A pink dawn over the Ganges...

The option of the hotel tour to the Varanasi  (population: 1.2 million) ghats at dawn, was an offering that I knew I would be wise to avail myself. My determination to turn out of a comfortable bed at 4.45am is never to be 100%  counted upon! As it was, 7kms. to the tour start through dark, empty city streets if one can discount all the homeless people, cows and sleeping dogs littered along the edges. Upon arrival at Ketlar Ghat & just prior to a sunrise straight out of National Geographic, I was handed off to my boatman who rowed me up a section of the river, presenting splendid opportunities to see the many Hindu devout immersing themselves into the waters and offering up prayers. My boatman offered the following wisdom: Varanasi, an ancient city established more than 5000 years ago, is three things: learn (there are three major universities in the city), burn –(famous for cremations along the banks of the holy Ganges) and return (as in: fall in love with the place and always yearn to return).

I was the only person booked, so I had the car & guide to myself. We drove the 6-7

           The pink, red, gold sunrise was truly remarkable, probably made even better by the polluted air and high humidity, bathing the high buildings on the west bank ghats in a soft pink glow for a brief period. Easy to understand why this location is such a Mecca for photographers with high price gear ---all this was clearly evident in the other tourist boats that we passed. I have seen more tourists here in Varanasi, than anywhere else I have visited to date in India.

          

In 1948 and again in1978, the Ganges went into extreme spring flood mode, which was estimated for me as 50 feet higher than today’s level- the veracity of this, can be seen by the residual high water discolouration marks on the raised ghat buildings. The unpopulated east bank of the river acts as a flood plain & is much lower being even today, unpopulated except for some farming activity. I commented on a lack of bridges across the Ganges for this large city and learnt that the nearest is, in fact, 20 kms to the north, being constructed by the British in the 1920s.