I visited Sarnath (deer park), which is a little disappointment. The glorious land where Dharma first shine, now becomes a park for lovers instead of deer… However, the temples from all the various country, Thailand, Japan, Myanmar, Korea, Tibet and many more make up for it. One of the most significant temples is the Sri Lanka, Mahabodhi temple, the architecture of the temple is stunning, and the life size sculpture of the Buddha turning the notion of Dharma to the 5 disciples is reflective. There’s also the sutta in various languages on the Buddha first teaching.
I visited the museum which is amazing. The sculpture excavated from the site in Sarnath style is breathe-taking. One of the finest compared to the Mauryan and Gupta which of course have a little influence from Ghandhara.
Not wanting to leave Varansi without a boat ride in the Ganges River, I asked my auto-rickshaw driver to alight me at the Assi Ghat. From there, I met 4 Germans and one Dutch as I’m not willing to pay for one whole boat by myself. I asked them if they mind if I join, they replied yes, and happily asked me to tag along. As the weather is gloomy, dark cloud overcast the river. It’s a little intimidating to hop on the boat. Nonetheless, we went ahead, amazingly, it’s a wonderful experience. It’s feels like we are on a boat against the stormy weather. There are lightings which turn outs to be my new found mates’ camera flashes. We reached the Daminikai Ghat just in time as the fire Puja is about to start. We walked about 15mins before locating the Ghat which performed the Puja. It’s one of the holiest rituals I’ve ever seen. Maybe it’s in front of the wide and horizonless river. Even though the rains keep pouring, it didn’t stop the ritual. While standing on the side of the long stairways in the rain, the kind tourist police officer invited to his small booth to take shelter.
After the puja, my newly made friends invited me to their guest house for dinner. On my way back, the road was flooding and I was totally drenched. Oh dear, I might need an extra pair of boots!
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