India: A Sojourn to the Evolving East

By Victoria Veilleux

I'm torn. Part of what makes India so enticing is all that's ageless: women swathed in colorful saris balancing water pots on their heads making way for a passing cow in an overcrowded city street; men pulling wooden carts filled with their wares to the city market. Each visual nugget is priceless for those traveling to the other side of the world—and seemingly back in time—to experience a vibrant culture steeped in tradition. Much of this timelessness, fostered by suppression and poverty, is now giving way to promises of progress. Cities like Delhi and Bangalore serve as global hubs for technology outsourcing and hopeful Indian entrepreneurs discover Internet-based opportunities in the international market. Girls wearing jeans and heels, and businessmen clad in suits carrying cell phones, fast forward the nation into at least the 1980s. While I wholeheartedly want to see an end to this destitution, I selfishly mourn the gradual loss of a kaleidoscopic time protected in the proverbial cork-top bottle. 

One place I welcome westernization is within the treatment rooms of India's spas. Historically, Ayurveda could be likened to going to the doctor's office. You jump up on the examining table and try to fix whatever is ailing you, forsaking comfort for cure. Now, more spas are blending Indian healing traditions with a level of pampering expected by the American spa-goer. Collectively, I've spent months seeking out sacred Hindu sites, historical monuments, and Ayurvedic healing rituals and feel like I've merely scratched the surface of this vast country. However, there are a few favorite places that immediately come to mind when asked where one should go if they had three weeks to do a whirlwind tour of India.

Between cheap domestic flights, an extensive train system, and the ability to hire a private driver for less than it costs to go from Downtown Manhattan to the Upper East Side, I was able to cover a lot of ground without incurring insurmountable amounts of debt. Many of my favorite memories consist of listening to my iPod while watching this magical world roll by en route from one destination to another. I would often ask the driver of my “tourist taxi” (a chauffeured SUV) to stop at small villages so that I could experience a people and culture not pervaded by any form of tourism and was always welcomed with incredible warmth and hospitality.

Gateways to Enlightenment

Most tourists use the airport in Delhi as the base from which to explore the spiritual underpinnings of India. However, the true ‘Gateway to the Gods,' is actually located 125 miles northeast of Delhi in the cities of Haridwar and Rishikesh. From this region, where the sacred Ganges River breaks through the Himalayan foothills, believers set forth on trails to the four dhams (holy pilgrimage sites). Some say Shiva filtered raging waters through his matted hair to save India's people, others believe these sacred waters originate from Vishnu's foot. Whatever the belief, when heading to the main ghat (steps leading to the water's edge) for the nightly aarti (prayer ritual), there's no doubt that ‘Ganga' serves as the lifeblood to all that is sacred.

With a degree in Divinity, my guide, Sanjeev from Mohan's Adventure Tours, explained the meanings behind various forehead markings, dress, and mantras as we weaved our way through throngs of people singing songs and chanting while priests twirled blazoned oil lamps. At dusk, I released a leaf filled with flower petals, a candle, and a prayer onto the river. My diya bobbled on the surface with the thousands of others, creating a galaxy of twinkling devotions.

Ananda Spa in the Himalayas is the pièce de résistance of accommodations in this area and is often touted as India's finest destination spa resort. From its privileged hilltop location, this popular resort overlooks Haridwar's sister city, Rishikesh, where the Beatles got in touch with their inner Om in a local ashram in 1968. On my way to visit Ananda, the car rounded each switchback through the foothill's dense forest with trepidation. Monkeys lined the road, making me feel as if I were partaking in some sort of royal procession. The regality continued upon entering the property gate, since Ananda's reception is housed within the historic Viceregal Palace, once home to Maharaja Tehri Garhwal. The interior's resplendent gold filigree and Victorian furnishings set a somewhat formal tone which gives way to a relaxed mood created by serene gardens and manicured lawns. The 21,000 square-foot spa and 75 rooms reveal a much more modern décor, and cater to the international traveler with wireless internet, luxury linens, and gourmet dining (paired with wine if you wish). But there's no doubt that the spa is the destination, rather than a mere resort amenity. Consultations with an Ayurvedic doctor and meals planned according to your diagnosed dosha (body constitution), daily yoga, and exercise regimens satisfy those seeking a more therapeutic retreat.

