The Assi Ghat tree is our fav hangout.

Since starting VaranasiWalks officially last year in 2009 (though we have been doing research and walks with university students since 2001), we have had very interesting people come with us on heritage walking tours of Varanasi.  Some of the people might be just as interesting as the expeditions.  During Jan – Feb we were walking every other day!  While it was a pleasant last four months temperature wise it is now peaking at 45 degrees C (110 F) so the cool is gone and the hot has arrived!  We still manage to pass our time sitting near Assi ghat most days so come on down.

Governor-General Lord Cornwallis' grave in Ghazipur near Varanasi (d. 1805)

With all those interesting people wanting walks we ended up developing a British History Heritage Tour.  While not everyone looks favorably at our friends across the pond who left their indelible mark around the world in terms of culture & architecture, we feel the stamp of their passage that remains with us needs to be seen!  Located in strange corners of Varanasi, as well as the outskirts, are gems like the gravesite of Lord Cornwallis (who lost a decisive battle to George Washington in another avatar) which is about 45 km from Varanasi and can be reached by vehicle easily if you slip us a few extra rupees.  Also of note is the beautifully Gothic Sanskrit University that was officially began in 1791 by Jonathan Duncan the British Resident /Political Agent of the East India Trading Company.

The Sampoornanand Sanskrit Mahavidhyalaya (Sanskrit University) built by the British in the early 1800's

So with the HOT here for the next few months VaranasiWalks has slowed down from 50 walks a month to 15.  Thank God for that cause what is normally a pleasure can also be termed a penance in this heat!  Lucky for you we love the pain and still drink chai 7 -8 times a day and eat Banaras katchori for breakfast just to stick a thumb in the eye of the universe.

It might be too hot out to eat steaming hot kachori but we love it!

See you round the corner and through the gate,

Jai

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