Spinning the idols on their very heavy wooden stands prior to immersion

Festival fever in Varanasi!

---

September 30th 2009
We changed taxis at the border - the area was totally chaotic and I'm sure a lot of smuggling goes on undetected there. The immigration desk was a table in the main street - we didn't even see any customs officers. Totally crazy - people and trucks loaded up with goods everywhere and absolutely no order at all. Our new driver spoke hardly any English. It was a long drive to Varanasi - we could hav ... read more

Asia » India » Uttar Pradesh » Varanasi

---

The Indus Valley civilization, one of the oldest in the world, dates back at least 5,000 years. Aryan tribes from the northwest invaded about 1500 B.C.; their merger with the earlier Dravidian inhabitants created the classical Indian culture. Arab in... ... read more