Varanasi Ghats 2026

This day in Varanasi was a very special experience for me. Leeliu and I were both dealing with colds in the cold, wintry climate of northern India, without any heating (around 8°C at night and up to 20°C during the day). Since I was already feeling better, I set out on my own that day to explore the ghats of Varanasi on foot, starting from Assi Ghat.

I experienced many magical moments — with children, with a mother and her two children, with Babba Uday Narayan Singh, who read my palm and spontaneously offered a Vedic astrological consultation, and with many other babas who offer their wisdom or their photo rights for purchase. I attended an Aarti (a central Hindu light ritual in which lit wicks — fueled by ghee or camphor — are waved in circular motions before a deity or its image, accompanied by chants, bells, and prayers) and was invited to a private guided visit of the cremation ghat, Manikarnika Ghat.

More soon. I will accompany some of the photos in this album with a narrative video… stay tuned.