Benarasi Dussehra

Varanasi, Benares, is one of the Bengali’s most loved cities which they fondly refer to as Kashi. When I was a child, my first introduction to the holy city was made by the film - ‘Joi Baba Felunath’ (Bangla) - directed by Satyajit Ray in 1979. Since then the images of river ‘ghats’ (stepped embankment) and narrow ‘gullies’ (lanes) of this ancient city has allured me. My first visit to the city was realized much later in 2011 by the time I had completed my post-graduate studies. Durga Puja is inarguably the biggest festival for Bengalis; and it might be interesting to be in Kashi on such an occasion where Bengalis are settled in large concentrations – this is the idea which propelled me to make a quick decision to visit the city right in the middle of the Puja this year, and that too at the probable cost of missing upon the festive mood in Kolkata – the Mecca of this autumnal festival. And, now, I thank myself for having had made the switch!

Puja & Pandals

The Vibhuti Express landed me in Benares on the eighth day of the festivity – ‘Ashtami’. Having had checked into a backpackers’ hostel in Bhelupura, I got started on my look-out for how the Bengalis of Benares do celebrate their biggest festivity – the Durga Puja. Bengali populace here is concentrated in old parts of the city along the river, namely, Bangali Tola, Sonarpura, and also in Bhelupura. As per the newspaper reports, this year, Puja was organized at about 250 premises in the city-proper. This is almost nothing in comparison to the scale of the festivity in Kolkata – where I was coming from, and where the count is close to an astonishingly high 3,500! Though one would be fool in even attempting such a comparison; however, it was hard to avoid.

A large number of the pavilions were set up by blocking the narrow alleys in old quarters of the city close to the river. Arrangements made at the premises of two renowned charitable institutions-cum-‘ashrams’ founded by Bengalis, namely Bharat Sevashram Sangha at Sigra and Ramkrishna Mission on Luxa Road, attract citizens and visitors alike. Benares, being a pilgrim city, is dotted by many low-budget accommodation facilities called ‘dharamshalas’. Few community associations make arrangements for Puja by covering up the inner courtyards in such premises facilitating large congregations. Other associations come up with elaborate pandals/ pavilions set up on open-grounds or public-plazas, such as the one at the Hathuwa Market.

Size of the pavilion is limited by the width of narrow lanes in Sonarpura

Benares is still not blown away by the so-called ‘theme-puja’ fever, which has taken Kolkata in its tight grip for over a decade now. ‘Puja-pandals’ in present Kolkata are largely designed as theme-based art installations, drawing large number of visitors who do not mind queuing up in front of such ornate pavilions for hours. On the other hand, in Benares, the pavilions are not too elaborate and the clay-idols are still designed in old-school style – Goddess Durga wearing red-saree, Lakshmi in pink and Saraswati in white or royal blue. It reminded me that the idols in Kolkata were also used to be draped in these particular colors, but not anymore. Somehow, it felt that Benares still holds the essence of the sacred in its festivity, which is fast declining in Kolkata – it being transformed into an annual art extravaganza.

Traditional colors of idols' clothing being retained. Puja at Bharat Sevashram Sangha, Sigra

Dharamsalas as seats of celebration (Puja organized by Young Boys' Club at Bireshwar Pandey Dharamshala, Luxa Road)

Speakers playing blaring music would announce that a puja-pandal is down the alley; a canopy of running lights would guide one along the lane. The choice of music played is good enough to indicate if the arrangements are made by a Bengali or a non-Bengali association! Interestingly, the gathering space inside the pavilion is split into two compartments for the two genders. Members of the association gather and largely spend these few days of festivity at the pavilions; hence, adequate sitting arrangements are being made. Competitions like ‘dhunuchi-naach’ (typical dance form holding clay-pot with burning incense) will be organized for the members to participate.

Running light display being quite effective to guide one along the narrow lane

Visarjan

I had an impression that immersion of clay idols in River Ganga on the tenth and final day of the festive period is an attraction. It would be accompanied by grand processions starting from the pandal till the river ghat, where the idols will be loaded in a boat and taken to the middle of the river stream and immersed into water. However, this year immersion of idols in river was banned, in compliance to an order issued by the High Court in 2013. A month back in Benares, a group’s insistence upon immersing Ganesh idol in Ganga was arrested by the police, which had sparked unrest in the city. Fearing similar commotion, a sense of tension was in the air, as the same was being discussed by almost everyone in the city. As a mark of protest, few of the organizers had worshipped ‘kalash’ (urns) instead of clay-idols.

Kalash (urn) instead of the idols in a puja-pandal at Hathuwa Market - as a mark of protest.

To cope with the situation, the city authority had identified and prepared nine water-bodies, or, ‘kunds’ to facilitate immersion. Moreover, two new tanks were being prepared, especially for immersion purpose, at Khirkiya Ghat in the north, and one beneath the Viswa-sundari Bridge in the southern end of the city. Even taking out grand processions accompanying the immersion was prohibited this year.

Immersion of idols in river Ganga was prohibited. Immersion at Lakshmi Kund. 

Ramlila

I was expecting a Dussehra-special episode of the renowned ‘Ganga-aarti’ at Dasaswamedh Ghat on the final day of the festivity; however, I was told that it’s just the same. What was special, apart from Durga Puja in this part of the year, was ‘Ramlila’, particularly the one which is being organized at the Lanka ground of Ramnagar –City of Lord Rama – across the river Ganga. ‘Ramlila’ – is the dramatic enactment of the life of Lord Rama as described in the Hindu epic ‘Ramayana’. The Ramlila tradition, including the one staged in Ramnagar, has been acknowledged by UNESCO as an oral and intangible heritage of humanity in the year 2005. This 185 years old Ramnagar-version is staged for 31 days, with a daily staging of an act from the play as penned by Goswami Tulsidas in ‘Ramcharitmanas’ – commonly referred as ‘Manas’. This particular practice in Ramnagar was initiated in the year 1830 CE by the then Kashi Naresh (King of Benares); and it has continued receiving the royal patronage. Even today, the present Kashi Naresh attends the play every evening, atop an elephant.

Ramlila at Lanka Ground in Ramnagar. World Heritage.

I was surprised to find that the staging of the play is still being held in primitive fashion; neither any electronic amplifying system, nor any electric lighting was in use at the arena – rather the typical rurally available ‘petromax lights’ atop bamboo poles were hoisted to lit up the staging area. As the play progresses, many an audience were reciting from their personal copies of the ‘Manas’ under the beam of a torch light which they were carrying. Though thousands would have been present at the ground, there was no chaos. One would be scolded by the audience if he/she wasfound chatting, talking over a phone, or clicking photographs. What I realized is that Ramlila is not a mere entertaining play; rather it’s a serious ritual which the audience adheres to every evening over a month. Unlike a usual gathering, if the audience finds something appreciable, theywould not burst into claps; rather the chants of ‘Har Har Mahadev’ or, ‘bolo Sri Ramachandra jee ki jai’ would resound in the ground. Unfortunately, I had to miss the grand show of Ravan Dahan – burning of the effigies of the demons- as it was supposed to start late in the night.

Other communal rituals associated with Ramlila in Benares are Nakkataiya (cutting the nose of Supranakha – Ravana’s sister) and Bharat Milap. Tableaux with staging of various scenes from Ramayana would do the rounds of various parts of the city on occasion of Nakkataiya, which is famous in Chetganj in Benares. On the day next to Dashami, the reunion of Rama and Bharat is enacted at the historic site of Nati Imli in Benares where thousands gather, and so does the Kashi Naresh.

Nothing extraordinarily special at Dashashwamedh Ghat on Dusshera