Varanasi

[eugene_]

Varanasi, one of India's holiest cities. Full of the Indian culture - a drastic place, either people love Varanasi or hate it. I was happy to discover that Varanasi took me in and showed me the beauty of the city and its rich culture.

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All along the river, people, mostly men, were bathing in the water and drinking the water. Many men were swimming as well. The men were in their underwear or in a towel of sorts while the women were fully dressed.

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[eugene_]

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The mighty Ganges flows strong, wide and fast. It is one of the holiest rivers in the Hindu universe; those who bathe in it are calmed by the knowledge that the Ganga brings salvation and everlasting hope. They come down from the busy, hot city streets to wash away all that has been on the steps of the many ghats that lead down into the river.

There are old Hindu holymen, their eyes so deep and dark, one cannot but wonder what they have seen and heard in their lifetimes. They, too, bathe in the mighty river to seek renewal and salvation - with no worldly possession, nevertheless, I find myself intrigued as to what they could be seeking repentence for? Or are they giving thanks instead?
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[eugene_]

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Shaving. One of the myriad of activities that takes places on the ghats.
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[eugene_]

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Every morning, every evening, thousands of Hindus bathe and give offerings to their Gods; flower petals and candles float alongside the rubbish and pollution from upstream. The mood is calm yet crazy, balanced yet mystical. The young splash and scream for hours on end; the old pray quietly on the river's steps, clad in colourful saris and shawls, their best clothes for the occasion. Grand temples and buildings rise high into the hot air above, only steps from the water.
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[eugene_]

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One of the many boats that line the ghat while the boatman waits for the next tourist to use his service.
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[eugene_]

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With a push of his hands, this old man sets a offering of flowers and candle to Mother Ganga, hoping she will hear his prayers and accept this sweet aroma of worship.
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[johnmaeda]

Nice photos here. Personally like #3. could be slightly better if it was centred on the men. feel that there too much space in bwt. But seems difficult as u r bound to crop one of dem.
#5 and 6 are oso great photos

 

[zoossh]

although vignette is of personal preference, i think there is a case of practical concern. if your vignette (i assumed they are added, and not becos of smaller image circle of lens) is made very strong, it can creep into your main subjects, which is more of a problem when you choose tight framing.

which part of varanasi (which ghats) did you go? dun remember such colorful boats, or maybe things have changed slightly....

 

[eugene_]

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A boatman trying to steer his boat to get ready for the day ahead.
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[eugene_]

although vignette is of personal preference, i think there is a case of practical concern. if your vignette (i assumed they are added, and not becos of smaller image circle of lens) is made very strong, it can creep into your main subjects, which is more of a problem when you choose tight framing.

which part of varanasi (which ghats) did you go? dun remember such colorful boats, or maybe things have changed slightly....

Yea. .on hindsight the vignetting is prob a lill to strong in some of them. I dunno. Will prob return back to them once i am done with the bulk of my fotos. Thanks for the heads up anyway.


The boats were all over the place and i realise they have a tendency to be painted in red, blue, green and yellow for some reasons as you can see below. Prob to attract more attention??

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[eugene_]

13

In the stillness of the early morning.
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[eugene_]

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Offerings.
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[asterixsg]

nice photos. my favourites are #4, #9 and #13 - the morning stillness can really be felt in your photograph #13.
maybe you can share what was it about Varanasi that attracted you to that place. did you hear about it from someone or read somewhere ?

 

[eugene_]

nice photos. my favourites are #4, #9 and #13 - the morning stillness can really be felt in your photograph #13.
maybe you can share what was it about Varanasi that attracted you to that place. did you hear about it from someone or read somewhere ?

Thanks.

From the outset, I must confess I had a love affair with Varanasi.

Somehow she has touched me deeper than I was prepared for, and perhaps deeper than I am at this stage able to realise. Something has changed, though I know not what.

Many guidebooks spoke of people bathing in the River Ganges; the pictures looked colourful and interesting. Let's check it out, I thought.

The mighty Ganges flows strong, wide and fast. It is one of the holiest rivers in the Hindu universe; those who bathe in it are calmed by the knowledge that the Ganga brings salvation and everlasting hope. They come down from the busy, hot city streets to wash away all that has been on the steps of the many ghats that lead down into the river.

