Buddha

We were surprised by the number of Japanese tour groups in our hotel, only to learn that Varanasi is also a site of pilgrimage for Buddhists. We went to the site where Lord Buddha preached his first sermon. Buddhism also sprang from Hindhuism but has been changed and adapted to different cultures.

The Bristish excavated the site of a vast monastery. Pilgrims mainly from Asia & Tibet circle the huge edifices still remaining, often on their knees prostrating themselves, and place gold leaf on the stones.

The last picture is of a weaver making hand woven cloth. We did buy some of the scarves to bring home. You will notice he has a series of punch cards for his design, although the most intricate and expensive cloth is still woven from memory.

We flew back to Delhi after a 5 hour delay because of fog and spent the last day visisting the Red Fort, which was the British occupation barracks for many years and is still largely occupied by the military. We also went to an incredible temple complex but were not allowed cameras. It is called the Swiminarayan temple and there has been a TV documentary, here is the link: http://www.my-india.net/tour/delhi/akshardham.shtml It is an Indian Disneyland with movie theatres, food concessions, but all based on the Hindhu faith.