Post card from Varanasi ( Utter Pradesh ) 1981

Varanasi ghats by the river Ganges


Varanasi, situated on the banks of the sacred Ganges is the ' eternal city' and the most important pilgrimage site in India. It has been a centre of learning and civilisation for over 2000 years and is now important place for learning Sanskrit. For orthodox Hindus, the city is not just a pilgrimage centre but a place to die and a place to be cremated, which ensures instant route to heaven!! There are special centres for Hindu widows who leave their families behind to live in the centre in the hope of meeting their death in Varanasi.

I took a flight from Khajuraho to Varanasi to witness the principal attraction of the long string of bathing ghats and the ' burning ghats where bodies were cremated. The city was full of colourful narrow lanes with over cramped life in tall houses and for me, a day visit was full of magic of India.