Benares

“Benares: The Sacred City” by E. B. Havell offers richly detailed sketches of Hindu life, art and worship in Varanasi, India’s most revered pilgrimage city. Moving from Vedic times through the Buddha’s teaching at Sarnath, the rise of modern Hinduism and British rule, Havell describes ghats, temples, sacred wells and pilgrimage routes along the Ganges. Combining history, travel observation and visual illustrations, the book explains Hindu ideas, rituals and artistic traditions, revealing how spirituality, daily life and urban culture intertwine in Benares.