Benares shapes

Benares shapes 2021

This is a painting from my Benares trip a few years ago. Benares aka Varanasi aka Kashi, on the bank of the river Ganges, is one of the world's oldest continually inhabited cities, dating back 2500 years. There are hundreds of Ghats on the river and for every one of the Ghats, many many boats hang there. This composition highlights the main ghat where the big puja happens. Every evening, the steps are jam-packed with people praying. This is painted in the early morning, where quiet and calm still prevails with very few people about. I loved how different shapes of boats and umbrellas talk to each other in this pastel.