A Journey Throught India's Heartland
By Vimla Patil

You can not really understand the Indian mind unless you take time off from your frenetic metro India lifestyle and travel leisurely through the Varanasi-Allahabad-Ayodhya belt in Uttar Pradesh. A mesmerising triangle of Indian culture, this region - with its passion for religion, mythology, history, textiles and food - is unique in every way. Travelling around this area in Uttar Pradesh which is often called the heartland of India, is truly a revelation in itself!

The great rush of Dussera/Diwali pilgrimages is just over. Allahabad - which is also called Tirthraj Prayag - is breathing freely again after millions of devotees - who converged on this city for a holy bath - have taken their dip in the sacred Ganga-Yamuna-Saraswati sangam and departed for their own destinations.The last of the pilgrims are packing up their souvenirs and leaving for home. The sands of the riverbed are cooling down with November mists & winds and the city is drenched in the mellow light of the pre-winter sun. Nearby, Varanasi also rejuvenates itself after the pilgrim rush. And of course, Ayodhya, home to lakhs of holy men, rests before the springtime festival of Ram Navami in a few months from now.
Not long after the new year dawned on January 1, 2010, the festival of Vasant Navaratri and the Indian new year day of Gudi Padva or Yugadi has come; and once again, the cities in this historic belt awakened to vibrant life again. Millions thronged once again to the holy shrines and rivers to celebrate the first nine days of Vasant or springtime in the company of learned scholars, to listen to devotional songs and discourses given in thousands of institutions and public areas.

To begin with, Varanasi, one of the most ancient cities of the world, built more than 5000 years ago as the celebrated centre of Hindu culture, throbs with excitement at the advent of the New Year day. Nationally known artists like Hari Prasad Chourasia and others, together with groups of folk dancers from around the region and the greatest Sanskrit pundits of Varanasi, gather on the Dashashwamedh Ghat from the twilight hours of the day before to create a unique panorama of music and spectacle on the riverbank. In the twinkling lights which decorate the ghats, the Ganga looks serene and peaceful, though depleted because of the early summer. The stage, close to its waters, is lit up and recitations of the holy scriptures continue throughout the night. As sunrise draws near, morning ragas reverberate on the ghats and the plaintive musical notes waft through the temples where devotees have kept a night long vigil for the new year's first sunrise. As the horizon is slowly lit with shards of pink sunbeams, the conches reverberate in the quiet atmosphere and songs in honour of the new dawn resound in the cool morning. People by the thousands, who feel the excitement of the event, stay up all night to bring in the Indian New Year with devotion and joy.

THE CITY ITSELF IS A THUNDER-BALL OF CONTINUING EXCITEMENT. THE MANY TEMPLES HERE ATTRACT HORDES AS NOWHERE ELSE AND THE FESTIVE CROWDS ARE SOME SIGHT TO SEE. THE CITIZENS DRESS UP FOR THE VASANT NAVARATRI AND VISIT ONE TEMPLE OR THE OTHER. OF COURSE, THE INTERNATIONALLY KNOWN KASHI VISHWANATH TEMPLE ON THE BANKS OF THE GANGA IS THE MOST VISITED.

Though this event marks one day in the passion-driven life of Varanasi, the city itself is a thunder-ball of continuing excitement. The many temples here attract hordes as nowhere else and the festive crowds are some sight to see. The citizens dress up for the Vasant Navaratri and visit one temple or the other. Of course, the internationally known Kashi Vishwanath temple on the banks of the Ganga is the most visited. More than one lakh of people float into Varanasi to see this temple and the ancient city each day. At this festive time, the temple is overcrowded with pilgrims. The temple, destroyed and razed several times by invaders and looters, was built in its present grandeur by Ahilyabai Holkar in 1785 and was covered later with pure gold by Maharaja Ranjit Singh of the Punjab. The temple stands at the end of a narrow lane, lined with flower shops. Popular wares like vessels for Gangajal, bangles and decorations for women, items of worship and sweets are available in great variety in these shops. The Manikarnika Ghat, where the dead are cremated, is nearby and the Kachori-Jalebi Street, where the participants of the funerals come after their job is completed, serves these well-known delicacies to them all 24 hours. In fact, the kachoris and jalebis of Varanasi are so famous that almost everyone eats them for breakfast. Varanasi is replete with sweet shops where confections of a hundred varieties are sold. So also, there are thousands of paan shops to cater to the people who seem to eat paan every hour of the day. Varanasi is a popular destination for foreign tourists who wish to experience the passion and driving force of Hinduism in India, for, it is here that visitors can truly feel and participate in the throbbing flow of the religion. Textile and agricultural produce merchants also throng the city for business. In addition to being a religious centre, Varanasi is the hub of business for eastern Uttar Pradesh and thus, is crowded throughout the year.

