Love it or hate it Varanasi is an amazing place. Set on the sacred river Ganges, it is one of the holiest cities in India. The river is full of people bathing and doing their washing, streets are full of pilgrims, cows, goats, cow pats and lost travellers. It's so colourful, so smelly, yet so overwhelmingly spiritual. Last night I took an amazing three hour boat trip as the sun set behind the city. The ghats along the river came to life as the 43 degree heat of the day cooled and a nightly Ganga aarti ceremony of fire and dance was performed as I watched from the boat - just incredible.
Again this morning I took a boat to see all the locals and pilgrims together performing puga as the sun rises. This is a photographers paradise!
You just have to ignore the hundred daily requests for taking a boat, buying silk or having a special view of the burning pyres- in this heat there are too few tourists and so everyone is more desperate for business.
After almost eleven weeks of no stress I now find out about the ba strikes- and my flight is next Saturday - you never know this blog might need to be extended, watch this space. Still I have just been to a Hindu temple and was blessed, so there's hope yet!
Hello
ReplyDeleteI was happy and overjoyed to learn that you enjoyed your trip to Varanasi. I live there, and have made it my mission to help people visiting Varanasi to find the important temples here.
Of course, you may find my site too much on the religious side, but hey, that was what the site was set up for. It helps to find the various temples and details about them if you are on a trip to Varanasi.