Antondaya …Unto the Last-A journey down the Ganges, from Banaras to Sundarbans

What is Antodaya?
•Antodaya has been a successful initiative by the
Pathways World School, Aravali.
•This trip begins at the source, Gomukh and ends
in Banaras, where we travel along the Ganges
from the holy river's source to the most ancient
city in the world, Varanasi in a series called
'Ganga Ek Antaryatra'

Antodaya team with our School Director Dr.Sarvesh Naidu

Antodaya team with our School Principal’s

With our School Founder Mr. Prabhat Jain

Our First destination in Varanasi

Our mini bus,we travelled the entire journey in this bus

About Varanasi
• Varanasi, also known as Kashi or Banaras is one of the most important
pilgrimages of the Hindu religion, which has earned the titles like “City of
Temple” and “Religious Capital of India”.
• The city attracts thousands of pilgrims every year, in addition to such
people from around the globe who are interested in the religion as well as
cultural heritage of this amazing country.
• The countless temples, ghats and universities of the city are the major
attractions which this city presents for curious travelers from around the
world.

Antodaya Team in Varanasi,Temple city of India

Antodaya Team in Varanasi
•After a train journey from Delhi to Varanasi, we
went to the Harishchandra Ghat and walked up
to the Kama Kotishwar temple where we met
Mr. Shankar Ramana, a Vedic Scholar who gave
us an auspicious start by chanting and teaching
us a few shlokas and explaining to us the
relevance of the right intonation and usage of
these powerful words.

Meeting with Mr. Shankar Ramana, a Vedic Scholar who
gave us an auspicious start by chanting and teaching

Antodaya team with Mr. Shankar Ramana, a Vedic
Scholar

•Later, we joined the auspicious ‘Vaikuntha
Ekadashi Ganga Aarti’ at Dashashumedha
Ghat as minuscule organisms in the
fathomless sea of humanity.
•We were thoroughly engrossed in the chants
and the enduring resonance of the bells
which lasted for an hour.

Ganga Aarti’ at Dashashumedha Ghat

Dashashwamedh Ghat
• Dashashwamedh Ghat is the main ghat in Varanasi on the Ganges
River. It is located close to Vishwanath Temple and is probably
the most spectacular ghat.
• A group of priests daily in the evening at this ghat perform "Agni
Pooja" (Worship to Fire) wherein a dedication is made to Lord
Shiva, River Ganga (the Ganges), Surya (Sun), Agni (Fire), and the
whole universe. Special aartis are held on Tuesdays and on
religious festivals

What is Manikarnika Ghat?
• Manikarnika Ghat is one of the ghats in Varanasi and is most
known for being a place of Hindu cremation.
• Hindu mythology teaches that the ghat is especially sacred and that
people cremated there receive moksha. As the myth goes, Vishnu,
after several thousand years of tapasya, trying to please Shiva, to
convince him to not destroy the holy city of Kashi when he
destroys the world, managed to do so.

Manikarnika Ghat, Cremating ground

Rickshaw ride in Varanasi street

•Additionally, Varanasi is associated with
the origin of the ancient holistic healing
sciences of Ayurveda and Yoga. The
founder of these sciences, Maharishi
Patanjali, has strong connections with the
city of Varanasi.

Boat ride in Varanasi
•Banaras Ghats at the crack of dawn, is on the
wish list of every mortal on this planet, and we
are no lesser mortals! Our morning started
before the sun rose, and we were ready to go
on a boat ride by the colourful ghats of Ganga
in Banaras

Burning bodies in the river ganges

Antodaya team enjoying local food

About Sarnath
• Sarnath is a city located 13 kilometres north-east of
Varanasi near the confluence of the Ganges and the Gomati
rivers in Uttar Pradesh, India.
• The deer park in Sarnath is where Gautama Buddha first
taught the Dharma, and where the Buddhist Sangha came
into existence through the enlightenment of Kondanna.
Singhpur, a village approximately one km away from the
site, was the birthplace of Shreyansanath, the Eleventh
Tirthankara of Jainism, and a temple dedicated to him, is an
important pilgrimage site.

FACTS
• Sarnath is a city located 13 kilometres north-east of
Varanasi near the confluence of the Ganges and the
Gomati rivers.
•Sarnath is where Gautama Buddha first taught the
Dharma.
•The Dhamek Stupa; it is an impressive 128 feet high and
93 feet in diameter.

