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Old 4th May 2021, 10:47   #16
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Re: Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture

Excellent visual narration, lovely family and enjoyed some those nice scenic and important spots photos. Varanasi is one of the places that i wish to visit in the near future. That place still exhibits the roots of our historical past and hope to experience it in this life. Hope we all come out this COVID situation asap.

I have book marked your page, for future

We all need some moments of positive distractions as well to stay sane with all the doom around us now. This photologue took me into a few mins of journey into Varanasi giving that much needed distraction to recharge. Thank you for sharing.
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Old 4th May 2021, 11:29   #17
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Re: Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture

Banaras is life. And the after life.

I've had fortune of visiting and staying for couple weeks in Banaras in my study days.

No words can describe being there. Once you are there, you'll feel it. It is something else.

When I went there(around 2005-06), I did not have much money to spend and I'm pretty sure that is the best thing at that time because the best way to explore it is on foot/cycle/rickshaws.

I'll not talk about the food here, enough has been told about it. The food there is for soul.

Thank you for sharing pictures and re kindling memories. It will the first place I visit once pandemic eases and I'm in Dhanbad where my parents live.
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Old 4th May 2021, 11:40   #18
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Re: Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture

Very descriptive and full of so many photos. I wish to visit Varanasi someday too.

That said, given the current situation I simply cannot get myself to not notice how most people in the photos don't seem to be wearing a mask. Just could not unsee it. How is this still happening? What are people not understanding? Where are we missing in our education.

In Madhya Pradesh they tested 61 Kumbh returnees and found 60 of them to be infected. 22 others were untraceable. That is 99% rate of positivity. I simply cannot understand how this can continue at a time when we are absolutely devastated by the collapse of the medical infrastructure and people are literally gasping for breath on the streets outside hospitals in all parts of the country. We only hear about Tier-1 cities but this is true in smaller towns and villages too. We just don't hear about them and because they die without testing, they don't even show up in the official figures.


The scene in Varanasi is no different.

Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture-screenshot-20210504-11.34.56-am.png

Sorry if I am being a party pooper but I think at an unprecedented time like this, when even for profit corporates are shutting production to supply oxygen, we should realise the seriousness and not promote travel to mass gatherings by giving it such visibility on the homepage at a time we have multiple threads dedicated to the pandemic. Im not sure if my post is permitted by Team-BHP policy but this is so bad that I don't mind risking my Team-BHP membership which I got after multiple attempts. Speaking out against this is worth it to me. I hope others see it that way too.
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Old 4th May 2021, 11:42   #19
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Re: Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture

Amazing writeup. Reading through this made me feel as if I was on a live tour of Varanasi. Quite fascinated by the pictures; especially the food ones .

Plan to visit Kashi again in the near future (and this time, hopefully, driving all the way from Bangalore )
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Old 4th May 2021, 12:13   #20
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Re: Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture

What a wonderful and detailed travelogue on one of my favourite cities ! Take a bow haisaikat !
This superb narrative brought back so many memories from our trip way back in December 2019. The pictures of the Ganga Aarti & the boat rides look beautiful. Since you’re a true foodie at heart, I hope Varanasi gave you tonnes of memories to cherish forever!
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Old 4th May 2021, 13:13   #21
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Re: Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture

Excellent trip report and super picks. Had been to Benaras many times in childhood. Need to plan one soon.
What was your child eating while on the move?

MOD NOTE : Please proof read your post for spelling / formatting errors before submitting it.
Thanks.

Last edited by Sheel : 4th May 2021 at 13:25. Reason: Mod note attached.
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Old 4th May 2021, 13:32   #22
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Re: Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture

I was pleasantly surprised with a really well documented travelogue, because from what I gathered from the Hot Threads title, I assumed you had lost your car in Varanasi and was expecting a completely different thread .

Loved the pictures, made me- someone who hasn't been to Varanasi yet- feel like I've visited the place vicariously. Also, incredible luck with your timing. Had your plans been for a week or two later, the situation would have been completely different. I do urge you to take care of yourself, your family, and everybody around you, and I hope you're all safe.
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Old 4th May 2021, 13:37   #23
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Re: Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture

What a lovely thread, excellent writeup and very detailed as well.
Benaras is on top of my list as well, and your thread just made my belief stronger about this place.
And I'm glad you have covered and mentioned all the right places about where to eat or what not to miss when you are in Benaras. This thread will be my reference point whenever I will be visiting.
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Old 4th May 2021, 15:46   #24
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Re: Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture

Thank you for your wonderful travelogue ! You have documented the awesome food trail of Varanasi.

I was very very fortunate to have lived and studied in Varanasi for four years from 1999-2003. With little or no money, we would often find ourselves walking for miles in the dark of the night to have a cup of tea with friends. A lot has changed in Varanasi I hear, but looking at your pictures, I am glad a lot hasn't

I hope to take my family one day to Varanasi, especially my son. They have heard so many stories of my mischief from those days, they should visit and see what it was all about.

Thank you for making me nostalgic in a wonderful way !
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Old 4th May 2021, 15:51   #25
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Re: Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture

Wow. Wonderful travelogue and thanks for the details on hotels and food options. A breath of fresh air in the current gloomy environment. The street food looks awesome. Subscribed for future reference.
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Old 4th May 2021, 16:08   #26
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Re: Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture

Nicely written, Haisaikat. Varanasi is truly an amazing city, whether we look at street food or the handcrafts or the temples.