Varanasi has more temples than one can visit in a whole month. But the most visited are those of Sankatmochan Hanuman, Tulsi Manas Mandir, Vishalakshi, Kalbhairav, Annapoorna, Dhundiraj Ganesh, Birla Mandir of Panchmukhi Shiv, Lakshmi Narayan and the temples inside the campus of the Banaras Hindu University. Of course, the five main ghats on the river also attract millions of visitors and bathers. Some distance away, stand the ruins of Sarnath, where Gautam the Buddha lived and preached his first sermon. From here, he sent missionaries to various parts of the world to preach Buddhism. These historic monuments, whose glory is described in the writings of Chinese travellers in 500 to 700 AD, were destroyed by Muslim invaders in 1200 AD. Only ruins are visible today. The Mulagandha Vihara in Sarnath, constructed to enshrine the relics of Buddha's body, stands nearby. The relics consecrated here in a silver casket, were found - with an accompanying inscription - by a British governor of the region in the 19th century and were handed over to the Maha Bodhi Society for careful preservation. These sites attract hordes of Buddhist devotees from Sri Lanka, Japan, China and all other countries. India's national symbol, the unique Ashokan capital with four lions roaring for world peace in all four directions, can be seen in the Sarnath museum. The city offers great treasures of Hindu and Buddhist scholarship to those interested.

The journey from Varanasi to Allahabad or Prayag is not long. This city is simple, compared to Varanasi.  There are no major temples and the high court, the Anand Bhavan of the Nehru family and some other sites attract tourists. The main attraction of this city is the Sangam where three of the holiest rivers of India meet in a confluence. Millions come here to bathe and go back with new vigour and enthusiasm for life. The river, whose water remains fresh for decades without any deterioration, is not full in the winter and the summer. Yet the boats ply on the waters and pilgrims are taken to the meeting point of the rivers to bathe and pray. The basin of the Sangam is large and only the different colours of the river waters help to differentiate between the Yamuna and the Ganga. The Saraswati is, of course, invisible.

A short flight or train journey away stands the Nawabi city of Lucknow where the Gomti flows silent and smooth. On its banks are palaces of Nawabs and other historic buildings created by the royal families who ruled the kingdom of Avadh. The bylanes of the city offer embroidered fabrics, sweets of a grand variety and food to please every palate. From here, Ayodhya, the kingdom of Ram, is not far away. Though presently enmeshed in a controversy because of the demolition of the Babri Masjid, Ayodhya throbs with life all year through and especially around Ram Navami is the high point of the Vasant Navaratri - the first nine days of the month of Chaitra.  The atmosphere of the city rings with the name of Ram and lakhs of pilgrims walk in the streets, visiting the shrines and meeting the holy men who live in the area.  The place where Sita was received as a bride, the kitchen where she cooked, the palace where Dashrath lived, the place where Ram and Sita were worshipped, all are marked by temples.  Thousands come here to eat prasad and to see the world-famous site of Ram Janmabhoomi. The city is so charged with the name of Ram and such incomparable passion is obvious among the people, that it almost takes one's breath away.  The Saryu River, holy because the feet of Ram touched its waters, flows by serenely.  Ayodhya is a city all Indians must see to experience the heart of India.

These three cities, it may well be said, form the heartland of Indian culture and religious history. It is evident that early civilisations were built on the banks of the biggest rivers of India. Rivers were considered holy not only because of their mythical origin, but also because they were the life giving forces of the Indian civilisation throughout the ages. The cities still retain the flavour of bygone eras and help modern, city-bred Indians and international visitors to live in several eras simultaneously. Visiting these cities and their heritage sites is like going back into the past grandeur of India and experiencing one's roots and their magnificent strength