Once upon a time Gullapalli Venkata Surya Kumar (My Maternal Uncle) lived in this world. He left for heavenly abode on 16th March 2023 after leading his life in his own unique style. He was always friendly to others and affectionate. No words can describe him and he always resides in our heart. In his passing away we lost a gem. As per his wish, his last rites were performed in Varanasi and he seems to have given me a chance to visit Varanasi and pay my last respects to him.
It will not be appropriate if I don’t talk about these two young men. Simran is Aditya’s Cousin and Aditya is the son of Kumar. They may seemed to be laughing in the above picture, but they carry immense sadness in their hearts. These two young men performed the last rites of Kumar in a traditional manner and we need to appreciate them for that. Actually it’s very unfortunate that they had to do this at a very young age since we lost Kumar at a very young age of 56. These two young men have helped Kumar in attaining salvation by performing his last rites in Kasi the heavenly abode of Lord Shiva.
We have reached Varanasi from Hyderabad on the evening of 23rd March after flying via Bangalore. We stayed for five nights in Varanasi and left for Hyderabad on the early morning of 28th March.
In Varanasi you have to use three modes of transport for commute. The first mode is by autos (famously called as Toto) and the second mode is by rickshaw. The third mode is of course walking. In order to reach a place you may have to use all the three modes. First you travel for some distance in Toto and then take a rickshaw followed by walking for the remaining distance.
The first thing that will attract you is the narrow streets of Varanasi that run for miles together. They are called Gali in Hindi language. In these Galis only two wheelers and pedestrians can pass through. That’s why we need to be prepared for lot of walking before landing in Varanasi.
Varanasi is a magnificent city, rising from the western bank of the River Ganga, where the River takes a broad crescent sweep towards the north. Bathing in this river will purify our soul as per the Hindu mythology. The river was very clean and I have not seen any scary things as told to me earlier. We got a chance to bathe in the river, attend the Harati and riding on boat. The most beautiful thing to do is to sit on the banks of this river and let the time pass through as the river flows. The river tells us that we are observing a new river every other second and we are also like that river with our mind and body rejuvenating continuously.
I got to visit all the ghats starting fromAssi Ghat to Manikarnika Ghat. A Ghat is a riverfront steps leading to the banks of the river. I went on a early morning walk starting from the first Ghat on the south side (Assi) till Manikarnika Ghat which is 3.5 kilometers away from Assi Ghat. One cannot restrain from appreciating the beauty of these ghats and the walkway that was built connecting all these ghats. I am hoping to present you a video on these ghats shortly.
Early morning and evening one shall not miss the Ganga Harati. It’s a visual treat for the eyes and also a way of praying to Ganga Mata. We got to attend one Harati at Assi Ghat. The Harati at Dash Ashwamedha Ghat is very famous and we watched it from a boat.
One of the must do things in the Varanasi is taking a boat ride either early morning or during sunset. You can also watch Ganga Harati while being on a boat. They come in different sizes and shapes. Some are motorized and some are manually driven.
It’s considered that one attains salvation if they are cremated in Varanasi. Harischandra Ghat and Manikarnika Ghat are the two ghats where cremation is done continuously. These ghats are in the midst of a busy city, adjacent to the bathing ghats, and are holy grounds for death. It’s a common site to watch a dead body being carried to one of these Ghats every other minute.
Until we die, we need to eat to nourish our body and mind. While in Varanasi, one has to try Kachodi Sabji, Jalebi, Lassi, Hot Badam milk, Badam Thandai and Paan. Go to the famous shop The Ram Bhandar for Kachodi Sabji and Jalebi. One must try Lassi at the Blue Lassi shop.
The most important thing to do in Varanasi is to visit the Kashi Vishwanath temple and have darshan of Lord Shiva. Lord Shiva has manifested here in the form of a Jyothir Lingam. I was fortunate to have the darshan of the lord eight times. While being happy about that, I was also sad since I will not be able to see Kumar again.
In conclusion, Varanasi is a must visit pilgrimage destination for all. I never thought that I will be in Varanasi. It appears that Kumar has brought me here and I am sure he will be happy about that. But we will miss him. He is no longer there to read this blog and to appreciate. We will miss him in every aspect of life. His blessings will be there always with us. And he will always reside in our hearts.
vsrsastry 
Beautiful blog Sastry and at the same time remembering Kumar! May his soul rest in peace!
Chinnammalu
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Some beautiful pictures and a loving to ode to Kumar. His son looks so much like Kumar, that I identified him immediately although I have seen Kumar, myself only couple of times possibly. Yes, surely he will be remembered as a very amicable person. He will always have a place in my heart. Appreciate you blogging about this and making our memories of him, permanently etched on electronic paper.
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Excellent Sastry. This is a great real tribute to Kumar from you.
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Excellent Sastry, This is the real great tribute to Kumar
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