Ganga Aarti - A Visual Spectacle at Varanasi

The Worship of Rivers : In Temples in India, Aarti is offered to the presiding deity. Aarti, a ritual rooted in Vedic culture is a pooja(worship) to the image/statue of the deities. But have you ever observed the worshiping of a river? In Karnataka, I have seen the river Kaveri being worshiped in Talakaveri. It is worshiped there in a small shrine. Thus, worshiping of natural forces is one of the central aspects of Sanatana Dharma.

Ganga, The Eternal River : Ganga, the 2,525 km long river is worshiped throughout its course, especially at important pilgrimage centers in northern part of India. I had witnessed Ganga Aarti for the first time couple of days ago in Prayag. Ganga Aarti, a visual spectacle, is not to be missed if you are travelling along the course of river Ganga. Waving of light emanating from the multi wick brass lamps with rhythmic ringing of bells and chants forms one of the spectacular shows on earth!

Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat, Varanasi

Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat : Ganga Aarti is performed at two sites in Dashshwamedh Ghat simultaneously. Soon after Ganga Snan, we were near one of the sites of performance. Usually Aarti is performed at the ghat near the steps leading to the river Ganga. As the river had flooded the shores, alternate arrangements were made.
One site was near the shore on a raised platform. Other was the veranda (without the roof) of somebody’s house. When we reached the first site, it was already crowded with people occupying the chairs in front of the stage of performance. We wanted to get a closer glimpse of the rituals. We could not have got it in this place. So, we had to go to the next place and we don’t know how.

Ganga Aarti in Varanasi

The Adventure! After a while, we could get hold of a person, who could transport us to the second site of Ganga Aarti performance. That of course, with a fee per head! We paid him the money(don’t remember how much), he made us enter through the back door! What? He took us to the rear of the house and asked us to climb the wall which would lead us to the roof of the house! Err… What are we doing…? We are getting an illegal entry into somebody’s house in the holy city of Varanasi! We were in a dilemma! But then we unanimously decided to take the plunge, more so, because we could see many people on the roof already! Also, we did not want this last opportunity to witness the Ganga Aarti up close! But before we could climb the wall and complete our adventure, the guy who brought us there disappeared in a flash.

A Performer holding brass lamp during Ganga Aarti in Varanasi

The Ganga Aarti : Much anticipated ritual began with the reciting of shlokas in Sanskrit.
Tvam-Eva Maataa Ca Pitaa Tvam-Eva (You Truly are my Mother And You Truly are my Father)
Tvam-Eva Bandhush-Ca Sakhaa Tvam-Eva(You Truly are my Relative And You Truly are my Friend)
Tvam-Eva Viidyaa Dravinnam Tvam-Eva (You Truly are my Knowledge and You Truly are my Wealth)
Tvam-Eva Sarvam Mama Deva Deva (You Truly are my All, My God of Gods).
This is one of the finest attributions of almighty. After this prayer, elaborately dressed performers of the Aarti blew the conch indicating the beginning of the actual ritual of Ganga Aarti. Initially, holding incense sticks in one hand and a bell in another, performers worshiped the river Ganga by circulating the lit incense sticks facing the river. After that, dhup aarti (aarti with a different kind of incense stick) was performed. Then came the much awaited aarti done using multi tiered and multi wicked brass lamps. The brass lamps, which were lit formed a pyramid of light points. You ought to be in Varanasi to experience this. People say one should watch it from the boat on the river. But with the floods, Jal police was in action and also, some exclusive boat owners were quoting exorbitant prices. Aarti continued then with the serpent shaped brass lamps. After a while, flowers were showered upon the holy river. Hand fans were then used to perform the Aarti. Then performers held Chaamara (hand-held fan made of fur like material) for worship. Along with the aarti, bhajans and chants were being sung in the background, creating a truly divine experience of the east! At the end of the performance, all people prayed in unison for the betterment of the humans on earth. It is an elated feeling being part of such a huge gathering praying for the well being of all human beings. To be part of such a great tradition, that is having such a broader outlook for the entire world, was a proud feeling for me. I could feel the vibrations of positive energy right there!

Serpent shaped brass lamp used in Ganga Aarti, Varanasi

Idol of Mother Ganga, Varanasi

Man with a stick! The owner of the house was roaming in the roof of the house during the entire Aarti. He was trying to find out who were the uninvited guests! I believe he would have collected money from the spectators, who came through the front door and he was unaware of the folks who entered through the backdoor, without paying him the entry fee! Scary part was that he had a stick in his hand! When the aarti got over, he was finally able to recognize us and he questioned – aap logon ko kisne andar choda?(Who let you guys in?). We were seeing each other’s faces at the next moment. Looking at our anxious faces, he asked us - was it that guy - giving description of the person’s appearance. We could identify the guy and he let us out! This time we were coming out from the house’s main gate! While going out, I observed the Idol of Maa Ganga(mother Ganga), which was also worshiped during the Ganga Aarti.

A Sadhu at Varanasi

The Sadhu : It was a mixed experience at the end of Ganga Aarti with the visual spectacle and some anxious moments on the roof! Anyway, one could imagine Varanasi typically filled with Sadhus smeared with vibhooti and wearing saffron robe. Though we could not notice the sadhus that frequently, we could get a glimpse of a sadhu right after Ganga Aarti on the streets of Varanasi. He stood still, while we were observing him. After a while, we got into a south Indian restaurant, finished our dinner and called it a day!

Related Posts :

• Ganga Snan - Taking a dip in the Holy River!
• Triveni Sangam, Prayag
• Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Varanasi
• New Kashi Vishwanath Temple at Banaras Hindu University

References :
Greenmesg.org