Discovering spirituality in 2022

2022 is coming to an end, and looking back, I realised that all the places I’ve been to this year have a lot of religious significance. I never considered myself a religious person. I was the type who follows what is told by family like most people of my age but this year made me take part in some things by myself, the desire came from within, and I felt the change in myself.

It all started with my wish to explore Uttar Pradesh, my home state. At first, I went to Prayagraj, the city of the famous Sangam. I have some roots in that city from my maternal side. I went there for a few hours and fell in love with the city. I had visited it once as a kid before once, but this time was different. And then the magic happened, which started my spiritual journey. I took a dip in the holy Ganga for the first time in my life in the chilling month of December, and it felt so magical that I could feel something different happening every time I put my head inside the water. I couldn’t believe I said this, but it was phenomenal and one of the best things I’ve ever done.

From Prayagraj, I decided to go to Varanasi, one of the most important cities of Hinduism. I watched the best sunrise in the morning and Ganga Aarti in the evening from a private boat. In between, I went to the mighty Kashi Vishwanath Temple, the famous Buddhist place Sarnath, all Banaras ghats and a few famous temples. This city got so close to my heart that now I consider it one of my favourite places ever.

From Varanasi, I went to Gorakhpur, a significant ancient Hindu city, and then to Kushinagar, one of the four holiest places of Buddhism. With this, I completed 3/4 of the most sacred Buddhist places and learned much about different cultures.

I ended my UP trip with Lucknow, my birthplace, a temple in itself for me and where I feel the most alive.

Then Pune happened. I watched myself being increasingly attracted to the new culture and different temples this place had to offer. I celebrated Gudi Padva, their new year, by visiting and dancing around the famous temples. I saw the Dagdusheth Temple for the first time that day and haven’t stopped since then. It’s my favourite place in the whole of Pune, and whenever I feel low, it’s my go-to place.

I always wondered why my parents go to the temple every week and why I won’t be able to do it like ever, and now I feel the force pulling me to visit that place, not because of any religious binding or power but because it fixes everything.

In April, I went to Mumbai and didn’t miss the chance to visit the Siddhi Vinayak Temple.

July had me visiting Mahabaleshwar temple; all drenched in non-stop rain.

Then, in August, I was supposed to be travelling to a state, and it got cancelled at the last minute because my friend came and surprised me from Dehradoon. Then we decided to go to Vrindavan. Visiting so many temples was again very different and fun for me because I hated standing in lines and waiting for my turn to worship a god I could worship from anywhere, but then the almighty knew everything. I didn’t stand in lines, got to skip almost all of them and even reached the statue of Banke Bihari Temple where we got out Prasad touched by the priest; I didn’t know its importance, but since everyone was doing it there, I got it done too haha and while we were making our way to reach the top, the priest threw a garland of flowers in the crowd not less than a 1000 people, we were the ones who caught it. It made me fall in love with my religion and myself even more.

If you think this was so much, let me tell you what I did 15 days after Vrindavan, the first ten days of September. Ganesh Utsav started in Pune, and I had heard so much about this from everyone. I have been looking forward to it ever since I came to Pune. I wasn’t feeling up to the mark after I reached Pune from home, and these ten days of fun were precisely what I needed to get back more vital than ever. This was when I realised if everything is going wrong, you know where to go to fix it. I did something or the other each day and even went to Mumbai for two days to visit the world-famous Lalbaugcha Raja Ganpati Pandal and a few others. I started loving the city I hated so much, Pune; everything was so different, the people were so different, like someone had turned on a switch.

After this, I often visited Dagdusheth Temple incredibly late at night. I am so lucky to have found friends who like going there with me anytime I ask them to.

And now, here I am writing this blog in Haridwar, on the train ride back home.

Today, I went to Rishikesh and Haridwar, and I was awestruck by the beauty of these places. Everything and everyone looked better than anything I had ever seen. The air felt different, and obviously, the holy water was the main charm of the scenery.

I couldn’t dip in the Ganga this time because I was alone, but I touched the water, and it was ice cold; I would love to come back to take a dip here. But I was able to fill some tanks for my family (I don’t know how I will carry them back home).

It was a fantastic experience of being in the present and, in my thoughts, surrounded by people much more knowledgeable than me wearing orange clothing, few of whom I could converse with.

This blog is too long; I will share my learnings another day.

Till then, keep believing in the ultimate superpower and, most importantly, yourself.

Happy New Year everyone

Ansh will be back!

Edit: I went to Haridwar and Rishikesh just 15 days after my last trip in December, and I was able to take a dip in the Ganga this time 🥳