India - Ganga Aarti

Ganga Aarti is a Hindu ceremony performed every evening in Varanasi. When I was in Varanasi in 2007, we watched the performance from a rowboat on the Ganges, really too far away to appreciate the ritual's power. This night (March 3), upon the advice of our leader David Robbins, I was stationed ashore and right below the ceremony itself. Thus, for the most part these photographs are closeups of the celebrants and hopefully convey some of the power of the rituals. The city of Varanasi has described Ganga Aarti on its own web page: http://www.varanasi.org.in/ganga-aarti