A marriage procession
Picture taken on the way to the boat tour in the very early morning.
Plenty of boats were on their way
Together with the two ladies and Bob (who took the photo) I did the boat trip. The name of the woman in the middle is Paula, as far as I remember.
As soon as we arrived at the main Ghat, guys like this came running to rip us off, e. g. by giving Bob a massage
It's me. Surprisingly, the picture is not that bad.
One of the burning ghats, where dead people are burnt. Understandably, one is not allowed to take pictures there in order not to disturb the people there. But walking around was allowed and it was extremely impressive.
A very nice guy near my guesthouse. I stopped there several times every day to grab a chai.
Behind that temple was the guesthouse I stayed at. You might imagine that the bells where disturbing my sleep.
The old woman was sitting in a shop. After I took her photo, she wrote something down on a small paper. I have no idea what's written on it.
A play which was the starting of the Ganga aarti.
The audience of the Ganga aarti
Varanasi at night
Several mobile food stalls selling fruits and softdrinks were waiting near the entrance.
Wikipedia: Dhamek Stupa is a massive stupa and was built ca. 500 AD to replace an earlier structure commissioned by the great Mauryan king Ashoka in 249 B.C.E., along with several other monuments, to commemorate his pilgrimage there. Stupas originated as circular mounds encircled by large stones. King Ashoka built stupas to enshrine small pieces of calcinated bone and other relics of Buddha and his disciples. An Ashoka pillar with an edict engraved on it stands near the site. The Dhamek Stupa is said to mark the spot of a deer park (Rishipattana) where the Buddha gave the first sermon to his five disciples after attaining enlightenment, "revealing his Eightfold Path leading to nirvana". The stupa was enlarged on six occasions but the upper part is still unfinished. While visiting Sarnath in 640 AD, Xuanzang recorded that the colony had over 1,500 priests and the main stupa was nearly 91 m high. In its current shape, the stupa reaches a height of 43.6 m and has a diameter of 28 m.
Dhamek Stupa
The Dharmarajika Stupa is one of the few pre-Ashokan stupas remaining, although only the foundations remain. The rest of the Dharmarajika Stupa was removed to Varanasi to be used as building materials in the 18h century. At that time, also relics were found in the Dharmarajika Stupa. These relics were subsequently thrown in the Ganges river.
Behind the Dharmarajika Stupa were reconstruction works. The old woman is repairing a foot way.
Behind the Dharmarajika Stupa were reconstruction works. The young woman is transporting sand and somehow manages to have totally clean clothes.
Mulgandha Kuti
Buland Darwaza
The Emperors Square
Jama Masjid
Mahatma Gandhi
