THE car that picks me up at Banaras Airport is an old, beaten Contessa. But I am glad to see it, because from inside the airport, I was beginning to think Banaras is a one-horse town. We race along a dusty road in between fields where scarecrows flap their sleeves. And past rural villages and squalid towns, till city sights come up ahead. A television tower, huge and ugly, that Indira Gandhi inaugurated. And market places where auctions of milk and paan are carried out on the roads. Jeeps with dead bodies strapped on top head for the burning ghats on the Ganges. And funeral processions with men chanting "Ram Naam Satya Hai". When we turn into the driveway of the Taj Ganges, the sounds die down and there is sudden peace.

This is an 18-year-old hotel built on the grounds of the old Nadesar Palace of the Maharaja of Banaras. The palace is in ruins, but the Maharaja still sits there nostalgically. He is now the chairperson of the Taj Ganges and attends the board meetings. I quite liked the hotel. It's simple, but modestly appointed, and the 110 standard rooms are comfortable if not luxurious. There are five executive suits and five deluxe, but I did not see them, I was happy with my room overlooking 12 acres of gardens in which peacocks danced and a blue fresh water pool where American tourists slowly turned lobster red.

The Taj Ganges has a 24-hour coffee shop and bar called the Mandap, and an Indian restaurant called Varuna where they serve the most amazing Banarasi satvik food you can imagine. No onion and no garlic, yet the food's such a draw that they announce it on their 2 nights and 3 days pilgrim package. The package includes a tour of the ghats, all the temples in the city, and important landmarks. I don't think the guests at the hotel are all pilgrims. Rather, the Taj Ganges gets tourists from the US, China, France, Korea and Italy who come to Banaras to see and ride the Ganges, to seek enlightenment, to study Hinduism, and to explore Buddhism at Sarnath nearby.

This is a groups-oriented hotel. And a happier mix of people I have yet to come across. The tourists wake up before the crack of dawn and are out of the hotel and at the ghats. They all know that if you must do a boat cruise on the Ganges and see the ghats, then it is best done before dawn. And the Taj has a special boat for its guests. I did the cruise myself. But I didn't take their cycle-rickshaw tour of the city. I suspect it would be too uncomfortable. When I was not out in the city, I preferred to stay within the confines of the hotel itself, and it's quite a cosy place. The lobby when you move out of the reception area, is quite nice. Huge Banarasi paintings adorn the walls. And big floor to ceiling windows bring in the sunlight and greenery. They have an astrologer sitting in the lobby who I'm told is frighteningly accurate. I didn't try him, but I got myself a herbal massage instead!

I spent much time in the restaurants and kitchen, naturally, and sampled most of what they serve on the Banarasi satvik thali. Evenings in the cooler months, they set up a barbecue in the Kamal Bagh outside. Nights I'd spend in the Prinsep bar after dinner listening to stories of pilgrims and tourists who came in from the ghats. And mornings I'd wake up to the sound of temple bells pealing in the distance. I'd feel sorry for the corporate types who had to stay indoors here and attend conferences at the Nadesar Hall and Mint Room. The hotel staff, I found most courteous, and generous with their time. There was always somebody to show me around. Somebody to take me to the nearest paan shop and the aloo-tikki man. Or even out into the market where there's great shopping to be done. I though they were all fortunate to be working for the Taj... in India's holiest city.

The Taj Ganges
Nadesar Palace Grounds,
Banaras 221 002, UP.
Tel: 0542 34 5100 - 18.
Fax: 0542 34 8067.
E-mail: [email protected].
Internet: [email protected]