Sacred Sojourn: A Spiritual Odyssey Through Varanasi, Ayodhya, and Lucknow

By Nimish Parhar

Varanasi and Ayodhya are places of extreme serenity and spirituality. They are the embodiment of culture and religion in India, and I had the opportunity of visiting these places with my family. This five-day-long tour changed me spiritually and I have gained a priceless insight into the history, myths and legends which govern our society. 

Our trip started on 26 th November 2023. I was awakened with the sight of my parents getting the final touches just perfect. I quickly brushed my teeth and took a bath. I was tasked with waking up my cousins and taking the bags out of the house and into the car. Thus, we drove into the horizon…. to the airport. We thankfully arrived on time and were able to board the plane. It took us only 3 hours to get to Varanasi! A truly impressive engineering feat. 

Us, little kids were given our own rooms, which we were excited about. We were staying at one of the most luxurious hotels – The Taj. We rested and went to sleep on the first day, excited about what the next day would behold. Our first visit was to the Sri Kashi Vishwanath Temple which stands on the banks of the Ganges. An ancient temple surrounded by modern walls, the Kashi temple was built in the nagara style, with spires converging at the top. It also included a stay-in, but it was modernised. 

Our tour guides gave us VIP access to all visiting places, so we didn’t have to wait for too long. To get Lord Shiva’s blessing in Kashi temple, people would wait up to 5 hours in line! The dedication of people of India towards their Gods never ceases to amaze me. We had a special ritual done just for our family and received the blessing of lord Shiva. We then drove all the way to Sarnath to see the relics of Gautama Buddha. The Sarnath stupa was built by King Ashoka and my cousins were left dumbfounded by the sheer size of the mega structure. A kind local agreed to become our guide and we learned a lot more about the history of the monument. There were many, many foreigners who had come to see the stupa, and some of them were seen chatting with the locals. 

It was now time for lunch, and my stomach was growling. Thankfully we went to a very famous place in Varanasi- Baati Chokha. During G20, the delegates of various countries ate there and the places held significant cultural importance. They served only one dish but it was filled with savoury goodness. But, as a true citier, my favourite was fried paneer. Our next visit was to the evidently remote Kalbhairav Temple, which also housed Lord Shiva. Through the by-lanes of modernity we reached the temple which stood there for five centuries. As the day passed, we did some more sightseeing and shopping. and it was time for the main event. We drove to the banks of river Ganga and were greeted with two ginormous namastes. We booked a boat which would tour us around river Ganga and would be ready for Ganga puja at 7 pm. 

It was a spectacle to behold. 5 Rishis were doing the ritual, ostensibly playing with the fire. They danced with such mesmerising steps. The most astounding thing for me was the seemingly countless number of people who were attending the ritual. Some had been at the event since morning, just to get the front seat. The ritual lasted for three hours. We sailed through Ganga once again, admiring the picturesque night view of the holy river. And thus, our second day at Varanasi ended. The next day, we checked out of the hotel and got ready for the long haul to the city of Ram. But there was nothing ancient about our journey there. 

We drove in a SUV and the highway was of top-notch quality due to which we sailed through to Ayodhya, catching breaks for lunch and washroom. We reached Ayodhya at around 5 p.m. The elders in our group were ecstatic to see the construction of the new Ram temple which was promised to be up and running by mid-January. We, unfortunately, had to walk several miles to reach the temple because an important MLA was on a visit. But that didn’t dampen our mood as we entered the temple without further delay. We prayed to Lord Ram and most of our elders made a donation and kept the receipt as a keep-sake. A most wonderful thing then occurred when a friend of my father appeared and told us that he had a friend in construction who was willing to show us a preview of the temple. I entered the temple and saw that it held a massive place. The worker then gave us a tour around the place and we saw many old relics of the old temple. We thanked the worker for this wonderful opportunity and headed our way. 

There was yet another journey which awaited us. Journey to the city of Nawabs. Lucknow and Ayodhya are only 150 kms apart, but the difference in their looks, as-per-say, is vastly different. One is a cultural giant and another a tech gigalith. As it was getting dark, we checked-in to our hotel and went to sleep. The next day was dedicated to shopping, to which we kids weren’t keen about. The ladies went out shopping for some lucknowi and Benarasi sarees and shirts, while we adults went sightseeing. We went to see the Ambedkar monument, which signified the triumph of justice and determination. It was built on a very big plot of land and I personally have a soft spot for the architecture. As afternoon dawned, I suddenly realised that this was the last day of our trip and it would soon be over. We ate our lunch at Dastarkhwan, which is famous for its Mughlai Dishes. With a full stomach and a satisfied heart, we left Lucknow and landed back at Mumbai. Looking back, this was one of the best adventures that I had ever experienced. The divinity and spirituality of the same had left me speechless. I had a lot of fun with my family and I will be sure to visit Varanasi and Ayodhya again.