Oh My Ghat.

Varanasi is among the oldest cities in the world, and the only city which has been consistent in its way of life. That is the beauty of Banaras. This can especially be seen in the Ghats, where the life has practically stood still. Not looking at the infrastructure of the place, including the "Old Temples", which are in fact quite new compared to the age of the city as Varanasi being the most influential and impactful city has been conquered countless of times so most of the initial architecture has been destroyed and reconstructed making any of the structures we see a relatively newer construction. But this is not the case when you look at the Ghat life, the sights you see today are very similar to the ones that could be seen more than 3000 years back.
Before visiting Varanasi, I had read all about the Ghats and the stories of individual Ghats. The place didnt strike me much in the beginning, but the effect of the Ghats when you actually see it through your own eyes is something which cannot be put down on paper. If you are looking for beauty or serenity or cleanliness, the Ghats is not the place to be, it is more than all that - those are just the superficial layers  which once you pass through opens up into a whole new world.
Each Ghat has its own story, Harishchandra : Story of how humble honest King Harischandra gave up everything he owned and his family to stay true to his word, Manikarnika : The Sweat of the hardworking Vishnu made a puddle into which Parvathi's earring fell in, Tulsi : House of the great Indian poet/writer, and so many more. Every Hindu local of Varanasi will have a favourite Ghat, it's amazing to see the passion they have for it. Especially during Dev Deepawali festival when around 4 lakh people stormed through the Ghats in celebration - Each Ghat had their own set up and music, and they'd try to beat each other in terms of the volume and the genres of music, some ghats had Disco music with hardcore bass beats, while others had Religious music playing.
Another thing that struck me was how comfortable everyone was with the way of life in the Ghats. From Children running around flying Kites next to bodies being cremated to Babas smoking Marijuana in front of everyone. It's like everyone has become so accustomed to the life that it has no effect on them anymore.
After being in Varanasi for 8 days, I feel like I have reached also reached a level of acceptance of the Ghats, and developed the love that the people feel towards them.
For me, the Hanuman Ghat will always be close to my heart, as that is the first Ghat in which I took a dip in the holy Ganga. The dip which put me in the same position  in which thousands of others who come from all over India and the world are in. The first dip in Varanasi, the same dip someone like me must have taken 3000 years back, I am in their exact same position - I felt like it was just the Ganga and me. Who knows, maybe a thousand years later someone will take a dip and have the same realization I was having during my escapade. I now know why people come here, my dip in the Ganga was the most important part of my journey in Varanasi.
Interestingly, the hyper boy I met during my dip who showed me around the Ghat  was called Angad, we were in the Hanuman Ghat. :)


You cannot understand and appreciate the beauty of the Ghats as an outsider or by reading all about it, you need to be there at that moment and not think about the consequences of anything. You are going to see a lot of dirt, lots of men pissing on the walls of the Ghats, Marijuana everywhere, garbage, dirty cows, cow dung, buffaloes bathing with devotees, dead bodies floating in the river, sewage drains - This is all part of their way of life, and you just need to accept it as it is and look beyond all of this. Bring out the Varanasi in you as I have and I promise you; it will remain with you forever.