For foreign guests, bustling Kashi no less than a spiritual experience
Marcella and Rishikesh enjoyed a spiritual experience in crowded Varanasi, while officials extended vehicle bans due to the influx of pilgrims.
Marcella d-Muinck, from Netherland, and her Indian husband Rishikesh Pundalik experienced a gush of spirituality amid a heavy crowd as they walked from one ghat to another in Varanasi.
On their way back to Asi Ghat, Marcella took a brief stop at Prabhu Ghat. “I was at the Mahakumbh for three days. Now, being in Varanasi is really a spiritual experience. We visited different ghats even as the crowd is too heavy,” she said.
On if the heavy influx of devotees from across the country had troubled her during the journey, she said: “A little. But not too much.”
Rishikesh said, “We enjoyed our visit to Varanasi and walking on the ghats is an exclusive experience.”
Kosuke Ishimoto and Shun Tsuchida, a receptionist and rescuer at a beach in Japan, were also visiting Varanasi. This was Ishimoto’s second visit. “This time, Varanasi is too crowded. There are people everywhere—on the ghats, in the lanes. But we are walking and enjoying... It is too difficult to walk in certain localities.”
Sitting on the stairs of Mata Anandmayi Ghat was Lali Gallucci who was conversing with fellow Argentinian Carolina Judith even as a sea of people passed by them.
Dressed in an Indian attire, Gallucci noted, “Varanasi is too crowded, but when one sees the city...if one closes his eyes and watches Varanasi spiritually, he experiences peace all around. To experience peace, sit at any ghat and just close your eyes.”
Two visitors from Germany felt that too much crowd at ghats left no place for them to sit comfortably and meditate. “Varanasi is a beautiful place. But the crowd spoiled our mood,” they said.
At Niranjani ghat, Naga ascetics were seen meditating and performing rituals amid the chants of mantras. Passing by, visitors from abroad clicked their pictures as they looked at them with a naive surprise.
There, Baba Vinod Puri sat in his ‘asana’ with ‘dhuni’ lit up. As people took his photo, he said, “ Ye sab maya hai, bachcha (All this is an illusion). I will keep meditating and offer prayers to Baba Kashi Vishwanath and go back to Haridwar after the Mahashivratri,” he said in fluent English.
Ban extended
In view of the heavy influx of devotees thronging to Kashi from Prayagraj, the ban on entry of four-wheelers and buses into the city has now been extended till February 12 or Wednesday.
The ban was first put in place from January 24 till the night of February 5, but was first extended till the night of February 9 or Sunday.
However, a large number of four wheelers with registration numbers from Rajasthan, Jharakhand, Bihar and Madhya Pradesh were seen at Asi and other localities.
ADCP Rajesh Pandey said there was no let-up in the number of people returning from Mahakumbh. “Therefore, this ban on entry of four wheelers and buses from districts other than Varanasi will continue. Like before, four-wheelers will be stopped outside the city on a route-wise basis and parked at nearby parking spots,” he added.
The arrangements will remain the same as before. The parking for buses is outside the city. Roadways and private buses from Azamgarh, Jaunpur and Ghazipur must be parked in Harhua Bus Parking, in front of Rameshwar Lawn and at Krishak Inter College. From here, passengers were being taken to Choti Cutting Memorial on state buses.
Moreover, Kashi remained choked with pilgrims. The crowd was so heavy that commissioner of police Mohit Agarwal and additional commissioner of police S Channappa visited various areas to oversee the situation.
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