The oldest city on our planet, Varanasi

I wanted to come to this city since I could function as a thinking human being. It was not the holiness or the temples that attracted me; it was the beautiful sunsets, the boats, a long row of old buildings, and above all cremations on the bank of the river Ganges. It is a holy city that has a history of inspiring religious tales and horrible religious atrocities. My two days in the city are a kind of disappointment because it has been raining for last many days, and the cloud cover is not letting any type of good photography to take place. Still I would say that Varanasi is a magical place, huge river flowing through the city, many Ghats, boats moving in every direction and of course the stenge of burning human flesh.

One of the Seven Wonders of the World, Taj Mahal (From the Back)

More than five years ago, on the back of Taj was a big slum. Most of the photographers who came to photograph Taj would go on the back and shoot Taj from the slum. The Indian Government did not like the satirical shots from the slums in the World press. A few years ago they acquired the whole land and made a big garden and a monument that includes the old Taj site. Still some nutty photographers like me can go back and find irony on the backside of one of the Seventh Wonders of the World. Here are some pictures.

One of the Seven Wonders of the World, Taj Mahal (From the Front)

I have not seen much of the World but one thing that I know is that I have never seen any building in my life where you just want to sit and feel the greatness of this massive construction, almost 200 meters tall. Taj was build by an Indian Emperor called Shahjahan in the memory of his beloved wife Mumtaj in 1600s. It is mainly build with the white marble from an Indian state called Rajistan, but there were many other stones imported from all over the World. The workmanship and architecture is awe-inspiring. It is a tomb to his beloved wife, more than 20000 nameless workers made this possible, but the emperor who lived on the stolen money has his name stamped on Taj that is going to live in history.
All things aside it is a great place to visit. There is the river Jamuna on its back. You can just sit there and watch the sunset. It is just amazingly beautiful!

Chandigarh I miss you

In the foothills of Shivalik mountain range there is a city near Punjab called Chandigarh. The whole city was constructed from scratch. A famous French architect named Lee Carbousier was hired to construct the whole city. He gave the city a boxy look, something like Legos with unique exteriors. Eight years of my very productive life were spent in this city. I have all the bittersweet memories when I think of the city. The friends I loved and people I knew disappeared in time, but buildings and structures are still standing as a witness to that wonderful memory lane.

Monkeys

India inhabits many species of monkeys, but the Indian monkey and the Langur are the two common ones. Monkeys are associated with human habitation in many locations. They have become scavengers and dependent on human handouts. At Rishikesh the grasping skills of Indian Monkey is seen on the Laxman Jhula (hanging bridge) where they could walk on the metal wires hundereds of feet in the air.

Haridwar (A door to God)

Haridwar is a holy town in the foothills of Himalayas. Thousands of tourists go there every day visit various temples and Ghats. The main visiting place is ” Har Ki pauri” (steps leading to God). Most people go to the temples to worship God and bestow their offerings in the holy river Ganges. Most worshippers take dips in the Ganges River. The main ceremony in the evening is the Aarty the finishes the worshipping for the day and all the people will go to their hotels to rest and show up the next day.