Exploring the real India & Ganga Arti

The school arranged an excursion for today, so 11 students per jeep set off at 5.10am for Kanjapuri Temple. In the dark there were a few cases of motion sickness as we ascended (at speed) round the steep bends, honking and overtaking the occasional other vehicle. Once there, after some fresh air everyone felt much better and It was a short walk to the top. As the sun rose over the Himalaya there was a real sense of gratitude and calm welcoming another day. The smell of incense and sound of drumming filled the air, and the monkeys were highly entertaining too. The early rise was definitely worth it!

After breakfast back at the school, we took a taxi to the other side of Rishikesh (Janki Bridge) aiming to walk to Triveni Gaht for the “Arti” ceremony tonight. It was only lunch time, we had had plenty of time to explore “the real India” before sunset. It was very busy, an overall positive experience; though a few cases of being followed by begging children/adults which was difficult, and areas of extreme poverty. Especially walking on the river bank through the Mayakund area, Here we came across a large area of houses made from plastic sheets and some stones. We took the shortest possible route to cut this area out and continue on the river path…I was thankful we were a group of 3. There wasn’t a tourist in sight for 2 miles. Come to think of it we only saw a handful all day, unlike Lakshman Jhula where we’re staying.

We made for a hotel restaurant (highly recommended) called The Sitting Elephant. The food, staff and views were amazing (especially watching the eagles gliding), and we felt safe and relaxed. Nice to decompress after such a busy/loud few hours.
We did notice from the higher rooftop though, that a screen had blown over… as we peeped through we saw ginormous piles of rubbish… must have been the size of 10+ football pitches. It was so sad and made us think about how much rubbish the UK exports to other countries, not just India; and the importance of sustainable living. How can India accept more waste when it doesn’t have the infrastructure to deal with its own?!

After a little reset we browsed the many winding streets and shops. Sanne needed some shoes and bought some beautiful Indian embroided flats. I tried, but even the 2 largest pairs in the shop wouldnt fit my size 8 feet (much to the amusement of a row of tiny Indian women also buying shoes).

After that we headed to the river bank and had the most beautiful experience. We were a few hours early and got talking to an older musician from Rishikesh. Over a cup of hot sweet chai tea (that he wouldn’t accept any money for) he gave us cultural insights, helped us communicate with the locals (including shooing the beggars away), and told stories of the area. We had some really wholesome moments playing games with children, sweet Indian people asking to take photos with us, and enjoying the atmosphere, feeling surprisingly safe and relaxed.

When sunset was imminent, we once again traded in our shoes for a token and moved to a large undercover area to watch the Ganga Aarti. This ceremony is held daily at sunset and was spectacular…not in a grand overstated way, but a beautiful display of love and grattitude for the Ganga (river Ganges). This is the largest of the 3 Artis in the area.

The 15 Brahman priests took their podiums and offered fire to the river. Spectators passed allong a plate with candles, incense and flowers that we each needed to rotate clockwise then anti clockwise, before going forward and throwing a handful of petals as an offering to the river. There was a powerful spiritual atmosphere, and after the ceremony a Kirtan (a devotional performance of music, dancing and singing), which was a lovely joyful way to end the day.

On the way out we met up with 2 others from school and took a tuk-tuk back. The driver seemed a bit lost/confused, stopping to ask for directions a couple of times, but got there in the end!

A long but wonderful day, seeing both positive and negative sides to the city.
It was also really special having watched the sun both rise and set.Read more