So what kind of place is it and how does it make one feel to be in one of the most “holy” cities in the world?  This short film considers just that by showing the city as it wakes and as it goes to sleep.

Varanasi: City of Gods from Basho Matsuo on Vimeo.

Varanasi is not a city for the beginner traveller.  There are many dangers to being in such a place, both physically and spiritually. While we were there we unwittingly saw the results of a murder, were followed and threatened by a local targeting tourists, eyed up by countless armed police and got into some heated arguments with the local Tuk Tuk drivers who attempted to rip us off.  For us, having travelled for so long, this was taken all in our stride. The other dangers in Varanasi appear to be spiritual.  The entire place is full of European Yogic converts who live in Ashrams up and down the banks.  That you could lose yourself here was for me the real danger I sought to avoid.

There is a definite sense of this being a holy city.  It is filthy and downtrodden like many Indian cities, but its immense ancientness is captivating.  I have tried to show some of that in this film. The ceremony shown at the end of the film is known as the Varanasi Dashashwamedh Ghat Agni Pooja Ceremony and practiced daily in honour of the gods:

“Dashashwamedh Ghat is located close to “Vishwanath Temple”, and is
probably the most spectacular ghat. Two Hindu mythologies are
associated with it: According to one, Lord Brahma created it to
welcome Lord Shiva. According to another, Lord Brahma sacrificed ten
horses in a yajna here. A group of priests daily perform in the
evening at this ghat “Agni Pooja” (Worship to Fire) wherein a
dedication is made to Lord Shiva, River Ganga, Surya (Sun), Agni
(Fire), and the whole universe.”