John Grove - Varanasi

January 2001, and I stopped off in Varanasi (also known as Benares) in the state of Uttar Pradesh in Northern India. We're on our way to the huge Kumbh Mela celebrations in Allahabad, four hours drive from here.
	Varanasi is an hour's flight south-east of New Delhi. This is only place where the River Ganges travels exactly north-south, and it's the reason why the holy city of Varanasi was built here.
At Varanasi the waters are extremely holy. To bathe in the Ganges, and in death to be cremated here and your ashes to be cast into the river is of great significance to Hindus. On the right is one of three ceremonial Ghats, where the dead are brought.
	Varanasi is a very ancient city, much of the architecture is hundreds of years old. Along the river are many temples, called ghats. Varanasi is also an important seat of learning - the equivalent of Oxford or Cambridge in the UK.
Pilgrims are constantly arriving to ceremoniously bathe in the waters of the Ganges.
	Here pilgrims are taking advantage of the numerous boats to travel down the river to see the many ghats.
Life goes on for the local inhabitants of Varanasi. There is a thriving tourist industry, with the thousands of pilgrims arriving from all parts of India, and the rest of the world.
	Every evening in the main part of Veranasi's river bank, there's a spectacular prayer ceremony lasting a couple of hours. It's a very noisy occasion, with bells, drums, incense and many flowers.
And now for even MORE noise, as I move on to the world's largest gathering of people at the Kumbh Mela.....