A sunrise boat trip down the Ganges River in Varanasi, India, is the very best way to experience some of the 90-plus ghats (stairways) that descend to its banks. Assi Ghat, the southernmost of the ghats, is a popular place to hire one of the small wooden boats that make the journey each morning. From … Read more
For two whole days I walked along the banks of the Ganges River in Varanasi, India. Trash littered the shores and sewage flowed into it from outfall pipes. At the cremation ghats, priests picked hip and chest bones and casually tossed them into the river. Yet every morning at dawn, worshipers flocked to the ghats … Read more
Along the Ganges River in Varanasi, India, more than 90 stairways (ghats) lead down to the river. Walking the entire length of the ghats is highly recommended, but the extraordinary architecture along the river bank is best appreciated from a boat. Chet Singh Ghat is a perfect example. On foot, I looked up at Chet … Read more
It’s a common sight to see people bathing in the Ganges River in Varanasi, India. Some who do so are undoubtedly poor people who may not have access to running water. However, most who bathe in the Ganga, as it known in India, are followers of Hinduism. To Hindus, bathing in the Ganges River facilitates … Read more
Many of India’s nearly nearly three billion residents struggle on a daily basis to eek out an existence. Poverty is endemic and there are not enough jobs to go around. The government has increased social services to the most at-risk members of society, but the amount spent on social safety nets is still less than … Read more
