TRAVEL THE WORLD - VARANASI, INDIA

THE HOLY GANGES AT VARANASI
There are more than 100 ghats along the Ganges at Varanasi, a city in the north of India. Here pilgrims come to pray and bathe. Varanasi (historic Benares) is the city of Lord Siva. Devout Hindus pray for the protection of Siva when they perform puja (i.e., pray) in the Ganges. Cremations are performed at the Manikarnika ghat, shown in the photo, where an eternal fire has been burning for 4,000 years. The belief is that the soul will then go to Nirvana and escape the cycle of birth, death and re-incarnation.

TRAVEL THE WORLD - VARANASI, INDIA

Here we are in a small boat on the river Ganges in 2007. This is the holy city of Benares, now called Varanasi. It is located in Uttar Pradesh, in the northeast part of the country. We traveled there by overnight train, a trip that took us more than 24 hours, but in spite of this was an enjoyable adventure. Indian trains are amazing: clean, safe, comfortable, reasonably on time and full of friendly, helpful people. In the photo are the ghats, or steps, leading down to the water. Here, devout Hindus bathe in the holy waters of the Ganges and say their daily prayers. The water is terribly polluted and has been tested as totally unsafe. However, those who bathe in the river apparently come through the experience unscathed.