• Banaras Ghats at the crack of dawn, is on the wish list of every
mortal on this planet, and we are no lesser mortals! Our morning
started before the sun rose, and we were ready to go on a boat ride
by the colourful ghats of Ganga in Banaras.
• We witnessed a breath-taking sunrise as we fed the seagulls who
hungrily cawed around us. We returned feeling peaceful after having
some tasty chai from the streets.
• Following breakfast, we left for Sarnath where we visited the
historical ruins and evidences from the Gupta and Maurya dynasty,
5thcentury B.C. Sarnath is well known as the historical place where
Buddha had delivered his first sermon.

• Dhamek Stupa is a massive stupa located at Sarnath, 13 km
away from Varanasi in the state of Uttar Pradesh, India.
• The Dhamek Stupa was built in 500 CE to replace an earlier
structure commissioned by the great Mauryan king Ashoka
in 249 BCE, along with several other monuments, to
commemorate the Buddha's activities in this location.
Stupas originated as circular mounds encircled by large
stones.
Dhamek stupa

• The place was marked by innumerable stupas, which are pillars on
which his first disciples had engraved his teachings.
• This was followed by a visit to a Digamber Jain temple and a museum
which had both Buddhist and Hindu relics. We saw a statue of the
Ashoka Chakra and several statues of Buddha.
• Our guide explained to us about all the statues and artefacts in the
museum. The symbols on the Asoka Chakra which includes the 4 lions
who are back to back, the horse on which Siddhartha Gautama
renunciated the world, or the Elephant, who came in the dream of
Buddha’s mother before he was born were beautiful anecdotes shared
with us by our guide, Mr. Pandey.
• Following this, we picked up some trinkets and souvenirs from the
streets of Sarnath and enjoyed spicy ‘Jhaal Muri’ and tender coconut.

Enjoying Local drink in Varanasi

• We now entered the campus of the largest residential University
Campus of Asia. The BANARAS HINDU UNIVERSITY which houses
more than 125 departments and has a student strength of 20,000 who
are taught by 2000 faculty members.
• Various departments in BHU includes a large hospital which serves a
large catchment area in the states of U.P. and Bihar to Botany, Mining
& Engineering and Management Studies are all set to celebrate a 100
years of existence!
• This temple of learning was founded by Madan Mohan Malviya an
eminent Freedom Fighter of India and was inaugurated by the first
Vice President of India, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, in whose memory,
we observe TEACHERS’ DAY each year, in India.

Local Dance performance in our Hotel

• Upon returning to the hotel, we sat through a captivating
Kathak ensemble which was supported ably by the
harmonium and tabla. On the harmonium was a young
exponent, Mr Abhishek Maharaj, who is a sixteenth
generation musician who has by now travelled to more than
150 countries of the world with his arts.
• He was categorical that his own cultural identity and his
roots kept him grounded, even though he made an entry into
the hearts of various people worldwide because of the
appreciation that came his way. And the evening belonged to
a young and petite danseuse, Ms Mandvi Mishra, all of 14!

• We are carrying a bit of BANARAS in our soul, a sharp
memory of the fleeting images of the ghats, the beggars on
the street, the vibrant street food panorama, the endless
stretch of saree shops on Madanpura Road, the bottoms-up
of the entire ANTODAYA team which guzzled down all the
‘thandai’ which Banaras had to offer!
• The crazy rickshaw rides in the by-lanes of Banaras, where
we lost our bearing and a bit of our soul…. Banaras, beckons
you now and forever, and you will come back to it, someday!

Bodh Gaya
•Bodh Gaya is a religious site and place of pilgrimage
associated with the Mahabodhi Temple Complex in
Gaya district in the Indian state of Bihar. It is
famous as it is the place where Gautama Buddha is
said to have obtained Enlightenment (pali: bodhi)
under what became known as the Bodhi Tree.
•In 2002, Mahabodhi Temple, located in Bodh Gaya,
became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

FACTS ABOUT BODHGAYA
• UNESCO World Heritage Site
•It is famous as it is the place where Gautama Buddha is
said to have obtained Enlightenment
•It is believed that about 280 years after the
Enlightenment of the Buddha, Emperor Ashoka visited
Bodh Gaya

• Now, we were headed towards Bodhgaya, the land of enlightenment
and salvation. It is important to note that it is designated as a ‘world
heritage site’ by UNESCO.
• It was very interesting to see the different expressions and
interpretations of the teachings of The Buddha as followed by
different people of the world, all coming together at Bodhgaya.
• Bodhgaya is somewhat like ‘Antarctica’, as it has a representation of
various countries who have a common mission of communal
harmony through the teachings of The Buddha but are divided in
terms of the nuances of their practice and rituals.

