Photos: The Ganges River at Sunrise
Varanasi is unlike any other place on Earth. The city is considered to be over 3,000 years old –one of the oldest in the world– and it hugs the Ganges River, which is held sacred by nearly one billion Hindus. Sunrise is the best time to visit, when thousands of people stream into the ghats to bathe and make offerings, while hundreds of boats ferry tourists up and down the river.
Mark Twain summed it up best when he said that it “is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together.”
Here are a dozen of my best shots, taken over a five day period. I hope you enjoy them.
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Beautiful! Nice photos. All are so good!
Gorgeous photos, Wes. Very well done!
Ok, the seagull shot #2 is absolute perfection! I am jealous it’s not mine. I LOVE IT!!! Great job Wes!
Thanks so much! Got really lucky with that one :)
Wow, stunning photos. Love the contrast of the red clothing against the sunset. Normally red and the peach and orange color don’t go well together (in my opinion) but nature did a good job of creating it and you did a great job of capturing it Wes!
Stunning photos!
Thanks, Dina. I don’t know if I’ll ever top this batch — it’s an amazing place…
Just jaw-droppingly gorgeous photos! Great shots of a great location!!
Amazing Picture great Work
Love these photos, they brought back lots of Varanasi memories from years ago…
Fantastic! Really amazing work.
Thanks, Justin :)
Amazing images really photographed well.. The composition is grate and DOF wonderful
A M A Z I N G PICS!!!
Incredible photos Wes!
really superb pictures they feel us like divine of india
Wes, is there a way to sign up so I am notified when you post new stuff?
Sure, Chris: at the top of the homepage is a big blue box. Right under Subscribe for free updates, you can choose to follow via RSS or have each new post emailed to you :)
i am very happy that you are in the quest of incredible india these picks touch the soul of every human being they feel us spiritual
These are some of the most beautiful photos I have ever seen!! I have been to India, but haven’t visited mother ganges yet. Can’t wait to take my family there one day, as well as Belur Math!
Thanks so much. India is an amazing place.
These photos are amazing!
I left my job as an architect a little under a year now so that I can travel. My initial goal was to end up in India for the very same reasons you took all of these wonderful photos. I started with very little money and have been couch surfing most of the time with friends, family, and some well-picked strangers. The closest I’ve gotten to India is Singapore, but I can’t seem to find my way into the country.
I have been losing a little steam lately, but after coming across your website and these photos, I feel motivated again. I will eventually make it to the Ganges. Thanks!
Wes, the colours in your photos are amazing. Did you go early in the morning to get the hazy shots?
Yeah, most of these were taken between 6:30 and 9:00 am. Not much to do there at night, so it’s pretty easy to get up early :)
Incredibly beautiful! My favorite is the one with a man holding a torch looking to the Ganges.
WOW!! Impressive, beatiful photos
weird! indian find it clean and so spiritual but i think it’s so filthy!!!
I hope you’re getting paid for this blog. These shots are breathtaking.
These photos are absolutely spectacular. Thank you so much for sharing.
As everyones said, photos are incredible Wes! Also, love the layout of this post – nice big first image, small descriptive text and then…boom! Hit us with some great photos! Thanks again.
Absolutely stunning photos! Varanasi is certainly a mysterious place and I loved spending a few days there.
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