varanasi is an ancient city with a long history. It is also the holy city of Hinduism. Every year, it attracts a large number of believers to worship and pay homage to God's will, so it is a popular tourist city. However, the smell here is a little too bad. Here are some detailed strategies to share with you.

Introduction to the city:

Address: between Varana and Ashi River in Ganges, India

Urban history:

The name of varanasi was Benares a long time ago, and it was also called "Jiaxi" in the long history of ancient times, which probably means the place where the divine light shines. In the later period of 1957, it was renamed to the present because of its ancient geography.

varanasi enjoys the title of "Light of India" and is the largest historical city along the Ganges River in India. It is said that it was built by Shiva, one of the main gods of Brahmanism and Hinduism, 6,111 years ago. As early as the 4th to 6th century BC, it has become the academic center of India. In the 5th century BC, Buddha Sakyamuni came here to preach and preach for the first time in Rokuyaon, which is about 11 kilometers northwest of the city. In the 7th century AD, Xuanzang, a monk of the Tang Dynasty in China, made a pilgrimage here. He described the ancient buildings, residents' life, street prosperity, religious situation and local customs of the city in detail in the Records of the Western Regions of Datang. In the 2nd century A.D., the ancient Indian dynasty established its capital here. Today, although varanasi is a medium-sized city in India, it is well-known as a Hindu holy land.

varanasi travel guide:

Arrive in varanasi late at night. The sky is foggy and the visibility is less than three meters. It's a little cold. I'm wearing a black down jacket and carrying two big bags. I'm walking alone in an alley that is sometimes light and sometimes dark.

At a slightly wide fork road, near my hotel, there was a dark "unknown object" lying along the street. It took me at least two seconds to realize that they were beggars. This is a "meeting gift" from varanasi.

I know that there are many beggars in India, but at this time, in such cold weather, my heart still can't help cooling down. This is a veritable sleeping street. There is no room and no bed, only a blanket picked up from some garbage dump is thinly covered.

Some blankets are too small or have holes, which are not enough to cover the whole body, revealing arms and legs that are not covered by clothes. Their heads are facing the street, they sleep neatly together, and they are completely asleep.

fortunately, this is a place where motor vehicles are strictly prohibited, otherwise, wheels will run over them at any time.

I came here again during the day. Beggars sat in a row by the roadside, holding out a hand or a plate and begging passers-by for food and small change.

but they don't stop you from asking for it at the top of their voices, but they beg in a low voice, and some simply sit quietly and wait for the food that comes automatically.

That's true. Several people are giving alms one by one with a bag of rice. Rice fell into the metal plate and made a _ _ _ _ sound.

Some children seem to have been specially brought by adults for pity education. The rice held by their small hands fell from nearly one meter high and touched the metal plate, which naturally scattered all over the floor.

Naipaul said in Dark Country: Being a beggar in India is a sacred profession, which can arouse everyone's compassion, including the poor.

Just like priests, beggars also have natural duties. Like the clergy, he also needs an organization and group that belongs to him.

These sacred beggars are numerous and extend to the banks of the Ganges River. Not surprisingly, the Ganges should be the most inclusive river in the world.

This great inclusiveness is reflected in the fact that people can not only wash clothes on the banks of the Heng River, but also swim butterfly in the Ganges River, bathe their bodies with Ganges water, brush their teeth and wash their faces in the Ganges River. Although the Ganges River has sprinkled the ashes of countless people, they have generously accepted the urine sprayed by men.

In India, where there is a wall, there is a toilet. The north bank of the Ganges River in varanasi is full of walls, which means all toilets.

The north bank of Ganges River may be the largest toilet in the world, which can accommodate tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of people at the same time. Walking along the banks of the Ganges, you will realize that someone is peeing on a wall at any time.

Although the government has placed some mobile toilets, people prefer to use natural "wall toilets".

Although those portable toilets have pipes to lead urine underground and then into the Ganges River, they still can't stop men from manipulating their water guns to scatter urine everywhere.

As a result, urine flows around the mobile toilet. Human urine is mixed with the smell of cow urine, dog urine and cow excrement, flying in the air, and the smell is surging.

Walking on the banks of the Ganges River, smelling the urine, watching crows flying, oxen getting in the way, and occasionally a monkey or two suddenly jumping out of the wall, is really delicious.

Indians like to urinate everywhere as well as urinate. Also in "The Dark Country", Naipaul mentioned that shit is a social activity, and when they engage in this activity, they have to squat together and chat while pulling.

After pulling, they stood up, waded naked into the river to clean themselves, then went back to the road, jumped on bicycles or got into cars, and roared off. Piles of excrement walked along the whole riverside. In this foul smell, people bargain and buy and sell the fish just unloaded from the ship.

that sounds interesting. Although I don't want to engage in such "social activities", I am still happy to meet them. In the incredible India, there is really nothing impossible, which is really eye-opening.

In varanasi, if you don't step on cow shit, you are embarrassed to say that you have been here. Of course, you don't have to deliberately find a lump of cow dung to step on, this kind of thing will happen naturally.

This is especially true for people like me who never stare at their feet when walking-I don't know how much cow shit I stepped on.

You may not realize it when you step on the dried cow dung. Only when a wet sticky object sticks to the toe of your shoe will you know that you have really been bitten. Yi met once.

Xiao Yi is a smart girl I met during my first trip to India. At that time, while walking, we spoke about the dark Indian cuisine and discussed how to cook a delicious China food by ourselves.

While Xiao Yi's little head was cooking a delicious local chicken, her right foot in flip-flops was deeply immersed in a soft black unknown object.

yes, it's cow shit! Fresh-baked and steaming cow shit! She is as desperate and helpless as a gazelle in a swamp. As for me, at least at that moment, I showed an undisguised schadenfreude.

Maybe there are too many gods in varanasi. Just three seconds after the cow dung accident, a little brother passed by with a bucket full of water.

I quickly stopped him, pointed to the lump on Xiaoyi's right foot and asked him for water. He generously led us aside, asked Yi to lift his right foot and slowly poured the water in the bucket. After using a third of the water, it was finally washed clean.

If India is messy, varanasi is the representative and strong evidence. Traveling in this city, you will always be aware of the existence of your nose.

these wafting smells are obvious as soon as you arrive. Only when you stay for a while can you feel its other flavor.