The Ganga and the stone ghat steps that sweep down to its waters are at the heart of the spiritual life of Varanasi. At the crack of dawn people will start collecting by the bank of the river, to stand chest deep in its waters waiting for the sun to appear. They will be holding handfuls of gangajal as they raised their faces to the first rays of the rising sun and intoned a prayer to the sun god. A hymn from the Rig Veda that every devout Hindu knows and it has echoed here for thousands of years, “Om bhur bhuva swaha Tat savitur varenium; Bhargo devasya dhimahi Dhiyo yo nah prachodayat.” (Lord Surya, we behold your light that fills the three worlds; and pray for your radiance to illumine our minds) In Varanasi they love the river as a mother and a source of sustenance. They garland her with flowers and every evening a row of priests stand at its edge at Dasaswamedha Ghat holding giant aarti lamps flaring with fire and sway and dance to the beat of booming drums and the rising chant of mantras. But being Varanasi, ancient and cynical, they also take the river for granted. They burn the dead by her banks and her water is cloudy with the flowing effluents from the city. Know More About Venaras Ghat - Ganga If you are planning to visit Rameshwaram - for char dham yatra then book best Rameswaram hotel there for an amazing stay.
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