Despite all the naysayers and bad press, my friends were convinced that faith could move mountains and that we should go ahead with our plans of visiting the Kumbh. S particularly said that we would find a way even though our well thought of itinerary seemed to be doomed.

So we set off on our journey with just a little bit of nervousness but were quite confident that we would be back safely.

FIRST STOP VARANASI

As the plane hovered over Varanasi ( the latest name of the ancient city of Kashi) I was quite excited to see a place that I had long wanted to visit. For some strange reason, I was drawn to its ancient heritage.

The first hiccup

We stepped out into the cold, night air of Varanasi and got into the hotel taxi . We were booked at the centrally located Pearl Courtyard which we imagined to be a Marriott hotel considering the amount we were paying per day. I was a bit flummoxed by how a Marriott property could be in such a prime spot but the mystery was soon sorted out.

The long drive to the city centre ended abruptly with a shock. The taxi driver screeched to a halt along a barricade and gleefully informed us that all vehicular traffic was prohibited from entering the city centre and we had to walk or take a cycle rickshaw!

Initially appalled at having a man pull us, we were slightly reluctant to get into one. But we really had no option since we had now idea where to walk though helpful passersby did point vaguely in some direction and told us it wasn’t far away. we did look for one because we really had no option. However, we preferred to rely on the navigational skills of the rickshaw puller and hired a cycle rickshaw.

The hotel is really very well appointed and the Staff extremely polite and efficient. After settling down we had a delicious vegetarian dinner and decided to set off to see the Kalbhairav temple since it was open till 11 pm and we thought the crowds would be thinner.

At the temple

We took an eRikshaw to the temple and were amazed to find a 2 km-long queue of people waiting in single file down a narrow side lane to enter the temple.

This temple is one of the oldest and most significant temples dedicated to Kaal Bhairav, a fierce avatar of Lord Shiva. “Kaal” means both death and time. According to legend, Brahma and Vishnu were arguing who among them was the more powerful. Brahma boasted that undoubtedly it was him. This so enraged Vishnu that they had a fight. Shiva intervened with a blazing light that made one of Brahma’s heads fall off. The head was caught by Bhairav who was condemned to wander in all the three worlds till finally he reached Kashi. There he was allowed to keep the head down symbolizing Shiva’s power to destroy and transform. Lord Shiva appointed Kaal Bhairav as the guardian of Kashi, with the authority to protect the city

The temple is amidst a maze of narrow streets and we could hardly make out where we were going as we were entering through one of the side entrances. Finally, a priest approached us and offered to take us ahead of the queue.

People were crawling at snail’s pace, shoulder to shoulder , bodies pressed to get a glimpse of the silver idol of Kaal Bhairav. As we made , our way out after a blink-and-miss it moment, I was pushed ahead and slipped on toa step. The momentum made At rip over me and she fell to the side where she twisted her foot. Luckily, there was no major damage and she bravely went ahead to ne of the many shrines in the complex: the shrine dedicated to the Nine Planets. Here we were allowed to circumambulate around the platform and offer a lit lamp along with our prayers.

Tired and a bit shaken by the fall, we decided to head back home in the eRickshaw that was luckily waiting for us.

Since we arrived into Varanasi at a very auspicious time of the Kumbh, no online visits were allowed. Because of this, the temple was open till 11 at night.

At normal times, however, one can book an online visit and have a much calmer and more peaceful darshan.

Apart from the transport restrictions, we were forbidden to take our mobile phones etc so these images I’ve used are from the net. Apologies for not taking prior permission

Despite the long day, we were happy that our trip was off to a good start.

Ciao,