Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2022/12/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]WOW! What a wonderful post, Jayanand. So rich and engaging, made whole by your delightful narratives. Thank you for revealing the subtleties of a part of the world and of human history I?ll never experience. Story telling at its very best. Bob > On Dec 24, 2022, at 12:14 AM, Nathan Wajsman <photo at frozenlight.eu> > wrote: > > ?Really impressive! I had seen the cremation images on FB already, but > better to see them here. Among the rest, I especially like the incense and > reeds images, but really, all are excellent. > > Cheers, > Nathan > > Nathan Wajsman > photo at frozenlight.eu > > http://www.fotocycle.dk/paws > http://www.greatpix.eu > http://www.frozenlight.eu > > ????? ???????! ?????? ?????! > > > > > > >> On 23 Dec 2022, at 04:03, Jayanand Govindaraj via LUG <lug at >> leica-users.org> wrote: >> >> Neela & I had gone on a trip to Bandhavgarh National Park, followed by the >> temple town of Khajuraho, and finally Varanasi on the River Ganges, one of >> the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, and the high seat >> of >> Hinduism. To start with a few impressions of Varanasi, mostly seen from >> boats on the river, as the hotel we were staying was situated on the >> river, >> and not accessible by vehicles - only by boat, or on foot - so a lot of >> our >> movement was on boats: >> >> Ghats are access points on any river/water body. There are 84 ghats in all >> on this stretch of the Ganges - some a few years years old, and some >> thousands of years old. This is a view from the terrace of our hotel, >> which >> was situated on the river at Darbhanga Ghat: >> >> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Varanasi/varanasi/Varanasi-20221206-050-Edit.jpg.html >> >> The ghats are interconnected, so it is possible to walk from one end to >> anther on the rivers edge, taking in sights like this one - shaving of >> one's hair is a common act of piety and penance in Hinduism: >> >> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Varanasi/varanasi/untitled-20221209-896-Edit.jpg.html >> >> Varanasi is probably the holiest city in Hinduism, and the main temple >> here >> is the Kasi Viswanath Mandir (the tower of which is visible just to the >> left of the central lamp post in the photograph). As it is also Prime >> Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency, it is getting a much >> overdue facelift, including this modern, clean and efficient access to the >> temple from the river: >> >> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Varanasi/varanasi/Varanasi-20221206-184-Edit.jpg.html >> >> The Ganga Aarti is a photogenic, daily tourist spectacle of a tradition >> thousands of years old, offering prayers to the goddess Ganga, after whom >> the river is named, on the banks of the river, at Dasashwamedha Ghat, by a >> dozen priests. It is about an hour long, and these are some views of the >> ceremony from the river - a variety of props are used - conchs, lamps of >> different types and sizes, incense, fans made of reeds as well as peacock >> feathers, among others: >> >> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Varanasi/varanasi/Varanasi-20221206-199-Edit.jpg.html >> >> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Varanasi/varanasi/Varanasi-20221207-151-Edit.jpg.html >> >> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Varanasi/varanasi/Varanasi-20221207-181-Edit.jpg.html >> >> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Varanasi/varanasi/Varanasi-20221207-185-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME-2-Edit.jpg.html >> >> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Varanasi/varanasi/Varanasi-20221207-591-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME-Edit.jpg.html >> >> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Varanasi/varanasi/Varanasi-20221207-732-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME-Edit.jpg.html >> >> These two young men seem to be more interested in their smartphones rather >> in the spectacle going on: >> >> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Varanasi/varanasi/Varanasi-20221206-206-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME-Edit.jpg.html >> >> The floating of small lamps in the Ganges is a ritual done to pray for >> good >> health and well being of your loved ones: >> >> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Varanasi/varanasi/Varanasi-20221207-104-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME-Edit.jpg.html >> >> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Varanasi/varanasi/Varanasi-20221207-095-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME-Edit.jpg.html >> >> In Hinduism, the belief is that all your sins are washed away by dying in >> Varanasi, and being cremated on the banks of the River Ganges, so this is >> a >> constant activity. The main location is Manikarnika Ghat, where multiple >> cremations happen 24/7 through the year - here are impressions taken at >> sunset, and at night: >> >> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Varanasi/varanasi/untitled-20221208-881-Edit.jpg.html >> >> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Varanasi/varanasi/Varanasi-20221207-780-Edit.jpg.html >> >> Finally , a portrait of a young man I caught while disembarking from a >> boat >> at night, both in B&W and Colour: >> >> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Varanasi/varanasi/Varanasi-20221207-087-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME-Edit+B_amp_W.jpg.html >> >> http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/jayanand/Varanasi/varanasi/Varanasi-20221207-087-NEF_DxO_DeepPRIME-Edit.jpg.html >> >> Please see LARGE. >> >> Comments and criticism, as ever, welcome >> >> Cheers >> Jayanand >> >> _______________________________________________ >> Leica Users Group. >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > _______________________________________________ > Leica Users Group. > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information