INDIA, ON ROUTE TO MYSTICAL VARANASI

The many routes of civilizations

An episode from the series THE PATH OF MEN

Synopsis

Nestled on the banks of the Ganges, Varanasi, formerly Benares, located in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, is considered one of the oldest inhabited cities in the world. Dedicated to Shiva, it is a place of pilgrimage and one of the 7 holy cities of Hinduism.

According to the Hindu faith, dying or being cremated there allows the soul to be liberated by ending the cycle of reincarnations. Varanasi exudes an atmosphere like no other with its palaces that soar towards the sky, the multiple rites in the river, the sacred cows meandering by the thousands and the temples which spirituality falls between mysticism and mystery.

It is in the sacred month of Shravan, which falls in August during the monsoon, that Varanasi takes another dimension with the hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who converge by foot from all over the country.