Tag Archives: kashi

Assi Ghat, Varanasi, India

18 Mar

Assi Ghat is the largest and Southern-most ghat along the main artery in Varanasi. It is also the most touristy, since many hotels and guesthouses are located in this area. But it doesn’t feel deprived of culture, there is still a daily puja ceremony in the evening, chai wallahs, men hanging out together, cultural drama productions in Hindi, and a few dhobis washing clothes. I went there this one evening with a friend from the academy, and sketched casually as we swatted away  mosquitoes and moths. The sun was descending behind the city, and the Ganga was in shadow. I later painted my sketch, remembering a certain dusty rose hue that the city adorned at sunset, and a drab gray blue shade along the river bank.

Tulsi Ghat, Varanasi

13 Mar

Tulsi Ghat is the nearest ghat (steps that lead down to the river) to the music academy where I was staying and studying. Tulsi is the name for the Holy Basil plant, which they sometimes have growing at a temple, in a special raised planter with a cage covering the tulsi plant. There was a pretty scrawny one growing at this temple. I enjoyed this ghat most for the cool shade provided by the large ficus tree.

Varanasi, India Feb 2010

12 Mar

I arrived in Varanasi (aka Benares or Kashi) in February, after one month of traveling in Rajasthan and Uttarkhand. Unfortunately I’m skipping ahead over my time in Uttarkhand because I failed to make any drawings while I was there. But I had stayed at an amazing school and ashram in the mountains surrounded by happy, tiny children, and briefly passed through Rishikesh and Haridwar on my way to Varanasi. I drew this particular sketch just after sunrise.