Girl selling flowers in Varanasi, India. Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. For most of the year you can walk freely along the whol
Girl selling flowers in Varanasi, India. Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. For most of the year you can walk freely along the whole length of the ghats, although during and immediately after the monsoon the water level is too high for this. It's a unique, world-class 'people-watching' walk as you mingle with the fascinating mixture of people who come to the Ganges not only for a ritual bath but also to wash clothes, do yoga, offer blessings, buy paan (a mixture of betel nut and leaves for chewing), sell flowers, get a massage, play cricket, wash their buffaloes, improve their karma by giving to beggars, or simply hang around. This is traditional India at its most colourful and picturesque and photo opportunities abound. Assi Ghat, furthest south of the main ghats, is particularly important as the River Asi meets the Ganges near here and pilgrims come to worship a Shiva lingam beneath a pipal Privileged VIPs are cremated at the Charanpaduka, which also has a temple dedicated to Ganesh.
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Photo credit: © Sergi Reboredo / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
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