Paying Homage to Mother Ganga

PAYING HOMAGE TO MOTHER GANGA

Varanasi, India

July 2015

“Thousands of people come to this ghat each night for this ceremony. It is to honor the Mother Ganga, Mother of all Gods. We honor other gods tonight. They are equal important too. But Mother Ganga is in the middle and we honor her every night. You are very smart to come here.  This is a sacred place.  These waters are very special”, this young boy tells me as he ushers me to a seat on a rickety platform.  Once seated, he leaves me to go back to his business

There appears to be an older man in charge.  He wears nothing but a loincloth.  His long beard is bushy, wiry and gray.  So is his hair. There are four makeshift altars and four priests draped in bright orange sarongs.  Their altars are filled with flower petals, incense burners, incense, fans and paintings of gods.  I sit near the altar of the Mother of Ganga, the center stage of the ceremony.  Loud music blares through a portable speaker.  Most people clap along. Many people sing along in utter jubilation.

Many, many boats line the wall of the steps.  Each boat is packed beyond a safe capacity. They are filled with people anxious to catch a glimpse of the ceremony,

People wander around, throughout the ceremony, taking photos on their cell phones and IPADS.  They may stand behind the altar and take photos. But they may not stand in front of the altar.

The priests chant in unison to piped in Hindi music, which everyone seems to know.  They stand on their altars and move through choreographed yogi moves while waving incense burners. Incense fills the air and the mist from the river blends in so that it feels as if we are in a fog of Vick’s Vapor Rub.

 Someone walks around and hawks CDs of the music.  Another man has a dish for monetary offerings.  He also has paint for people who want to add a chakra point to their forehead.  Some people have already purchased flower petals as offerings to the gods. The stray dogs run in and out and avoid a swift kick from the ushers but sometimes receive a blow that gets them yelping.

At one point, everyone is invited to come up and wave a whiff of the incense to their faces. Mass hysteria sets in as people attempt to make their way to the alter; since I am up front, I take this as my cue to get out while I can. It will take me longer to climb up those difficult steps to my hotel. I need a head start.  I can hear the music and chanting fade in the distance as I make my way to the last step and then there is silence.  Our homage to Mother Ganga is finished for tonight.