Kashi Through a Poet's Eyes: The Forgotten Travelogue of Adhibatla Narayana Dasu
written by jogi
edited by pranav md Adhibatla Narayana Dasu, who is remembered as "Harikatha Pitamaha" in the Telugu diaspora, was famous for his storytelling on Bhagavata and other Hindu epics (Harikatha), and he also institutionalized this art form in his era. Unfortunately, his talent for storytelling overshadowed his other contributions, especially to the Telugu language. He coined so many Telugu words as alternatives to the existing, adapted Sanskrit words of his age, which he called "Naatu Telugu" (generally the word "Achha Telugu" is used to describe pure Telugu, but it has mostly Sanskrit words (Nannaya era Telugu), and even "Zanu Telugu" is not free from Sanskrit or Prakrit words, though it reduced their usage mostly (Tikkanna and Palkuri era). Dasu garu created pure Telugu words which have neither Sanskrit nor Prakrit origins, hence he insisted on calling his Telugu "Naatu Telugu," as the word "Achha" also has Sanskrit origins).
But he also authored several works in Sanskrit, one of his unique poetic works being "Kasi Satakam," a collection of 100 Sanskrit poems describing the city of Kashi. This is unique, as the travelogues on Kashi previously written by several Telugu personalities before him were usually written in prose. For instance, in the year 1822, EIC translator and interpreter Venellakanti Subbarao undertook the Kashi pilgrimage hoping for a change in his ill health and wrote about his Kashi journey in his autobiography, "A Life Journey of Vennelacunty Soob Row." Then the most famous travelogue written in Telugu literature is "Kashi Yatra Charitam" (1830), the journey of Enugula Veeraswamy to Kashi, who was an interlocutor and civil servant to the EIC. He travelled from Madras to Kashi on a palanquin, but it is a travelogue from the perspective of an influential personality. The Kashi Satakam of Dasu garu, however, is completely unique. His approach is completely new, as the Satakam is a collection of 100 or 108 poems with a makuta (crown) ending each poem with the same word (examples: Sri Kalahastishwara, Vemana and Sumati, Nilakanteswara). The sataka genre has created an impression among the masses, as this form of literature is mostly philosophical or composed of poems written to praise a god or patron. But Dasu garu uses the Satakam genre to describe the lifestyle, habits, experiences, and information regarding landmarks in Kashi.
He visited Kashi in the year 1913 along with his wife; he doesn't give details regarding which month he started travelling or the duration of his stay.
Kashi as described by him:
Situated far from the ocean and located between the Himalayas and Vindhyas, where wheat grows in the plains, there are no mountains or forests in Varanasi, and it is densely populated with tamarind trees and bamboo bushes. Near the banks of the Ganga, a naked sanyasi with a radiant face and reddish-brown hair braids resides, resembling Shiva, and a bull eating the leaves resembles Nandi. After bathing in the Ganga, people perform japa on the ghats. The dead bodies which float in the Ganga frighten the people, reminding them of the uncertainty of human life.
Barbers, beggars, flower sellers, people who apply lotions to wounds, and crows (which consume pindas) are dependent on the pilgrims who visit the banks of the Ganga. People shave their heads at Manikarnika, pay a tax to officers, and then take a dip in the Ganga along with their partners.
He compares the lanes of Kashi to a padmavyuha, as anyone new to the city will reach their destination with great difficulty. Among the lanes, there are 64 ghats with different names, and the bathing ghats are built of stone. The streets in the east and west of the city are quite narrow, and those in the north and south are vast, with very little gap between the mansions. At the bottom of the buildings, shopkeepers loot the money of pilgrims, and from the top, monkeys snatch belongings and fruits from their hands; with some mischievous idea, the monkeys, wanting to get food daily, return the clothes of people only after some food is offered to them. Money, so dear to the human heart, is spent, and despite bearing the struggles all the way to a foreign land, there is no peace for the pilgrims.
The city was destroyed during the rule of the mlecchas; after the advent of the British, it was slowly being restored to its glory. There are huge gardens, schools, wells, and mansions with beautiful sculptures, the best of silks, tasty jamun fruits, and huge crowds of monks, which one can only find in Kashi.
One of his unique observations is the absence of coconut trees in Kashi and of an underground sewage system; the water used by the people was disposed of into the Ganga through underground pipes (the underground sewage system in Kashi was started in 1891 and completed in 1917, after which sewage and wastewater were disposed of in the Ganga, marking the beginning of the pollution of the sacred river).
Temples
Vishwanatha is the most special among the gods in Kashi. He resides in a gold-gilded temple and is worshipped by the people of the three worlds. Vishwanatha was consecrated in the form of a linga in every house, and Dhundi Ganapati must be prayed to first to get permission to have the darshan of Shiva. In the Kalabhairava temple, the priest holds the kalasutra (a stick made with peacock feathers) as a blessing; he beats it on the head of the pilgrim, saying, "Everything will be auspicious for you."
Evenings at Kashi
In the evenings, people are seen with garlands around their necks, and people who recite the puranas are seated on exalted seats surrounded by listeners, while scholars of different sects argue with each other all through the day and night. People on boats on the Ganga leave lamps in the river; it looks as if this group of diyas is mocking the galaxy of stars in the sky, and prostitutes sit near the windows of their mansions, tempting men with their gaze. Especially on Friday evenings, people worship Maheshwara by waving camphor, making auspicious sounds.
