Varanasi, city of antiquity, gets a new look but grapples with modernity

Change is resisted, and Varanasi is no exception. Many talk of how the city's cultural heritage is being ruined

The bajra, a big boat floating on the Ganga in Varanasi in the twilight, is indeed a sight!

The ghats, from Assi to Manikarnika, have been lit up, justifying Varanasi’s name — ‘the city of light’. The evening aarti ceremony at Dashashvamedh Ghat, a relatively new phenomenon, has acquired the ring of a legend. Barely a few steps away, adjacent to Manikarnika Ghat, work is on to develop the extension of the Kashi Vishwanath temple corridor, which promises a complex. 

The temple, originally spread over 2,300 sq uare feet will now cover nearly 500,000 square feet. Gone are old residential