•We began with the Mahabodhi Temple complex with
the great Bodhi tree, under which Lord Buddha
attained enlightenment.
•The air was full of vibrant chants of different sects of
Buddhism and it had a heady fragrance of incense
which uplifted our moods, in one breath to heaven.
Following this we went to the Japanese Indosan
Nipon temple and the eight foot tall ‘Daibotsu’ who
had the most mesmerizing pairs of half-closed of
half-closed eyes.

The Giant Buddha Statue
• The Giant Buddha Statue is one of the many stops in the Buddhist
pilgrimage and tourist routes in Bodhgaya, Bihar (India).
• The statue is 25 m (82 ft) high in meditation pose or dhyana mudra
seated on a lotus in open air.
• It is possibly the largest built in India and was consecrated on 18
November 1989 by the 14th Dalai Lama.
• The foundation stone for the statue was placed in 1982.[4]

Antodaya team in front of the Giant Buddha

•Nalanda is one of the most ancient international
centers of education and learning equivalent to
modern universities, with a very rich library.
•Nalanda has a very ancient history and goes back to
the days of Mahavira and Buddha in sixth and fifth
centuries B.C.

Antodaya team in front of the Nalanda ruins

Our guide explaining about the ruins

•The Nalanda University attracted large number of
Buddhist students from different parts of the world.
The University of Nalanda was founded in the 5th
century by the Gupta rulers.
•There were thousands of students and teachers. The
main courses which were taught there were the
Buddhist scriptures (both Mahayana and Hinayana),
Vedas, Logic, Shabda Vidya (grammar), Chikitsa vidya
(medicine) etc.

Bhagalpur
• Bhagalpur is situated on the southern banks of river
Ganges in the Indian state of Bihar. It is the fifth largest
city in Bihar and is a major urban agglomerate in Eastern
Bihar along with Purnia.It is one of the major educational,
commercial and political centres in Bihar.
• The Gangetic plains surrounding the city are very fertile
and the main crops include rice, wheat, maize, barley, and
oilseeds. The economy of Bhagalpur is dependent mainly
on agriculture and small businesses

•In the morning, we all went to St. Paul's church
where all of us were blessed by the father and we lit
candles and prayed for a bright future ahead. The
church was established in 1896 and has been active
every day since.
•
After we returned back from the St. Paul's Church, all
of us met the SBM of Munger who was a really
learned man and had a cup of tea as we discussed
about the journey that we are undertaking.
Afterwards, when everyone packed their bags.

Antodaya team in front of St. Paul's church,Bihar

Antodaya team walking forward to ITC Factory

Munger
• Munger is a twin city and a Municipal Corporation
situated in the Indian state of Bihar.
• It is the administrative headquarters of Munger district
and Munger Division.It is the 5th largest city of Bihar and
2nd largest city in Eastern Bihar.
• Historically, Munger is known for being an ancient seat of
rule. The twin city comprises Munger and Jamalpur
situated on the southern bank of the river Ganges. It is
situated 60 km west of Bhagalpur, and 180 km east of
capital city Patna

FACTS ABOUT MUNGER
•Munger has India's oldest tobacco manufacturing unit.
Initially it was started by Britishers; later it was taken
over by ITC Limited.
•The tobacco manufacturing unit was started in 1905.

ITC employee explaining the process

•Rajgir is a city and a notified area in Nalanda district in
the Indian state of Bihar.
•The city of Rajgir was the first capital of the kingdom of
Magadha, a state that would eventually evolve into the
Mauryan Empire.
•Its date of origin is unknown, although ceramics dating
to about 1000 BC have been found in the city.

Ropeway at Rajgir:
•Bihar’s only ropeway is said to be the oldest in the
country. It is a single-person ropeway that runs at the
top of Ratnagiri Hill.
•It leads to the Vishwa Shanti Stupa (Peace Pagoda),
Makhdoom Kund and monasteries built by Japanese
devotees of the Buddha on top of the Ratnagiri Hills.
•Treat yourself to the scenic views of Rajgir city when
you are enjoying the ropeway ride!

Visit to Buddha Smriti Park
• Buddha Smriti Park also known as Buddha Memorial Park is
a union park located on Frazer Road near Patna Junction in
Patna, India.
• This park has been developed by the Bihar Government to
commemorate the 2554th birth anniversary of the Lord
Buddha.
• This park was inaugurated by the 14th Dalai Lama

Vikramashila
•Vikramashila was one of the two most important
centres of Buddhist learning in India during the
Pala empire, along with Nalanda.
•Vikramashila (village Antichak, district Bhagalpur,
Bihar) is located at about 50 km east of Bhagalpur
and about 13 km north-east of Kahalgaon,

On the Ganges bed in Vikramshila

FACTS
• Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary is located in
Bhagalpur District of Bihar, India.
• t is the only protected area for the endangered Gangetic
dolphins in Asia. Once found in abundance, only a few
hundred remain.
• The Gangetic dolphins have been declared as the National
Aquatic Animal of India

Gangetic Dolphin in Vikramshila

MAYAPUR,WB
The Spiritual Capital of the World
ISCKON HQ

This is the largest dome in Asia with the upcoming largest
temple in the world called the Temple of Vedic Planetarium.