Night of Shiva
On the day of Shivaratri, right before sunrise, Dasu garu bathed in the Ganga and, with great difficulty, was able to perform abhisheka to Shiva. He was amused by the beautiful scene where a large number of young Vedic scholars chanted hymns in praise of Goddess Gowri in the Annapurna temple, and then he reached his place with great difficulty. Describing the festival atmosphere in Kashi, he writes: "On this occasion, the city of Varanasi echoes with the names of Shiva; on this day, even a sinner behaves like a saintly person. Even the prostitutes and thieves are enchanted on Shivaratri, and with devotion and the sacredness of chanting, they become virtuous by the grace of Vishwanatha." People stayed awake all night listening to and enjoying the dance and music, the temples of Shiva were filled with abhisheka water which reached the knees of those standing inside, and bulls ate the piles of bilva leaves dumped outside the temple.
Life in Kashi
He writes that Kashi is the birthplace of civilization, where women cover themselves with purdah and men wear turbans. The streets in the city of Kashi are like a wish-fulfilling creeper: whatever one desires can be acquired immediately; if any person desires to feed one lakh brahmins at once in Kashi, they can acquire the required groceries immediately. Several kings started choultries in Kashi to feed pilgrims, where even Dravida brahmins were served delightful meals. In the whole of Bharatavarsha, Kashi is the best city, where both rich and poor can gain peace.
People
In the city of Kashi, people of all four classes live a normal and peaceful life; one cannot find any person without manners. The language of the locals, the music, and the dress of the people—there is sweetness in everything, in all places, at all times. Dasu garu compares the generosity and character of the people with the tall minarets of Bindu Madhava, which touch the sky (here, minarets refer to the Alamgir Mosque, which was built after destroying the Bindu Madhava temple). The people here feed students selflessly without expecting anything in return. Kashi learned ahimsa from Buddhism, the practice of wearing purdah from Muslim rule, and worldly wisdom from the English, as the city itself is naturally a place of curiosity (asakti). Philosophically, the wheel of samsara works on the trigunas, similar to how the bullcart in Kashi works on three bulls, conveying it metaphorically.
Education
The pandits of Kashi were initially trained in the six shastras; they also have knowledge of secular topics, as he says Kashi is the birthplace of Sanskrit. To highlight the greatness of education in Kashi, Dasu garu writes that Kashi is the place of the Sandipani ashrama, where Krishna studied (actually, this is a Telugu perspective; in the Telugu retelling of Krishna's life, it was written that Krishna studied in Kashi, but it was actually Ujjain).
Vyasa Kashi and the darbar of Kashi Naresh
People who are new to Kashi cross the river with great fear to have the darshan of Vyasa (consecrated in the form of a linga in Vyasa Kashi) and of the king, who lives in opulence equal to Indra. In the durbar of the Maharaja of Kashi, a tawaif sang and danced so beautifully, like a swan, that she stole the hearts of the people; and one day in the early morning, a prostitute was singing in Bhairavi raga, captivating the people in court.
Festivals
The city of Kashi always has a vibe of festivals; it gives joy in every season, as Vishwanatha and the Ganga reside in the city.
Holi
During the shukla paksha of the Phalguna month, the people of Kashi celebrate Holi; they sing praises of Lord Krishna and collect logs to celebrate the Kamadahana Utsav, celebrating it for days by smearing vermilion on each other. Dasu garu also writes about the grand festival of Budda Mangal Utsav, as it is celebrated on the banks of the Ganga—perhaps this festival is mostly unknown today. This used to be celebrated on the Tuesday after Holi, commemorating the day Hanuman destroyed Lanka. It is also called Bada Mangal. The people of Kashi celebrated it for a week by dancing and singing on several boats on the Ganga. Mandapaka Paravateesa Sastry also writes about this festival in his journal, noting that the rajas of Bobbili and Vijayanagaram participated in it; unfortunately, there is not much information about this festival online.
Most of the information regarding Narayana Dasu garu was written by himself; his students and admirers mostly saw him only as a divine being, calling him Gandharva and Pumbhava Saraswati (Saraswati in masculine form), which is not an exaggeration, as he contributed to the fields of music, language, and Ayurveda. He spoke nearly 8 languages and translated famous Persian and English works into Telugu. But his interesting life mostly went undocumented; the only existing information about him is available from his autobiography, "Naa Yeruka," where he documents his triumphs and travails and writes honestly about his addictions and habits, as well as his struggles and travels. One of the most interesting travel stories he writes in his autobiography is about his pilgrimage to Puri, where he, along with his family, travelled from his village to Puri to clear the debts of his father, and where he writes about life, culture, food, and habits. Other than that, he documented his Kashi experiences in the Kashi Satakam. This article is an attempt to introduce important observations from his Kashi Satakam; it is not a complete English translation of his poems.
Reference: kashi satakam written by srimad ajjada adhibatla narayana dasu garu, which was republished by vvit gunturu (2019), under editorship of modugula ravi Krishna
About the author:
Born in East Godavari and now residing in Visakhapatnam, Jogi is an undergraduate student of Electrical and Electronics Engineering with a profound passion for Telugu literature and civilizational thought. An independent researcher by inclination, he has devoted himself to exploring the depth and diversity of Telugu literary traditions. His lifelong aspiration is to compile the essence of seventy Telugu Ramayanas, preserving their timeless wisdom for future generations. Among the many luminaries of Telugu literature, Viswanatha Satyanarayana holds a special place in his heart, and he finds his greatest joy in returning to the master's works, discovering fresh insights with every reading.