It wasn't until I sat on the terrace for some overdue lunch that the might of the river and the city became clear. Even now, I struggle to find the words to do it justice.

More to come.

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Marigolds for sale.
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[eugene_]

16

For some reasons, these women were jostling to buy/give/take something from a priest/man. I was standing there for about 15mins, very intriguided by their actions. But i still have no inkling of what were the commotion all about.

Anyone care to shed some light?

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[asterixsg]

I don't really want to write on how I feel about Varanasi, because I will fill a page.

Its good you liked the place and it moved you in some manner.

If you really want to see the might of the Ganges, Varanasi is the wrong place. You should go to Haridwar or the upper reaches of Ganges - Gangotri where it originates. That's where its pure and powerful. By the time it reaches places like Varanasi and Allahabad and even further east, its loaded with the filth that mankind dumps into her. And yet it flows quietly, though sluggishly, without complaints. Maybe that's the greatness of the Ganges, which I will never quite understand. Once in a while, along with the monsoon rain, it unleashes her wrath in the form of severe floods. But the wrath is felt by the poor people who have nowhere else to live.

I 'guess' the jostling by the women was for the offerings that the priest might've made to some God along with prayers. These offerings are considered sacred and people jostle around to get a share of the offerings. This is another thing which I will never understand. So, let's leave it at that.

I like your photos - they are full of emotion. :thumbsup:

 

[eugene_]

I don't really want to write on how I feel about Varanasi, because I will fill a page.

Its good you liked the place and it moved you in some manner.

If you really want to see the might of the Ganges, Varanasi is the wrong place. You should go to Haridwar or the upper reaches of Ganges - Gangotri where it originates. That's where its pure and powerful. By the time it reaches places like Varanasi and Allahabad and even further east, its loaded with the filth that mankind dumps into her. And yet it flows quietly, though sluggishly, without complaints. Maybe that's the greatness of the Ganges, which I will never quite understand. Once in a while, along with the monsoon rain, it unleashes her wrath in the form of severe floods. But the wrath is felt by the poor people who have nowhere else to live.

I 'guess' the jostling by the women was for the offerings that the priest might've made to some God along with prayers. These offerings are considered sacred and people jostle around to get a share of the offerings. This is another thing which I will never understand. So, let's leave it at that.

I like your photos - they are full of emotion. :thumbsup:

I really agree with you on Varanasi. Mere words cant really convey my feelings about this place. Its a melting pot of everything India. The colors, the sights, the sounds, the smell. . Its almost like a relentless attack on your senses.

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Kite-flying, apart from cricket seems to be a very fav pastime of the kids there.
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[eugene_]

20

Boatmaking.
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[zoossh]

i have to thank my travel mates with regards going to varanasi.

the bustling nature and the little alleys came with some apprehension and fear of crime, which i have considered rather a preference to the more spacey and earthy rajasthan instead. but the consideration of going allahabad for the festival of kumbh mela makes varanasi a more probable course than anything else. i might not be able to compare the place with elsewhere for india is so big and varied.

i'm pretty sure places worth going are countless, and there is value of photography almost everywhere as long as there are activities, exotic and interesting enough for a travellor. but in a photographic viewpoint, the alleys provide great exposure control, just right enough to avoid harsh sunlight, but bright enough for anything you like.

it is compact, meaning with a simple direction along the river, with plenty of ghats, you can see plenty of things non-stop. in fact, i was walking very far off into more "local" areas where i see no more tourists, but have to turn back becos it is time to meet back with my travel mates (but no doubt, travelling with mates greatly decreased the worries about crimes and give some reassurance over troubled indecisiveness - the more brains the better). being compact means you dun have to travel a mountain to get the next shot.

and the most important part, colors. being a color photo person, it is exactly the kind of place i want to be. i think we spent 3-4 days there in the usually tight schedule singaporean travellors have (<2 weeks), but given more luxury, 5-6 days is probably more decent to cover the place. think for my trip, a lot is covered on boat, but i think a little more on streets would be nicer.

 

[zoossh]

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Boatmaking.
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your series run strongly on boats. where is this part on boatmaking? i mean the location in varanasi, next to which area?