Elephants in Varanasi

If you thought, that elephants are only for South India, if you thought, that Varanasi is all about cows, monkeys and goats, you would have been as surprised as we were, seeing the elephant walking down to the Main Dasashwameth Ghat.

It was on Shivaratri, one of the major festivals in India, commemorating the wedding of Lord Shiva. On such a special occasion they even brought the elephant there.

He was part of a huge procession, that seemed quite bizzare to the Western eye, everyone very solemn and festive, dressed up accordingly to the sacred meaning of the parade.

Fire Show on Assi Ghat

In the beginning of March, just after the big festival MahaShivaratri we witnessed a surprisingly gypsy-european, but at the same time quite fitting the spirit of Varanasi fire show at one of the most popular tourist ghats - Assi.

It was a quiet, warm and dark evening, the tourists were enjoying the atmosphere on the steps and pizza in the very decent Vaatika cafe up the stairs of the ghat, while a group of european artists performed an amazing show with fire, flying it like doing some kind of modern and ambient puja at the bank of the Ganga.

Here's the short video

Clean Ganga - joining hands on the ghats

To commemorate the World Water Day, the Sankat Mochan Foundation (SMF) -- the organisation working for the cause of Ganga for three decades through Clean Ganga Campaign-- has invited local citizens to assemble on the banks of the Ganga on and form human chains along the ghats to show their support for a clean Ganga.

SMF president Veer Bhadra Mishra, who is also a member of National Ganga River Basin Authority (NGRBA), said around 75 schools and other organisations had committed to join hands along the ghats, but the SMF had invited all citizens of Varanasi to extend their support.

"It is as if the theme of WWD 2011 water for cities responding to the urban challenge has been made for Varanasi. Here in Varanasi, untreated sewage from the city flows into the Ganga, endangering the health of those who bathe in it," said Mishra. 'Attending this event is a small way for the people to show their love and devotion for the Ganga and their commitment to see the holy river cleaned," he said.


via Times of India