Jean-Yves JUGUET
P hotography
Travelogue
This new section will transport you to North India, discover people out of the ordinary, Hindu ascetics who have given up all ties of their material life to devote themselves only to their spiritual quest, they are called Sadhus ...
To meet them, I decide to drive from Delhi airport to Haridwar, it is one of the seven most sacred cities of Hinduism.
Placed at the foot of the Himalayas, it is the first important city on the Ganges and the starting point of pilgrimage to the sources of the river, the holy of holies of the Hindus, the faithful flock there by the thousand each year to make a last tribute to their ancestors or to come and make a wish to the three Mother Goddesses enthroned on their rocky peaks.
Haridwar is also famous for being one of the four Indian cities that host the incredible “Kumbh Mela”, the largest spiritual gathering in the world.
The devotee who bathes in the Ganges in Haridwar would see his karma destroyed ... By performing ablutions in these high places of Hinduism, he will be able to end the cycle of births and deaths (reincarnation) to reach Moksha (spiritual liberation) .
Arriving in the city, I have no trouble finding these men, who are mainly concentrated on the edge of the Ganges, easily recognizable, they dress in a longhi, a tunic, saffron-colored for the Shaivites. , disciples of Shiva and yellow or white for the Vishnouites, disciples of Vishnu, symbolizing holiness.
They are homeless and spend their lives traveling the roads of India and Nepal, feeding on donations from devotees.
As renunciators, they sever all ties with their families, own little or nothing.
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.
The Shaivite sadhus cover their bodies every morning with ash and have long dreadlock-like hair tied above their heads like the hair of God Shiva and have their foreheads painted with three bands (which represent Shiva's trident).
The Vishnuite sadhus wear a yellow or white tunic and the forehead is decorated with a white U and the red tilak of Sita. They are bearded, they wear long hair and have necklaces. They recite mantras, practice yoga, meditation and breathing exercises, and use cannabis.
At the hour of evening twilight, we can attend Hari-ki-Pauri Ghat (Ghat = steps leading to the banks of the Ganges) has a powerful ritual, spiritual and exhilarating, the Ganga Aarti, a ceremony that takes place facing the river. The Hindu priests, chanting the praises and other incantations to the glory of Mother Ganga, make the offerings of the lights, the presentation of the lamps in traditional solemn gestures of masterful convolution in the direction of hour hands.
Impossible to remain insensitive to so many voices shouting their devotion in unison, unthinkable not to be spellbound by the power of this simply poignant ancestral ritual. And it is so every evening, during the ceremony of Ganga Aarti the worship of the river on the ghat of Har-ki-Pairi, in Haridvar.
After an hour by car, my journey in search of Sadhu stops in Rishikesh, a city in the state of Uttarakhand, in northern India. Located at the foot of the Himalayas, the city is known as a city of pilgrimage, it attracts many Hindus and also Westerners for its ashrams where yoga is taught. The Beatles made this place famous in 1968, when they came to study the transcendental meditation taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in his Ashram.
Self-proclaimed yoga capital of the world, Rishikesh appeared resplendent to me when I crossed Jahma Jhula, a pedestrian suspension bridge, used by as many restless motorcycles and scooters as peaceful cows… This haven of spirituality seems to have been assembled from scratch to accommodate hundreds “yogists” from all over the world, despite everything, he inspires a sweetness of life, and invites you to stroll in the company of the sadhus who inhabit the main arteries.
The pedestrian districts of Swargashram and Lakshman Jhula are conducive to resting the soul. In addition to the dozens of Sadhus meetings that I have had while walking these holy places, I have only one desire, and that is to attend the world famous Ganga Aarti at sunset in the largest ashram. from Rishikesh, "Parmarth Niketan" which provides a clean, pure and sacred atmosphere to thousands of pilgrims from all over the world. With over 1,000 rooms, the facilities combine modern amenities with traditional spiritual simplicity. Daily activities include universal morning prayers, yoga, and meditation.
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.
Fans return to the Beatles ashram
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.
It is a mythical place in the history of music. In the Indian ashram of Rishikesh, the Beatles experienced, over 50 years ago, one of their most fruitful periods, they had come to learn transcendental meditation, it was the most creative moment in their history, with the composition of 48 tracks and it is in these places that they composed a large part of the "genialissime" double white album released in 1968.
The site, long abandoned, is colonized by the jungle. But since its partial rehabilitation, from 2016, and the construction of a fence to keep animals away, the site has been reborn thanks to tourism.
“Let it be. Prophetic, Paul McCartney's words are painted on the wall of a meditation hall overgrown with vegetation and sunlight. Over time, the window panes shattered, the roof disappeared, and the paint chipped off. Nature has reclaimed its rights and graffiti artists have adorned the chipped plaster with graffiti and murals in homage to the Beatles.
Peaceful and poetic beauty envelops this abandoned hermitage, which extends over 7.5 hectares and overlooks the Ganges and the holy city of Rishikesh.
Back to Haridwar, I decide to continue my progress in the descent of the Ganges by taking a night train to Allâhâbâd, which is located at the confluence of the sacred rivers: Ganges and Yamuna, on which is grafted a mythical river, the Saraswati , with purifying virtues. Hindus believe that bathing at the confluence of these rivers allows all sins to be erased.
