Hey there🧡
How are you all?
I hope wherever you all are, you are doing well ❤️🩹
Last November, my friends and I planned our first unofficial trip. This trip was quite spontaneous, I had just returned home after Diwali when they surprised me with the idea. They discussed how we would get there, when to go, and what activities we'd indulge in. Initially, I thought it was another one of our fleeting plans, but around the 10th of November, they started booking tickets, and that's when it hit me – we were actually going.
We were going to Varanasi, one of the oldest city, which is also known as Kashi, situated in the Uttar Pradesh state of India.
We had a train scheduled for November 12th from Ambala. As our college was in Chandigarh, we had to travel from Chandigarh to Rajpura. Departing our flat around 5:30 pm. We arrived at Rajpura railway station around 7:30 pm.
I captured this photo in Rajpura since the shop shared the same name as mine.
We boarded a local train from Rajpura to Ambala Cantt, reaching our destination around 9:25 pm. It was my first train journey, and the mix of excitement and nervousness lingered as we arrived at Ambala Cantt railway station.
The train from Ambala Cantt to Varanasi was scheduled to reach Ambala Cantt at 10 pm, so we were there ahead of time, which was a good thing. We boarded the train at 10 pm and began our journey to Varanasi. The train journey from Ambala Cantt to Varanasi takes around 24 hours.
On November 13th, I woke up at 6 am, finding a tea seller offering his tea.
Having slept poorly on the train and dealing with a headache, I opted for some tea.
Subsequently, we collectively decided to freshen up by brushing our teeth and washing our faces. En route from brushing, I caught sight of a stunning sunrise, prompting me to think, “I must capture this moment.” Despite the challenge of a moving train, my attempt to capture the sunrise was imperfect but beautiful.
Around 10:20 am, our train reached Lucknow. Since the train was stopping at the station for 15 minutes, we decided to buy some fruits and grab a snack. When I got off the station, I saw this board, and since one of my friends is from Lucknow, I had to click this picture and send it to him.
While snacking, my mom requested pictures of my food. While taking a photo, I unintentionally captured another shot featuring a straw in an uncle’s mouth, adding a playful touch. Naturally, I refrained from sending the second picture to my mom to avoid any potential displeasure.
I took this picture of the same uncle when he was taking an afternoon nap, and I found it very cute. That's why I've kept it safely with me.
We arrived at Varanasi railway station around 4 pm, and fatigue had set in. A mutual friend came to pick us all up
I was astonished by the beautiful architecture of Varanasi railway station. It has a unique design and was built on 1st May 1969. As one of the most advanced railway stations, it boasts around 8 platforms. This railway station reflects the religious beliefs of Varanasi city and showcases what the city has to offer.
Subsequently, we opted to head to Lanka to find a hotel for freshening up. Our auto dropped us at Ravidas Gate in Lanka, a beautiful spot, but time constraints prevented me from capturing a clearer picture of it.
After securing a room in a hotel and freshening up, we decided to head to Ganga Mahal Ghat, situated on the southernmost part of Varanasi. It's a picturesque ghat bustling with people.
Situated in Rewa Ghat, the exquisite monument known as Rewa Kothi or Rewa Palace is a captivating sandstone building perched at the summit of a grand staircase. Serving as one of the hostels for Banaras Hindu University (BHU), it accommodates students from the art faculty.
These pictures showcase the visual representation of various ghats within a monument, totaling 84 ghats along a distance of 6.4 km.
Opting for a leisurely stroll along the ghats, we eventually arrived at Tulsi Ghat. Exhausted, we managed to visit only 5 ghats today, planning to explore the remaining ones tomorrow.
I bought this secondhand book during my stroll.
Wrapping up the day, a refreshing cup of coffee lingered in my memory. With that, we called it a day and drifted into a peaceful sleep.
Concluding today's blog 🪔
Thank you so much for reading my blog 💞 I really appreciate it 😄
Stay tuned for the next installment of my Varanasi journey in the upcoming blog.
Till then, sending you a very big hug from me 🤗
Lots of love from me 💘