Vrindavan - Varanasi Yatra (Part 3)

On Day 3, we woke up by dawn and were packed & ready to leave Vrindavan by 8 a.m. after the morning rituals. We were in Vrindavan for only about a day and half which was very insufficient to  cover all the things to do here. One needs a minimum stay of a week here to justify the visit. There were many important spots we missed due to paucity of time - like the birthplace of Shri Krishna at Mathura for example. We hoped to come again soon and stay longer.

On 27th morning we had called for a car to pick us from Vrindavan and drop us at Delhi airport. Due to an error on my part, I thought our flight was at 2.45 p.m while it was in fact at 1.20 p.m. The driver came promptly at 9.20 a.m. and as we left at 9.30 a.m., I checked Google Maps to find out estimated time of arrival at Delhi Airport. It indicated a travel time of 3 hours to cover the distance of 170 kms. It was then I realised my mistake and told the driver that we need to reach by noon latest to catch our flight.

He asked me to ignore Google and relax while he took care of the driving. He drove very fast without ever crossing speed limit of 100 kmph as his car was fitted with a GPS device and his owner would be alerted if the speed exceeded it. During the next 2.5 hours I witnessed his superb driving, navigation etc. without use of any online tools. He saved about 15 minutes of time on the highway. At Gurgaon, as the traffic was slow moving (virtually crawling), he took a longer route from inside the city and saved some additional 15 minutes of driving time. We reached at 12 p.m. sharp and I was very relieved. I gave him a good tip for his help .

Our hotel - Shree Ganesha Palace

We reached Varanasi (Kashi) safely & booked an Ola car to reach our hotel. Unfortunately, as our hotel was located in the heart of the city, motorised vehicles are not allowed there during 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. So, we got dropped off about a k.m. from our destination. The proverbial last mile was covered using 2 cycle rickshaws. That was an experience in itself - virtually going at snails pace amidst heavy traffic and crowds on the streets.

After freshening up, we met a local contact at Varanasi. He is Shri Venkatraman, a retired senior banker and a long time resident of Varanasi. He & his wife have written several books on Varanasi for the benefit of devotees & tourists giving details of the holy city and its landmarks etc. They also pro bono assist and support Yatris who come to Varanasi. He was kind enough to connect us to a local guide to take us around. Along with our guide, Avneesh, we started on our temple darshan spree immediately. 

Cycle Rickshaw

After walking through the lanes (Gullies) of Kashi, we first had darshan of Dundi Ganapati. Kashi has a total of 56 such important & auspicious Ganapati and we saw only about 6 of the Ganapatis of Kashi. It is believed that darshan of Dundi Ganapati is the correct way of starting Kashi yatra.

After this, we visited the famous Annapoorna Devi temple which is adjacent to the main temple of Kashi. It was not very crowded and we had a good darshan and could chant Her stotram leisurely. We also went around in the temple and had darshan of the other deities like Devi Saraswati, BadraKali, Satyanarayan etc. within the temple.

Annaporna Devi

Next, we went to Vishalakshi temple which is a Shakti Peeth. It is a favourite destination of South Indian devotees who believe that the three Devis (Madurai Meenakshi, Kanchi Kamakshi & Kashi Vishalakshi) are closely interconnected and are but three forms of the same Devi. In this temple, the Swayambu (self formed) idol is just behind the main Deity. 

Then, we visited the Shukreshwar temple which was formed after Lord Shukra (Venus) did tapas here in Kashi and was blessed by a darshan of the Lord. Kashi has a linga associated with each of the 9 planets (Navagraha) and also has a linga representing each Jyotirlinga. In fact, a visit to Kashi is equivalent to visiting all the Jyotirlinga spread across Bharat Varsha. The main city of Kashi is located surrounded by the Jyotirlings and with Lord Vishweshwar in the centre. As per Kashi Khand within Skanda Puraan, staying three nights in Kashi city and praying to Lord Vishweshwar is sure way to get moksha by anyone.

way 

Vishalakshi Devi at Kashi

After this, we booked special darshan tickets for the Sapta Rishi Abhishek and Aarti, as advised by Shri Venkatraman, which is conducted at 7 p.m. every day in the main temple. We then entered the main Vishweshwar temple of Kashi. There was tight security check before entry and mobile phones / cameras are not allowed inside.

Once inside, we were wonder struck at the transformation of this temple. When we visited some 8 years ago, the temple used to be a narrow structure with no space for movement or proper prayers. Now, it a majestic, clean and beautiful temple. As we were early, we were asked to wait. I used the time to perform my evening prayers in the temple itself. 

At 7 p.m , we went near the sanctum and found that there was already a crowd of devotees at the four doorways of the temple waiting to witness the Saptarishi Abhishek. Somehow, we managed to squeeze in and go a standing space with clear vision of the Lord. This abhishek cum Pooja is done by seven Brahmins representing the seven Rishis who used to pray here ages ago.

The Pooja & abhishek is conducted along with a strange chanting which we had never heard before. Upon enquiry, I was told that the chanting itself is a closely guarded secret and very few know what it is. Abhishek with various articles like Ganga water, milk, curds, honey, curds etc. was followed by offering of flowers & Bilva leaves. Then alankar with various garlands was done and a silver covering of Nagas was offered. More garlands were added and then a crown was placed on top. The main linga was no longer visible. After this Dhoopam, Deepam and Neivediyam were offered. This was followed by camphor Aarti accompanied by the chanting in high tempo along with beating of drums & the Damaroo.

Saptarishi Aarti at Kashi

The whole pooja lasted a little over an hour. After this, the people with special darshan ticket were allowed inside the sanctum for a few seconds and we were allowed to touch the deity (Lingam). This was a thrilling moment and we were blessed to get this opportunity. I understand that this is the only time these days to get Sparsh darshan of the Lord - at other times, we are only allowed darshan from the doorway.

After this exhilarating experience of witnessing the Saptarishi Abhishek and Aarti and the Sparsh darshan of Lord Vishweshwar of Kashi, we left the temple premises. We had dinner at a local restaurant and returned back to our hotel to sleep the night. Thus ended Day 3 of our yatra.