This location gives it great purifying powers and as such it sees a Kumbh Mela taking place every 12 years at a place called “Sangam” which brings together millions of pilgrims from all over the world for a sacred bath. The pilgrimage takes place only every twelve years because according to the Hindu religion, one day of life of a god is equivalent to twelve earth years.
Allahabad is a very famous university town, but little frequented by tourists apart from pilgrimages.
However, I meet sadhus there, without dwelling too much, because I do not want to be late to attend the Aarti ceremony in Chittrakoot and more specifically at Ram Ghat, one of the most lively ghats in Chitrakoot, it sits on the bank of the Mandakini River and is frequented by many devotees. In the morning, the faithful come to perform the surya namaskar (prayer to the god of the sun) and bathe in the river. However, the main attraction is the Aarti which takes place every evening: priests dressed in traditional saffron-colored attire pray to the lord and sing shlokas.
In addition to this, you need to know more about it.
The next day, I'm heading back to the holy city of Varanasi (Benares), a long-awaited destination since the start of my trip, my first meeting had already taken place a few years before, Varanasi is a real cultural shock that you have to prepare for. The discovery of this unique city will not leave you indifferent and will mark you forever, Varanasi is one of the oldest cities in the world.
High place of pilgrimage for followers of the Hindu religion, the city is crossed by the Ganges which symbolizes the hair of the goddess Shiva. On the banks of the river, the series of ghats continues to receive rituals. At daybreak, you will see the faithful bathing along the ghats to atone for their sins, a scene both mystical and bewitching.
Cremations On The Ghats
In Hinduism, cremation in Varanasi makes it possible to stop the cycle of reincarnations and therefore makes it possible to reach Moksha, equivalent of Nirvana among Buddhists. Hindus believe in reincarnation, so their relationship to death is reversed, and this gives their life a very different meaning. This difference that we feel in each plot of Benares and in each scene of life that we cross ... The bearers of the deceased parade on the Ghats without it being shocking because it is only a passage for another life, not a start.
The main cremation ghat in Varanasi is the Manikarnika Ghat. There are said to be around 200 cremations a day in Varanasi.
Logically, out of respect for the deceased and his family, photos / videos are prohibited. Respecting this is essential.
Cremation follows a certain ritual that can clearly shock the Western traveler. Be sure to educate yourself before attending a cremation.
The rites of cremation consist of wrapping the body of the deceased in fabrics and decorated with flowers, then bathed in the Ganges for a final purification. Then he is taken to the stake. The wood is a special wood, apparently very oily and which helps to mask the odor of the burning body.
The eldest son of the deceased, shaved and dressed in white, then sets fire to it while performing certain rites. The atmosphere is impressive: it is teeming with people, and the bodies are linked together ...
Cremations take place 24 hours a day, every day without exception. As for the ashes and human remains, they end up rocked by the waves of the Ganges, where hundreds of believers bathe every day. About 200 kg of wood are needed to completely burn the body. Some poor families cannot buy these 200 kg of wood. The body is not then completely burned and some parts of the body are thrown into the Ganges and can therefore be visible ...
The common thread of my trip was the Ganges, I stayed nearly a week in Varanasi to attend the Aarti ceremony every evening. It is a religious rite of the utmost importance for Hindus. This ritual takes place at the end of the day at sunset. It brings together many faithful who come on foot or by boat.
Night begins to fall gently on the Dasaswamedh ghât, the faithful flock in droves to have the best place. In a few minutes seven priests will officiate, each on a concrete block arranged on the banks of the Ganges, at a ceremony of offerings to the goddess Ganga, the goddess of the Ganges.
The lights come on, the priests arrive, stand in front of their respective small altar covered with an orange-colored fabric where the various objects that will be used for the ritual are placed. The ceremony begins with the placing of wreaths of fresh flowers on the paintings representing the goddess Ganga. Prayers to the goddess follow. Ancestral gestures marked with great solemnity will follow one after another. The seven perfectly coordinated priests repeat the same gestures at the four cardinal points with the incense sticks, the large incense diffuser, the fire in two different forms, the water, the peacock feather fan and the plume. While shaking a bell with the left hand to attract the attention of the goddess. The purifying fire is presented with two different objects: a large candle holder which has many candles and then a cup with the head of a cobra.
Once the fire is extinguished by drops of water from the Ganges, the priests continue their symbolic gestures with the peacock feather fan and then with an enormous plume. Each object, each gesture obviously has a meaning that I am unable to explain to you.
Night has completely fallen a long time ago. The incense, the fire, the sound of the bells, the meditation of the crowd, it is an indescribable atmosphere, it has something surreal ...
At the end of an hour, the ceremony ends with songs taken up by the crowd. Then each officiant throws a few drops of water on the pilgrims and a shower of flower petals on the river.
For an hour we are completely transported to another world, this ceremony is one of my unforgettable moments.
Through this travel diary, I wanted to share with you three holy places, three places that will have marked my memory forever, some cities that I had discovered a few years before and which I had sworn to return to.
India is the second country where I have traveled the most, from Gujarat to Rajasthan, to meet communities through Himalayan India in order to discover Buddhism in monasteries and trek in Ladhak, up to 'in West Bengal (Calcutta, Darjeeling…) to reach the state of Sikkim where I had the chance to follow in the footsteps of Alexandra David Néel in her adventure to forbidden Tibet in 1924. (Autobiography: Diary of a Parisian in Lhassa).