Golden Opportunity

Many coming to India for the first time hit the Golden Triangle, a visit to the Northern grand trine of Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur. Located 126 miles southeast of Delhi, the city of Agra boasts one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the Taj Mahal. When telling your friends about your trip to India, my guess is that seven out of ten will ask you if you saw this famous landmark. While it is indeed an astonishing architectural masterpiece of snow-white marble inlaid with such gemstones as jade, lapis, and sapphire, a visit here is mostly to avoid that I-wonder-what-I-missed feeling every time someone asks you. Commissioned by a Mughal Emperor who wanted to build a mausoleum for his favorite wife, the grounds exude serenity, especially at dawn, before the arrival of the busloads of tourists.

Personally, I found it most relaxing to view the Taj Mahal while sipping my morning chai from the privacy of my balcony at The Oberoi Amarvilas Hotel. Mr. P.R.S. Oberoi is the Donald Trump of India, building ‘seven-star' masterpieces across Asia—many of which feature luxurious spas managed by Banyan Tree. Amarvilas is no exception, with an expansive spa suite that allows couples to overlook the architectural icon of eternal love while soaking in essential oils used by India's royalty over 500 years ago. Unlike the elaborately gilded interiors of the public spaces, the couples' treatment room is clean and simple, with the main focus being on the arched window silhouetting the Taj Mahal just 650 yards away—best viewed from the comfort of the claw-footed tub. Across the property, private nooks within terraced gardens, filigree screens carved from block marble, and reflection pools dramatically lit at night create the magical ambiance that Mark Twain once so eloquently described, “So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked.”

Nearby, another impressive site is Fatephur Sikri, just twenty-five miles west of Agra. I decided to forego visiting this deserted, yet perfectly preserved Mughal city, because I needed a break from my break-neck pace. According to those that have gone, it was equivalent to going to India and not seeing the Taj Mahal. I wonder what I missed.

The Riverbed of Ritual

Veering off the triangle to Varanasi, 358 miles east of Agra—and further off the beaten sightseeing trail—takes a bit of extra effort, but proves well worth it. As one of the world's oldest inhabited cities, dating back thousands of years, I could feel a discernable sacredness in the density of humanity. Considered one of the holiest cities in India, like Jerusalem to Israel, Varanasi serves as home to 700 temples and over 4 miles of ghats leading to the Ganges River. Here believers seek the deliverance of deceased loved ones into Moksha (‘Nirvana' in Buddhism), by swaddling the bodies in beautiful fabrics, dipping them into the water, and setting the bodies afire with the eternal flame at the riverside crematoriums. Then, the ashes are returned to ‘Mother Ganga,' for eternal salvation. 

I was there during a solar eclipse and time of pilgrimage. Men lined the sides of the streets shaving their heads at makeshift outdoor barbershops. Thousands of people traveled by foot to participate in the bathing rituals taking place in the river daily at dusk and dawn. To get a first-hand glimpse of these sacraments, I crawled out of bed before sunrise, hitched a ride with a bicycle rickshaw, and made my way through a maze of winding passageways to take a boat ride between Dasashwamedha and Manikarnika Ghat. Seeing this devotion on such a grand scale served as the catalyst for my appreciation for the Hindu philosophy and made me understand why India is considered such a spiritual beacon.

Only six miles away in Sarnath lie the roots of Buddhism, where Buddha delivered his first sermon to his five disciples. With a knowledgeable guide, the archeological ruins and museum give amazing insight into the evolution of this religion and its zen principles.

It's surprising that while Varanasi is brimming with holy men, ritual, and shrines, it is not a place of significance when it comes to India's spa industry. The best hotel in town is owned by the Taj Group. Taj Ganges underwent at major renovation at the end of 2005 and while you can arrange astrological readings or an Herbal Massage, there is not a signature Taj Spa onsite.