Varanasi

In the early morning, priests come to the place where they perform the daily aarti, prayers, made magical with chanting and oil lamps.

A Varanasi handloom silk sari is woven in colours of the evening light over the River Ganga. The darkened evening waters merge with the night sky, giving the dark blue colour of the Banarasi nilambari sari its special name.

Colours of the sun, whether rising or setting, is reflected in the waters of the majestic River Ganga.

Every evening, as the sun sets over the west bank of the River Ganga at Varanasi, the colour of the skies and the river merge. These colours of nature have inspired weavers ever since the weaving tradition began.

The rich deep reds of a handwoven sari, seen here from the reverse side, are inspired by the colours of sunset over the River Ganga in Varanasi.

The shimmering surface of the River Ganga replicates the golden hued threads woven into a handloom sari in Varanasi.

Golden threads light up a grey room when they are stretched on the warp of a handloom, ready to be woven into a sari.

Ducks in the foreground of the holy River Ganga and the ghats in the distance in Varanasi, are common landscapes that provide artistic inspiration in Varanasi.

The morning and evening aartis in Varanasi are done with synchronised precision by a number of priests on the banks of the River Ganga.

The ghats and buildings along the River Ganga look like an old English watercolour painting in the morning light.

Traditional handmade bamboo umbrellas, covered in plastic to ward off the rain, dot the ghats along the river.

Early morning yoga sessions add to the activity that starts on the banks of the River Ganga from pre-dawn.

Yoga is a new activity on the banks of Assi Ghat, on the River Ganga in Varanasi.

This is not at odds with the instruments seen stored here by the orange silk dhoti-clad priests who use them for the early morning aarti.

An ash-smeared priest with long hair, feeding a fire while praying, is typical of how tourists view India and holy cities like Varanasi.

A small temple by the wayside in Varanasi gets refurbished periodically.

Most weavers may be Muslim, while the traders are Hindu. They live in the holy city harmoniously, dependent on each other, respecting each other’s religious spaces.

The narrow alleyways leading up to a major temple in Varanasi will be full of shops selling implements for the prayers.

A priest by the ghats does not mind taking on a cheeky photographer.

Each character holds his own in Varanasi in the melee of people of this holy city.

The fabric of Varanasi has been worn by kings and queens around the world and is lovingly possessed by brides in nearly every household in India, even in present times.

There is a special magic in possessing a textile coming from a city of unknown antiquity, woven in traditions that are also thousands of years old.

All sorts of common occupations are followed on the streets of Varanasi. Here, an elderly entrepreneur offers to exchange cut or torn currency notes for new ones after adding a ‘reasonable’ commission.

As one enters the narrow streets where weavers live and work in Varanasi, many observers look out from upper windows at life below.

In weaver’s localities in Varanasi, if you can peer in hard enough, you will see a weaver at the loom.

Irrespective of the nature of their earnings, weavers in Varanasi, particularly amongst the Muslim community, now see the value in educating their daughters.

Schools for girls have now sprung up in their localities.

A fairly busy street in a weaver’s locality like Peeli Kothi, has multiple activities, including shops that serve the needs of weaving workshops.

'Gentleman of leisure’ spend time in conversations outside a tea shop in a weaver’s locality. Many among them would be heads of establishments or unemployed weavers.

Weaver-dominated localities in Varanasi become narrower as you explore their innards, until the sky above and the lanes below look like strips of ribbon.

The wider streets of Varanasi are usually teeming with chaos and commerce.

As the evening draws near, people gather at the Dashashwamedh Ghat to witness the grand evening aarti performed in greater splendour than the one at Assi Ghat in the mornings.

Sadhus, self-declared ascetics, who live on donations from the devout public, gather near Dashashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi for the aarti.

Offerings of flowers are arranged for sale on small handmade leaf plates.

As the ghat steps get over crowded, visitors settle on the boats, on the River Ganga, to watch the grand aarti ceremony at Dashashwamedh Ghat.

Seen here is one of the many ceremonial priests in the impressive aarti ceremony in Varanasi, which involves chanting of prayers in Sanskrit and synchronised actions with oil lamps and sisal fans.

Priests conducting the ceremonial aarti wear silk shirts and dhotis tied in the traditional way, with an angavastram on their shoulders.

Watching the aarti ceremony in the evening on the ghat in Varanasi, stirs the emotions of many viewers.

Sellers of tiny oil lamps or candles hope the devotion of others converts into earnings for them.

A most delicious end to a day in Varanasi could involve having a whipped cream sweet dish sold at the ghats in handmade earthen pots.

Read more about Banarasi textiles here:
- The Marketplace
- The Weaving Process