Pam and Steve at the Taj Mahal.
Trying to hold the Taj Mahal.
Riti, our little host sister.
Me, Zach, Zach's family, our roommate Kerry, our host family (Riti, Bhabhi ji, and Bhayya), and a fellow traveller, Jennifer, all went out on an afternoon ride on the Ganges. The boat we went out on was built by one of the fall semester students on our program, Dan!
Bhayya
The ghats of Varanasi. (Ghats are steps that go down into a body of water).
Zach the boatman.
The landscape of Banaras. In the middle of the buildings is a mosque from the 17th century built by Akbar the Great, the third Mughal ruler of India.
A sunken temple in the Ganges.
Harishchandra ghat, one of the burning ghats. The burning ghats are funeral ghats where Hindus are ritually cremated.
Zach, Ansel, and our boat man.
Manikarnika ghat, the bigger burning ghat. All the stacked wood is for cremations.
Bhabhi ji and Riti.
A funeral pyre.
Another shot of buildings and the river. The bird is a migratory black headed gull from Siberia.
Now Riti and Bhayya are rowing...Jain Ghat.
Another ghat. The first red building you can see used to be the ex Maharaja of Banaras' palace.
After the boat ride.
The next day we went on a walk in the gullys of northern Banaras and then went back to southern Banaras by walking along the ghats.
Someone making cow dung patties for fuel.
Some sadhus (wandering holy men) hanging out on the ghats.
A river mud sculpture of Bhishma, the grandfather of the Kauravas and Pandavas, the two clans who fought each other in the Bhagavad Gita.
Zach and a scared kid.
A priest getting his pooja (prayer) table ready for arthi (an evening ritual on the river).
looks like you're having fun! Is there a way to subscribe via email?
ReplyDeleteUm, I think there must be a way but I don't know how. I'll try to figure it out and let you know. I miss you!
ReplyDeleteYou've just recieved the best portrait of the year award for the one of the little girl smiling. Hope all is well.(ps,what is that in your nose!!??) U.Doug
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