You should've planned and spent a day at Mirzapur. Anyway, save it for your next visit to Varanasi.

Lakhaniya Dhari waterfalls are a sight to behold. There's a nice 1.5km rocky trek to reach there but the scenery at the end is just mesmerising. Attaching some pics from my recent visit to Varanasi and subsequently, Mirzapur.

How the trek starts:
Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture-20210402_131727min.jpg

Challenging terrain (had to perform some rock climbing for this ):
Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture-20210402_133247min.jpg

Finally at Lakhaniya Dhari waterfalls:
Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture-20210402_135456min.jpg

Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture-20210402_135155min.jpg

Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture-20210402_143743min.jpg

Here is the Google maps link: CHUNA DARI WATERFALL
https://maps.app.goo.gl/3LH8sSf7AFgGieed7

(Localites call it Chuna Dari as well as Lakhaniya Dhari)

Also, you can visit Chandra Prabha Wildlife Sanctuary in Mirzapur. There's no wildlife there, but 2 very beautiful and scenic waterfalls. They're called Dev Dari and Raj Dari. Attaching pics of the same.

The majestic Raj Dari waterfall:
Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture-20210402_165231min.jpg

Pictures don't provide us with a complete perspective, but when you see it in person, the fall height is pretty large:
Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture-20210402_165355min.jpg

The 'Little Sister' (as the locals call it), Dev Dari waterfall:
Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture-20210402_171841min.jpg

Another shot:
Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture-20210402_171845min.jpg

Google Maps link: Chandraprabha Wildlife Sanctuary
088080 70573
https://maps.app.goo.gl/SPxHH4ECpA6XpW476

April is not the best season in terms of the amount of water and the intensity of its flow. Attaching some pics from Google just to show the full flow and amount of water (credits to respective photographers):

Raj Dari waterfall:
Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture-screenshot_20210504154906_chrome.jpg

Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture-screenshot_20210504154917_chrome.jpg

Dev Dari waterfall:
Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture-screenshot_20210504154927_chrome.jpg

Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture-screenshot_20210504154938_chrome.jpg

Lakhaniya Dhari waterfall:
Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture-screenshot_20210504154959_chrome.jpg

Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture-screenshot_20210504155005_chrome.jpg

Back in Varanasi, we also visited Sarnath and the holy Kashi Vishwanath temple. The 88 Ghats are just mesmerising. One gets to completely see the definition of life and death here.

Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture-20210403_183741.jpg

Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture-20210403_184657.jpg

The famous 'Ganga Aarti' (Please pardon poor image quality, I captured it through my smartphone from our boat which was pretty far away):
Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture-20210403_185842.jpg

@Mods, please pardon any editing errors and make necessary changes, if needed. I'm typing this post on mobile.

Thanks for reading.
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Old 4th May 2021, 16:16   #27
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Re: Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture

Looking at this thread I am reminded of the trip to Varanasi I was about to take in Nov 2019 but couldn't because of the Babri verdict that came at the same time and a short curfew was imposed in UP as a precaution. Since then, due to the pandemic, I haven't been able to plan anything that requires a very long road trip from Gurgaon. Hope to be able to undertake the trip to Varanasi soon.

I think it is quite worrisome that people haven't followed the covid appropriate behaviour (and we are seeing its result now). When I travelled to Corbett during the Good Friday weekend in Apr this year, I was baffled to hear some people dismiss covid as a conspiracy. Even before that, in Jan'21, during my trip to Agra, I could see 90% people wearing shoe covers in Taj Mahal but barely 10% wearing a mask. Perhaps the beauty of Taj Mahal was more important than health to people as well as authorities.

Apologies for drawing attention away from this otherwise wonderful travelogue. Quite inspiring.
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Old 4th May 2021, 17:35   #28
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Re: Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture

Thats a humongous travelogue - covering all the nitty gritty of Varanasi and Bodh Gaya in utmost detail. The pictures of the food made me drool and so were the pictures of the lanes and bylanes of Benaras. Makes me think that we should visit Varanasi soon, but need a 11-16 wide angle to add to the photography of the place.

Did you change your photography gear this time? Noticed a certain edge this time added to your photos

Were you using a fish eye lens ? Also, any drone ?

Best Regards,
Sayak
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Old 4th May 2021, 18:04   #29
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Re: Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture

An amazing travelogue if it was a different time and sincerely hope you and your family have managed to steer clear of the pandemic wave.
No masks or social distancing in sight. It was not a wise move at all to go on a trip at tis time.
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Old 4th May 2021, 21:54   #30
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Re: Lost in Varanasi - An Innova Crysta Venture

I am that unfortunate Banarasi, who is not getting the chance to be in Banaras for a long long time. Indeed it is a living town (Zinda seher Banaras). You will get a different kind of vibe there, a very positive feeling of connecting with some higher power which controls us all.

The temples, the ghats, the narrow lanes, never ending traffic, awesome street food, variety of sweets and that special energy, everything mixes so well to create a different feel.

Thanks Haisaikat for the beautiful pictures, you made me visit my place through your lens.
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