08.09.2008
-->Haridwar was just a one-night stop over on our way to Rishikesh… we had to stop and rest a little bit after three sleepless nights… the last night in McLeod Ganj, the bed bugs night in Amritsar and the uncomfortable night on the train. We managed to find a decent room in the proximities of the bus station. We were glad to find a television in our room given we were planning to spend the rest of the day inside… or so we thought.
After having a late lunch we decided to take a cycle rickshaw up to the famous ghat. The ride was just a 15-minutes one… the roads here where busy but not as noisy as in Amritsar.
The sight of the ghat was a very interesting one.
The ghat itself is beautiful, much more than the famous ones in Varanasi. We had a look around and headed back to our guesthouse for a much longed for sleep. We slipped into the land of dreams for a couple of hours before waking up and heading once again towards the ghat to witness the aarti. The aarti is a Hindu ritual, in which light from wicks soaked in ghee (purified butter) or camphor is offered to one or more deities. Aarti also refers to the songs sung in praise of the deity, when offering of lamps is being offered. As soon as we arrived a government official asked us for a donation. We agreed to give a very small donation and he was quite angry at us stating that we should have given ten times as much… well so long for the name donation. Once next to the river we bought a leaf basket full of fresh petals and a candle. A local helped us in performing the puja (a Hindu prayer where you pray for all your loved ones), and as expected asked us for a donation at the end of his useful demonstration. From our end we politely refused. After the puja we were asked to sit down on the floor next to the river together with all the locals, waiting to see what was going to happen.
When the sun started setting, everyone lit their candles and performed their personal puja. A couple of men were lighting big fires and addressing the crowds. People where cheering and praying together… it was a wonderful scene to witness. Most impressing of all is that this ceremony is carried out every day!! After this touching experience, we ventured into a small alley lined with stands selling everything from prayer beads, to toys, to food. Janet ended up stopping at a sweet shop, taking an overdose of sweet samples. Back at our guesthouse we had a light dinner and a nice orange fruit shake to wrap it all up. We called it an early night to have an early and fresh start the next morning. Our next destination… Rishikesh.
The ghat itself is beautiful, much more than the famous ones in Varanasi. We had a look around and headed back to our guesthouse for a much longed for sleep. We slipped into the land of dreams for a couple of hours before waking up and heading once again towards the ghat to witness the aarti. The aarti is a Hindu ritual, in which light from wicks soaked in ghee (purified butter) or camphor is offered to one or more deities. Aarti also refers to the songs sung in praise of the deity, when offering of lamps is being offered. As soon as we arrived a government official asked us for a donation. We agreed to give a very small donation and he was quite angry at us stating that we should have given ten times as much… well so long for the name donation. Once next to the river we bought a leaf basket full of fresh petals and a candle. A local helped us in performing the puja (a Hindu prayer where you pray for all your loved ones), and as expected asked us for a donation at the end of his useful demonstration. From our end we politely refused. After the puja we were asked to sit down on the floor next to the river together with all the locals, waiting to see what was going to happen.
When the sun started setting, everyone lit their candles and performed their personal puja. A couple of men were lighting big fires and addressing the crowds. People where cheering and praying together… it was a wonderful scene to witness. Most impressing of all is that this ceremony is carried out every day!! After this touching experience, we ventured into a small alley lined with stands selling everything from prayer beads, to toys, to food. Janet ended up stopping at a sweet shop, taking an overdose of sweet samples. Back at our guesthouse we had a light dinner and a nice orange fruit shake to wrap it all up. We called it an early night to have an early and fresh start the next morning. Our next destination… Rishikesh.
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