Varanasi

We spent a week in Varanasi for the Diwali festival (not Dev Dipawal). We finally toured the chowk.

1 Varanasi A quiet corner on Tulsi Ghat	2 Varanasi Small shrines	3 Varanasi and an ages-old tree	4 Varanasi And a beautiful view of sunrise over the Ganga
5 Varanasi Sunrise	6 Varanasi A day begins at the Deva Center with a communal "om"	7 Varanasi Helping hands	8 Varanasi Deepika and Siv
9 Varanasi Siv's english workshop	10 Varanasi Sandeep and Siv	11 Varanasi Workshop participants	12 Varanasi Workshop participants
13 Varanasi Siv and Sandeep	14 Varanasi Siv, Sampa and Vimla	15 Varanasi Sampa and her drawing books	16 Varanasi Vidya puts a bindi (tikka) on Siv's forehead at Annapurna Center
17 Varanasi Annapurna Center	18 Varanasi Annapurna Center	19 Varanasi Monkeys at the Sankat Mochan (Hanuman) Temple in Varanasi	20 Varanasi John at the entrance to the Sankat Mochan Kushth Ashram (center for leprosy victims)
21 Varanasi Morning on Assi Ghat	22 Varanasi Sunrise over the Ganga	23 Varanasi Sunrise over the Ganga	24 Varanasi Mud at Assi Ghat
25 Varanasi Women celebrating Karnika	26 Varanasi All dolled up	27 Varanasi A morning chai	28 Varanasi Sweeping the street - a sysiphean task
29 Varanasi Two ages, same task	30 Varanasi Cow and woman	31 Varanasi Leading a blind woman	32 Varanasi Young girl dancing with her dog
33 Varanasi Chotto and his family	34 Varanasi Chotto is a rickshaw driver	35 Varanasi A flute seller -- and player	36 Varanasi Varanasi by night at Diwali -- Dashashwamedh Road
37 Varanasi Siv taking the view from a restaurant balcony	38 Varanasi A shrine illuminated for Diwali	39 Varanasi Diwali lights on a hotel	40 Varanasi Diwali floor drawings by Sampa
41 Varanasi Aarti ceremony, an offering of light to the goddess Ganga, at Dashashwamedh Ghat	42 Varanasi Aarti ceremony	43 Varanasi Heading for the chowk (with Siv's head)	44 Varanasi Flower market
45 Varanasi Flower market	46 Varanasi Lotuses and marigolds	47 Varanasi Checking out the bluma	48 Varanasi Diwali figures on sale
49 Varanasi A narrow lane in the chowk	50 Varanasi Boy with kohl-decorated eyes in the chowk	51 Varanasi Indian sweets -- you eat the silver foil	52 Varanasi Parakeet seller in the chowk
53 Varanasi Cow eating the flower offerings to the god	54 Varanasi The Durga Tank and Temple in Ramnagar, across the river from Varanasi	55 Varanasi Durga Temple, Ramnagar	56 Varanasi Figure of Durga with two elephants
57 Varanasi Durga Temple shikhara	58 Varanasi Beautiful reliefs on the Durga Temple	59 Varanasi Tourist in the entrance to Maharaja's palace, Ramnagar	60 Varanasi River side of Maharaja's palace
61 Varanasi Maharaja's palace	62 Varanasi View of the new bridge from the Maharaja's palace	63 Varanasi Siv and our 11-year-old guide, who spoke excellent english	64 Varanasi John heads off to the chowk again
65 Varanasi Inside the Vindu Madhan Temple at Panchganga Ghat	66 Varanasi Ganesh statue in the Vindu Madhan Temple	67 Varanasi John in mirror at the Vindu Madhan Temple	68 Varanasi Siv and Dilip, our jovial host at the Hotel Temple on Ganges

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