Travel

The City Where Death is a Homecoming

In the labyrinthine heart of Varanasi, the ancient city also known as Kashi, there is a place where the line between life and death dissolves into smoke and prayer. This is Manikarnika Ghat, a flight of stone steps descending to the sacred river Ganga. It is not a place of quiet sorrow but a theatre of profound spiritual transition, a sanctuary where the final act of life is not a tragedy but a celebrated homecoming. Known as the Mahashamshan, or the great cremation ground, Manikarnika is a powerful symbol of the eternal cycle of existence, a place where funeral pyres have burned without cease for centuries, their flames a constant, unblinking presence against the backdrop of the holy river.

The Enduring Spirit of Thai Art

To step into the grounds of Bangkok’s Grand Palace is to be immersed in a world of breathtaking detail and spiritual grandeur. Gilded spires pierce the sky, multi-tiered roofs curve with serpentine grace, and walls shimmer with intricate mosaics, each tiny piece telling part of a larger story. This sensory richness is the essence of Thai art, a vibrant cultural chronicle that has been shaped over centuries by a powerful confluence of spirituality, regional politics, and global trade. The story of art in Thailand is not one of isolation, but of dynamic absorption and brilliant reinterpretation, creating a visual language that is at once deeply local and universally resonant.

The Heartbeat of Hindu Nepal

To arrive at Pashupatinath is to step into a sensory confluence where the sacred and the profane, the eternal and the ephemeral, coexist in breathtaking proximity. The air itself is a complex tapestry of scents: the sweet, heavy perfume of marigold garlands and ghee-soaked wicks from a thousand oil lamps mingles with the sharp, spiritual aroma of burning incense. Underlying it all is the faint, unmistakable scent of woodsmoke drifting from the banks of the Bagmati River. The soundscape is just as layered. The air hums with the constant, gentle ringing of bells, the deep-throated chanting of Vedic hymns, the murmur of countless private prayers, and the boisterous chatter of the resident rhesus macaques who claim the temple grounds as their own.

Along the sacred riverfront of Varanasi, amidst the eighty-four ghats that form the spiritual artery of the city, stands a structure of profound and perplexing beauty: the Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple. Located at the edge of the famed Manikarnika Ghat, the temple presents a dramatic spectacle. It leans at a severe nine-degree angle, its stone spire tilting precariously towards the northwest, and for most of the year, its sanctum sanctorum lies submerged beneath the holy waters of the Ganga.1 This haunting image of a half-drowned, leaning tower has made it one of the most photographed, yet least understood, landmarks in this ancient city.

Dwarka: The City of Many Layers

At the westernmost tip of India’s Saurashtra peninsula, where the Gomti River meets the Arabian Sea, lies the city of Dwarka. Here, the air is thick with the scent of salt and incense, and the sound of temple bells from the towering Dwarkadhish Temple blends with the ceaseless roar of the ocean. Dwarka is more than a geographical location; it is a concept, a sacred space where the divine is believed to have once walked the earth, a glorious kingdom lost to the waves, and today, a living, breathing centre of faith that draws millions of pilgrims.

On the wrist of a bride, they are circles of joy, shimmering with colour and light. In the grand hall of a palace, a chandelier descends like a frozen waterfall of crystal, a testament to exquisite artistry. This is the luminous world of Firozabad glass—a world of delicate beauty, vibrant hues, and timeless tradition. For centuries, this city in Uttar Pradesh, located just 40 kilometres from Agra, has been India’s undisputed capital of glass, its name synonymous with the bangles that adorn millions and the intricate glassware that graces homes across the globe. It is affectionately known as the Suhag Nagri, the city that fulfils the demands of married women, and the city that has “glittered for centuries”.