Varanasi - Magic Enchantment on the Ganges

I guess we've done quite a lot of travel over the years, and lived for extended periods in different parts of the globe. Much of this travel has been directed by what Christopher Isherwood talked of as the magic lure of the names of certain destinations. For the author, one such place was the island of Flores in Indonesia. For us, it has been Varanasi (the old Banaras) on the banks of the Ganges in the Indian state Uttar Pradesh. The city is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and one of the holiest cities and centres of pilgrimage for Hindus of all denominations. It is believed that death at Varanasi brings salvation.

We arrived in Varanasi by bus in the middle of the night, having travelled overland from Kathmandu in Nepal. And happily found a hotel ('The Sun Hotel') with a room with a balcony overlooking the ghats along the river's edge ... visited by naughty any object-stealing monkeys!

The first day walking along the Ganges I was in a complete daze, overwhelmed by the panoply of sensations flooding in from every direction - naked holy men in meditation, incense mingling with the smoke from burning flower-draped funeral pyres, umbrella repair men going about their trade, young girls making cow manure patties to dry as fuel, animals lying in the middle of the road with traffic driving round them, people bathing in the Ganges ... .

These sensations were so intense that taking well-planned photographs seemed impossible - I resorted to simply pointing the camera in every direction in turn and clicking away. Which means the images of this upload are far from my best ... well, that's my excuse!

Enjoy!

Видео Varanasi - Magic Enchantment on the Ganges канала John Hall