The Serpentine Lanes of Varanasi
Varanasi,
a holy city, is popular for the presence of its long stretch of
beautiful ghats, temples, holy river Ganges, its indigenous cuisine, and
the list goes on. But the main attraction for me is the 'gullies' of
Varanasi; narrow alleyways between tall stone buildings in the old part
of the city. The world inside these gullies is enormous and beautiful
in its own way.
One
day I got an opportunity to take a journey inside the gullies with the
help of Walks of Varanasi. The journey was from Nai Sarak, to
Dashswamedh Ghat. In between we passed through colorful and
scintillating markets of Varanasi along the serpentine lanes. As you
enter the lane you see several stores, which have been there for several
decades.
Moving
forward one can observe the transition from garment market to jewelry
market to kite market to artifact market and many more. Moreover, one
can experience the various old cultures of doing business like the Gaddi
system. And in between you see the sweet shops, which can provide
delicious cuisines and there are also famous soda shops which can
provide you soda with any flavor you want.
Within
these narrow lanes I experienced a huge super market which is hard to
find in other place of the world. These serpentine lanes of Varanasi are
crowded, beautiful and enormous. For me this was a lifetime experience
which I suggest anyone visiting Varanasi must experience
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