Banaras lanes, Alley in Varanasi, India
Banaras Lanes are the narrow, winding alleyways that run through the heart of Varanasi, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in India. The lanes twist between old houses built close together, small shops, and temples, forming a tight maze where cars cannot pass.
Varanasi is considered one of the oldest cities in the world and is thought to have been continuously inhabited for more than 3,000 years. The lanes were never planned but grew organically as generations of families built around existing structures, layer by layer.
The lanes carry the city's three names at once: Varanasi, Banaras, and Kashi. Many streets are named after Hindu gods, and small roadside shrines appear at nearly every turn, where locals stop to leave flowers or light incense as part of their daily routine.
It is very easy to get turned around in the lanes since many paths look alike, and even after some time walking you may pass the same spot twice. Asking a nearby shopkeeper for a rough direction is a reliable way to find your bearings toward the river ghats.
The overhead wires in the lanes, carrying electricity, telephone lines, and cable TV, are strung so densely that they sometimes brush the heads of people walking below. Some house walls still have very old stone carvings set into them, so worn by time that their patterns are barely visible.
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