benaras – GOPS

Sep 28

by GOPAN NAIR in Life in this India, travel, Varanasi 2 comments tags: baba, baba shiv das, benaras, das, gopan g nair, gops, gops.org, india, italy, kashi, sadhu, shiv, shiva, varanasi

A HINDU MONK FROM ITALY

The year was 2014 and the beginning of winter in Varanasi. During my usual stroll along the ghats of Kashi in search of photo-stories, I came across Baba Shiv Das enjoying the warmth of the rising sun with a cup of tea in one hand and a cigarette in the other. The instinctive photographer in me couldn’t resist clicking a few candid shots, though I had an apprehension about the invasion of privacy. To my shock, the Baba suddenly turned his head, gave me an intense gaze, showed a gesture with his index finger and called, “Hey! Come here.” Ignoring my gut feeling about certain arrogant Sadhus in the past, I took a decision to meet him. To my surprise, he was very kind, peaceful, soft-spoken and advised me that it is an inappropriate way to photograph people without their knowledge. When I offered my apologies, the baba was very generous to grant the permission to make some close-up shots. I was fascinated by those charming blue eyes which glittered like pearls through my view-finder. When I mentioned that the river ganga could be seen flowing through his eyes, he busted out laughing and I quickly captured that moment too […]

Jul 29

by GOPAN NAIR in Life in this India, travel, Varanasi 10 comments tags: aarti, Assi Ghat, benaras, benares, Dashashwamedh Ghat, gali, ganga, ganges, ghat, gopan, gopan g nair, gops, gops.org, Harishchandra Ghat, hindu, holy, kashi, Manikarnika, Manikarnika Ghat, photo, photography, river, sadhu, spiritual, spirituality, street, Tulsi Ghat, varanasi, Vishwanath Temple, worship

VARANASI, A CITY BEYOND LIFE & DEATH

VARANASI ( Also known as BENARAS or KASHI ) is the oldest living city in the world with a known history of over 3000 years. Mark Twain once wrote, “Varanasi is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together.” This historic city existed even when Sri Budha was a young boy. Varanasi belongs to the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, situated by the west bank of holy Ganga River. The revered and ancient city Varanasi is the religious centre of the world of Hindus, Budhists, Jains & Sikhs. Even after several centuries of destruction by Mughals & other invaders, this city still stands, where the past & present, eternity & continuity, philosophy & wisdom co-exist. To Hindus, Kashi is as holy as Mecca to Muslims & Jerusalem to Christians. There is a common belief that you need to get an invitation from the God to visit Varanasi. I feel this has some significance in real life too. Though I used to procrastinate a lot, the trip got materialized unexpectedly, when I was not really prepared for it. One of the main attractions in Varanasi must be its street life, and it […]

Mar 31

by GOPAN NAIR in Indian architecture & Heritage, travel, Varanasi 4 comments tags: benaras, boat, boatman, folk, ganga, ganges, ghat, gopan, gopan g nair, gops, gops photography, gops.org, hidden, india, indian, kashi, photography, ride, river, sing, singer, song, talent, varanasi

VARANASI :: SONG OF THE BOAT MAN

The talented boatman Rajkumar was entertaining his customers during a boat ride at Varanasi . The morning boat ride through Ganga river is an unforgettable experience for the visitors of Varanasi (Kashi) in India. I got really fascinated by the way he was singing like a professional Indian classical singer . Lots of unknown talents still lie hidden in this vast country. A boat ride across Ganga River in the night rejuvenates the body and soul. Experience it yourself :

Feb 05

by GOPAN NAIR in Indian architecture & Heritage, travel 2 comments tags: ashok, ashoka, benaras, bodhi, buddha, buddhist, chakra, Dhamek, Dhamekh, Dhamekha, Dharm Chakra, emperor, gaya, gopan, gopan g nair, gops, gops photography, gops.org, holy, Isipatana, maurya, Mulagandha Kuti Vihar Temple, peepal, photography, pilgrimage, pillar, Rishipattana, sarnath, site, stambha, stupa, tree, varanasi

SARNATH, THE BIRTH PLACE OF BUDDHISM

“Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.” :-Gautam Buddha The National Symbol of India was adopted from an Ashoka Pillar originally found here in Sarnath. The Lion Capital of Ashoka is a sculpture of four lions sitting back to back, along with the ‘Dharm Chakra’ (Wheel of Dharma/ Ashoka Chakra, having 24 spokes) placed on top and installed on top of a pillar (Stupa, Stambh). Ashoka installed the famous Ashoka Pillar here which was broken down by Turk and Islamic intruders. Remains of the pillar could be still found in its original location with the inscriptions in Brahmi script. The Lion Capital and Ashoka Chakra have been kept safe in the adjoining museum of Archeology. The four lions represent power, courage, confidence and pride. It also depicts Ashoka’s rule spread out in four directions. Besides the lions, the pillar also has a horse, a bull, an elephant and a lion, signifying the different states of Buddha’s life. The monolithic polished Chunar sandstone pillar is 15.25 m high (0.71 m diameter at the base and 0.56 at the top). Sarnath is located 10 Km from Varanasi of Uttar Pradesh in India […]

Jan 13

by GOPAN NAIR in Life in this India, Varanasi 4 comments tags: barber, benaras, ganga, ghat, gopan, gopan g nair, gops, gops.org, gopsphotography, kashi, life, photography, river, street, varanasi

OPEN AIR SHAVE

VARANASI ( Also known as Benaras or Kashi ) is the oldest living city in the world with a known history of over 3000 years. Mark Twain once wrote, “Varanasi is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together.” This city existed even when Sri Budha was a young boy. Varanasi belongs to the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, situated by the west bank of holy Ganga River. The revered and ancient city Varanasi is the religious centre of the world of Hindus, Budhists, Jains & Sikhs. Even after several centuries of destruction by Mughals & other invaders, this city still stands, where the past and present, eternity and continuity, philosophy and wisdom co-exist. To Hindus, Kashi is as holy as Mecca to Muslims & Jerusalem to Christians. One of the main attractions in Varanasi must be its street life, and it is perhaps every photographer’s dream land. In this series, I have tried to capture the spiritual moments and street life of Varanasi without losing its charm. About this particular frame : I was fascinated by the activities of a barber who appeared from nowhere, made a quick setup and got busy with his […]

A HINDU MONK FROM ITALY

VARANASI, A CITY BEYOND LIFE & DEATH

VARANASI :: SONG OF THE BOAT MAN

SARNATH, THE BIRTH PLACE OF BUDDHISM

OPEN AIR SHAVE

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