Long ago, Benares was a great city in ancient India. It was a very prosperous city and a trading hub. Therefore, many rich merchants made their home in Benares.
Caravans
During this time, trading was done with faraway places using carts drawn by bulls.
Normally, many carts undertook the journey together and such a collection of carts was known as a caravan.
These caravans often travelled cross-country and often had to travel through deserts where there is hardly any water and no shade. Walking on the burning sand was like walking on burning embers.
Throats became parched, So, the traders or merchants and their helpers made certain that they carried plenty of water and firewood to cook. During the day, the travellers would make a circle of the carts and rest in their shade and do their cooking and washing.
Pilots and guides
Because of the burning heat during the day the caravans generally travelled at night. There are no roads in the desert, so travellers plotted their routes by the stars and constellations.
Each caravan had a pilot of the desert or guide who travelled in the leading cart. He was generally the merchant who owned the carts or an experienced pilot hired by him.
One wealthy merchant in Benares undertook such a journey and he hired an experienced pilot to guide his caravan of many carts. The caravan travelled for many days through the sandy desert.
Finally, the caravan reached their final stop before their destination and everyone was relieved thinking their journey would end at day break.
The pilot said. "Now, that we are almost at the end of the journey there is no need to carry all this firewood or water. Let’s get rid of it. Taking his advice, all the other travellers threw their extra firewood and water keeping only what was necessary for the next few hours.
Bulls retrace their steps
When the blazing sun set in the western sky, the caravan went on its way. As usual, the pilot rode in the first cart. But he was very tired and he fell asleep. With no one to guide them the bulls drawing the first cart retraced their steps back to where they had been earlier. The other bulls followed them.
The pilot woke up the next morning and looked at the sky with a puzzled look.
“Stop”, he shouted.
Everyone looked around and was horrified to see that they had come back to where they were earlier.
To be continued next week