We watched the sun rise on the Ganges two mornings in a row. The sheer volume of pilgrims and their utter devotion is impossible to describe. Here are photos that will give you an glimpse of what it is like down by the river, every day.
People arrive from all over the world to cleanse their physical and spiritual selves in this sacred river. This is also the place where bodies are cremated in big pyres beside the water. The fire is put out by pouring water onto the pyre, then the ashes are dumped into the Ganges.
I've included a particularly amusing cow photo, taken on the walk back through town from the riverbank. It's not a "good" photo but I wanted you to see it, because it's more extreme than our normal cow sightings. We walked by the same shop this evening and--yes--the same bull was in the same shop. . .
Namaste from Varanasi!
Lawrence with the priest, receiving blessings for himself, for me, and for our five children
Betty setting her prayer candle afloat on the Ganges River
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