having a good time reading it even after my trip. ‘Benaras’ was recommended to me by the guy manning Pilgrim’s bookstore the day I visited. I’d recommend a visit – they have interesting books, postcards and bookmarks.

I love researching a place before I visit, and there is so much on Varanasi. Unfortunately, I didn’t have enough time to read up, so I decided to listen to a few podcasts. I came across a reference to the 64 yoginis in one of them. Sitting in my comfortable seat in the Vande Bharat Express train, I had an uncanny feeling that the Yoginis had called me. And I must track them down.

The question is, in a city teeming with temples, how do you find information on an elusive (and perhaps even forgotten) cult? Turns out, I didn’t have to look too far. Stay tuned for the day that unfolded….

The first thing I saw when I de-boarded the train at Varanasi.

When I saw this sight in the crowded railway station, I couldn’t really connect to it. Not sure if I love Varanasi now, but I certainly long to return.

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