In the realm of travel literature, the quest for self-discovery often intertwines with the desire to explore foreign lands. This phenomenon is particularly evident in the context of India, a country that has captivated the imagination of countless travelers and writers over centuries. One such traveler was the French author Pierre Loti, whose account of his journey to India, “Au pays de la elephanté” (1876), mirrors the age-old tradition of the pilgrim’s gaze, a term coined by Edward Said to describe the way Westerners have perceived and represented the East. This essay will delve into the concept of the pilgrim’s gaze, focusing on the experiences of travelers who journeyed to India in search of self-discovery, as depicted in the film Verso Benares (2011) and Pierre Loti’s publication “Au pays de la elephanté.”
The Pilgrim’s Gaze: A Historical Perspective
The pilgrim’s gaze, as proposed by Edward Said, is a way of seeing and representing the East through the lens of Western cultural, political, and religious preconceptions. This phenomenon has a long history, dating back to the age of European discovery and colonization. Travelers such as Marco Polo and Ibn Battuta embarked on journeys to the East with a sense of curiosity and wonder, but their accounts were often infused with their own cultural biases and assumptions.
In the 19th century, the pilgrim’s gaze took on a new dimension as travel became more accessible to the middle and upper classes in Europe. Travel literature of this period, such as Pierre Loti’s “Au pays de la elephanté,” often portrayed India as a land of exoticism, spirituality, and mystery, a place where Westerners could find solace, enlightenment, and a sense of self.
Verso Benares: A Modern Tale of the Pilgrim’s Gaze
The journey to Benares, the sacred city of India, has long represented a spiritual and cultural destination for those seeking to understand the profound essence of Indian civilization. The Ganges, the sacred river flowing through the heart of the subcontinent, has always symbolized purity, rebirth, and spirituality. Benares — today known as Varanasi — is often described as the “city of the dead,” where the souls of the departed dissolve into its sacred waters.
This extraordinary city has been portrayed by many European writers, including Pierre Loti, author of India (Without the English), published in 1903. In this book, Loti recounts his journey through India, from his first impressions in Calcutta to his arrival in Benares, describing with emotional depth and sensitivity the spiritual world he encounters.
Loti’s narrative is emblematic of the deep influence India had on the Western worldview, particularly in literature. His perspective is not that of a colonizer, but rather that of an awed and respectful observer attempting to grasp the mysteries of an ancient and complex civilization. The journey thus becomes an inner transformation: immersion in the rituals, colors, sounds, and silences of India leads him to deep reflection on life, death, and the soul.
In this sense, Benares is not merely a geographical destination, but a symbolic passage on the path of self-discovery. Loti uses India as a mirror through which he reads his own identity and the world he comes from. The contrast between spiritual East and industrialized West raises profound questions about identity, belief, and the ultimate meaning of existence.
The journey to Benares has always symbolized India’s spirituality and cultural richness. In India (Without the English) by Pierre Loti, this journey becomes both a literary and philosophical experience, showing how the encounter with the Other can trigger inner transformation. India, in these pages, is not just a distant land, but a reflection and a mirror of a Europe in crisis, in search of meaning and spirituality. Like many European writers of his time, Loti finds in India a way to question his own identity and approach another vision of the world.