Veranasi

In the morning we rose early to witness people arriving at the Ghats to bathe in the Ganges. Along the shore were umbrellas marking each priest who would offer prayers to Shiva. Chanil, the Hindu priest on our boat offered a prayer for the deceased and then we poured wheat flour, flowers and black sesame seeds into the river. Mary sat before him to receive a special prayer on her birthday after which he tried an orange string around her wrist (for which I forgot the meaning). As we went further down the river, we saw men washing clothes and more Ghats built by the Rajahs from other provinces of India. Pilgrims from the various provinces bathed in the river.

Bathing in the Ganges

We then left to go to the Mother India Temple inaugurated by Gandhi in 1937. Here was an immense relief map of the Indian subcontinent. Particularly impressive was the valleys of Kashmir and Nepal, surrounded by the Himalayas. Also obvious was the Khyber pass as one of the few passages through the mountains.
After breakfast, we went to a silk embroidery shop with both ancient and modern looms. Simpler patterns are encoded on two boards on the modern (100 years old) loom. Complicated patterns like human figures below, use the ancient loom with multiple patterns dictated by strings. There are over 50,000 looms in Varanasi, of which 300 are employed by the shop keeper we visited.

Embroidered figures

In the afternoon, we visited the Sarnath, where Buddha began his preaching. He was born in Nepal as a prince, but his father initially sheltered his son from the real world. However, Prince Sitar gave up royalty after observing the suffering of the people. He began traveling and meditating. While meditating under a tree, he realized that desire is the cause of all sorrow. His preaching was about abolishing castes, not worshiping idols, and non-violence. Like the Hindus, he also believed in re-incarnation until you reach heaven where there is no birth and re-birth. We visited the Buddhist temple here where the walls have murals depicting the birth, death and Buddha being tempted. Nearby the temple is a 3rd century stupa.

Buddhist temple at Sarnath

Finally we stopped at the Sarnath Archeological Museum which houses Hindu and Buddhist art. the most impressive piece was Ashkoa's Lion Capital, the National Emblem of India. (I recommend clicking the link to see the piece.) On top are four lions carved in a polished sandstone, a technique that we don't know how to replicate today. 
Our day ended with a lecture from a local philosophy professor about Varanasi and Hinduism. Some of this comments: "Varanasi looks like a careless city, but it is actually a care-free city because dieing here, near the Ganges, one can reach heaven." "People here are happy, even if impoverished." "Why so many beggars? Because tourists and pilgrims give them money. To eliminate poverty, we (government, NGO's) need to give them a job, health, and security." "The caste system is changing to an employer-employee caste in an industrial society. By growing mentally and philosophically, castes will disappear." Heavy stuff.