No more tourists in Vishvanath Temple

We have just learned, that Vishvanath, the most sacred Golden Temple of Varanasi, has ultimately closed its doors to foreigners. As one of the tourists was busted in the temple with a camera in September, the Ministry of Tourism has banned foreigners altogether from getting inside the temple.

So right now there is no way curious travellers can get in - not with the help of the government approved guides, not through the priests, who sit along the alleyways near the entrance to the sacred site.

UPD
As it turned out, Vishvanath has lifted the ban - probably in the wake of new tourist season. So you CAN actually get in, proving to the guards that you are Hindu ) The ban has stayed for two months.

A live webcam from Varanasi

Modern technologies slow, but steady dig their way into Varanasi.
We are proud and sad (good old Varansi is getting way too globalized) to present the first ever webcam streaming live video from Iiba - a clean, nice and cozy restaurant in the middle of Varanasi.

Wow.


Live Video streaming by Ustream

Qatar Airways offers cheap Moscow-Delhi flight

Qatar Airways has a nice special offer for those who want to get to India from Moscow in comfort this autumn. Only for 357 euro you can book yourself a flight to Delhi through Doha - cool and modern airport whith a lot of things to buy in its large duty free shop.

The offer is valid until August 31.
Grab the moment!

Lonely Planet got lost in Varanasi

Lonely Planet referrs to Varanasi as the second best place to get lost in. After Venice.

Lets's see what it says about Varanasi.
"You could throw yourself into Varanasi’s dark maze of streets a hundred times over and still come out at a different point. Discover temples, sweet shops and silk bargains in its back alleys." - quite right!

"Get found: Countless bicycle rickshaw drivers will be only too happy to take you home – for a price that’s in range of just about every budget." - absolutely wrong!

In fact, there are no rickshaws in the Old city of Varanasi - and we are speaking exactly abou the Old city, since that's the place where tourists wander. Just because it's streets are two narrow for a rickshaw - sometimes it's so narrow that only 1 person can pass at a time. So there's no escape on a rickshaw. The best way out of the Old city (if you can't get yourself back on the road with rickshaws) is to walk down the streets to the river. There you could consult your map and find out where you are - the names of the ghats are everywhere. And from there you can take a boat to where you want to go.
Otherwise you just trust some local to get you out of the labyrinth. Just believe that he actually is a good a person and he will surely help you out )

The upside is - no one has ever failed to find the way out of the Old city )

Bumpy roads - modern karma of Varanasi

More and more people are complaining of backache, neck pain and spinal injuries in Varanasi. The doctors attribute the rising cases to bumpy rides on potholed roads of the city.

Well, I would agree to that. Especially when you are riding in a ricksaw more than 5 minutes. The Russian roads, notorious for their bumps, seem like heaven when compared to those in Varanasi.

Media reports that the figures of people hurt by the roads is growing steadily. "On an average, we are witnessing three to four cases of spinal injures per month and the figure is almost 20% higher than the last year figure," said O P Sharma of department of radiodiagnosis and imaging, Banaras Hindu University (BHU).

Though I can hardly understand how 3 cases can show the 20% increase in number, I'm sure the doctor finds this trend very disturbing.

In addition, there is an almost 10% increase in the cases of neck pain and backache, two most common skeleto-muscular problems. Around 8 to 10 cases are being reported daily at the centre, added the senior professor, who has come up with a special paper on effects of bumpy roads on backache and other skeleto-muscular ailments.

The reports of orthopaedic department, BHU, indicate that knee and shoulder injuries are common problems affecting the young population, while backache and neck pain are taking toll on the ones aged over 50 years.

The youngsters, particularly college going students, in the city drive their bikes at a high speed which makes them prone to accidents resulting in knee and shoulder injuries.

"Wrong sitting postures on bikes coupled with bumpy rides cause backache and spinal injuries, said Sharma, who was former head of the department.

Also, as per the reports of neurosurgery department's OPD, an average increase of 20% has been witnessed in the cases of spinal injuries in last one year.

"One needs to be extra careful while riding motorbikes or driving vehicles on these roads and it is always better to compromise speed for safe and injury-free journey," said Sharma.

Moscow vs Varanasi graffiti contest - the winner

We are happy to finally announce the winner of the contest — ‘Fire, water, wall’ by Ukranian team Interesny Kazki.

Congratulations!

Most members of the Jury have declared that the style, the symbols and the theme of the works by Interesny Kazki fully befits the contest and the city of Varanasi itself.

The key idea of the work is intercommunication of two elements, that are conflicting by nature - fire and water. Tangled together those two forces are omnipresent in Varanasi - the fire of burning dead bodies converses with the Ganges water. Life and death mix and become inseparable. At the same time those two elements stand for two different cultures - Slavic and Indian.

We would also like to point out a work, which has received special praise from the Jury - The Metro.

Artem Semyanenko has chosen a very modern symbol of Moscow, the logo of the subway and made it look alive. The work has original concept, artfully cragted, has a bit of satire is easy to remember.

You can see the gallery of other works here and the short list here.

So our next step is to make it happen offline - the real graffiti on the Varanasi wall. We expect to paint it in the coming fall. Stay tuned!

Dussehra Ganga festival in Varanasi

Ganga Dusshera is a holy festival celebrated on the tenth day of the month of Jayeshta. The festival is devoted to the worship of holy river Ganga.

It is believed that the ‘Gangavataran’ (the descent of the Ganga) took place at this time. On this day, places such as Varanasi, Haridwar, Rishikesh, Garhmukteswar, Prayag etc. hold special significance.

A huge number of devotees flock to numerous ghats located on the west bank of the river Ganga to bathe in water and carry the river clay home to venerate. A bath in the Ganga is believed to purify the soul and clean it of 10 sins. In Varanasi the special aarti sounds bounce across the city, and in Haridwar aartis and meditation are also performed by a large number of devotees on the river banks.

Ganga water is stored in sealed pots in homes and is used on sacred days.