Mayapur
• Mayapur is located on the banks of the Ganges river, at the
point of its confluence with the Jalangi, near Navadvip, West
Bengal, India, 130 km north of Kolkata (Calcutta).
• The headquarters of ISKCON are situated in Mayapur and it
is considered a holy place by a number of other traditions
within Hinduism, but is of special significance to followers of
Gaudiya Vaishnavism as the birthplace of Chaitanya
Mahaprabhu, regarded as a special incarnation of Krishna in
the mood of Radha.

Interacting with foreign people in the temple

FACTS
•Mayapur is located on the banks of the Ganges river, at
the point of its confluence with the Jalangi, near
Navadvip, West Bengal, India.
• The headquarters of ISKCON are situated in Mayapur
•The International Society for Krishna Consciousness
(ISKCON), known colloquially as the Hare Krishna
movement or Hare Krishnas.
•ISKCON today is a worldwide confederation of more than
550 centres,

FACTS
•The Missionaries of Charity was established by the
Blessed Mother Teresa on October 7, 1950 with the
sole aim to give 'wholehearted free service to the
poorest of the poor'.
•The Missionaries of Charity began as a small
community with only 12 members but today, the
organisation has over 4,500 members running
orphanages

Visit to the famous Kali temple ,Kolakata

Visit to Victoria Memorial Hall

FACTS
•The Victorial Memorial was built between 1906
and 1921, in the memory of Queen Victoria
(1819–1901).
•Built on the grounds by the banks of Hooghly
River.
•The total cost for the construction of this
monument amounted to 1 Crore, 5 Lakh rupees

Clicking club students on Kolkata Street Photography

FACTS
•UNESCO World Heritage
•Biggest and Largest Mangrove forest in the
World
•Only nature wonder from Indian can see from
Space

On the Way to Sundarbans –Enjoying local tea

•Today the zeal in the students was quite different,
everyone was very anxious to sight the Royal Bengal
tiger.
•On the way many of us were trying to cover up on our
lost sleep during all these days of Antodaya.
•During the onward journey we also had an impromptu
Cultural Dance session in the tempo, where everyone
was actively involved in singing along, dancing and
generally cheering loudly.

Interacting with Local people in Sundarbans Island

•We then reached Gothkali and drove back to
Kolkata, where we had now checked into a new
hotel on the Royd road, adjacent to the Park Street.
We were delighted to be a part of the Kolkata
crowds which had gathered on the Park Street to
welcome 2016, in full force!

Standing with our Driver and Helper

Finally …………..
• Although the term Antodaya is defined as ‘Unto the Last’,
the journey has been a beginning to another liberating
experience.
• We have learned and grown as spiritual individuals who
understand the meaning of life better.
• Whether a teenager or an adult, this expedition has given
us knowledge along with practical understanding. To us,
the world seems full of hope even with the struggles.

Antodaya on the Social Pages
• Our Facebook: Pathwazians-along-the-Ganges-Antodaya
• Facebook Link: https://www.facebook.com/Pathwazians-along-the-
Ganges-Antodaya-464713840396493/
• Website: http://antodaya.weebly.com
• YouTube link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hmid19hDyN4
• Google plus: https://plus.google.com/collection/IZtnEB

• Made by
• K.GuruCharan kumar,ESS Teacher, India
• MYP Teacher
• IGCSE EVM Teacher
• Graphic Designer
• Photographer
• Quiz Master
• Blogger
• Web Designer
• Adobe Specialist
• Snake Lover
• IAYP School In charge
• Round Square School Member
• School Clicking Club Head
• Graphic Designer and Field Trip Organiser

• My Website : http://gurucharankumar.weebly.com/
• Wikispace: http://gurumantra.wikispaces.com/
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Gurucharan ESS IA
(First exam 2017)
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Antondaya …Unto the Last-A journey down the Ganges, from Banaras to Sundarbans

Antondaya …Unto the Last-A journey down the Ganges, from Banaras to Sundarbans

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Antondaya …Unto the Last-A journey down the Ganges, from Banaras to Sundarbans