Sign-In
Cart
Aimless in Banaras: Wanderings in India's Holiest City
Paperback
Travel GeneralIndia & South Asia
Publisher Price: $18.99
ISBN13: 9789360456078
Publisher: Tranquebar
Published: Mar 17 2025
Pages: 264
Weight: 0.57
Height: 0.55 Width: 5.06 Depth: 7.81
Language: English
About the Book
A SENSUOUS PORTRAIT OF INDIA'S HOLIEST CITY AS WELL AS A MEDITATION ON LIFE-AND DEATH
While cremating his mother at the famed Manikarnika Ghat, Bishwanath Ghosh pretended he was a writer collecting material for a future book rather than a grieving son-his way of dealing with the last rites. A few years later, he returns to Banaras to write that book. Plunging into its timeless aura, he roams its ghats and galis, sails through the cool breeze of the Ganga, walks through the heat of funeral pyres.
One moment he is observing a sadhu show off his penile strength, in the next he is on a boat with a young woman who has been prophesied to marry seven times, one moment he is in conversation with the celebrated writer Kashinath Singh, who is an atheist, and in the next he is having tea with a globe-trotting priest and a god-fearing doctor.
Ghosh finds a story in every bend as he engages with quintessential Banarasis-their paan-stuffed mouths spouting expletives and wisdom with equal flair-and discovers why they are among the happiest people on earth. Then one evening at Manikarnika, as he emerges from a temple, wearing ash from the cremation ground on his forehead, he finds a bit of Banaras in himself.
Aimless in Banaras is not only a sensuous portrait of India's holiest city but also a meditation on life-and death.
About the Author
Bishwanath Ghosh, born in Kanpur on 26 December 1970, is the author of the hugely popular Chai, Chai: Travels in Places Where You Stop But Never Get O. He's also a Hindi poet, who has two well-received compilations-Jiyo Banaras and Tedhi-Medhi Lakeeren-to his credit. His other books include Tamarind City: Where Modern India Began; Longing, Belonging: An Outsider at Home in Calcutta and Gazing at Neighbours: Travels Along the Line that Partitioned India. He is an Associate Editor with The Hindu newspaper and lives in Calcutta.
Also in
India & South Asia
Rough Guides Nepal: Travel Guide with eBook: 2026-2027 Insider Tips Must-See Sights Maps & Itineraries Covers: Kathmandu, Pokhara, Chitwan and More
Nelson, Matthew
Warwicker, Siobhan
Guides, Rough
Paperback
Lonely Planet Nepal: Plan the Trip of a Lifetime Detailed Itineraries & Maps Insider Tips Covers Kathmandu, Himalayas, Trekking and More
Bindloss, Joe
Fegent-Brown, Lindsay
Mayhew, Bradley
Paperback
Patterns of India: A Journey Through Colors, Textiles, and the Vibrancy of Rajasthan
Chitnis, Christine
Hardcover
Lonely Planet India: Plan the Trip of a Lifetime Detailed Itineraries & Maps Insider Tips Covers Delhi, Goa, Kerala, Rajasthan, Agra, Mumbai and More
Bindloss, Joe
Choy, Monique
Bigg, Margot
Paperback
Chaat: Recipes from the Kitchens, Markets, and Railways of India: A Cookbook
Eddy, Jody
Chauhan, Maneet
Hardcover
India - Culture Smart!: The Essential Guide to Customs & Culture
Stephen, Becky
Culture Smart!
Paperback
The Kerala Kitchen, Expanded Edition: Recipes and Recollections from the Syrian Christians of South India
George, Lathika
Paperback
The World Spins By: A Gift of Time, Love, and the Long Bike Ride Back to Myself
Kopack, Jerry
Paperback
Lonely Planet Sri Lanka: Plan the Trip of a Lifetime Detailed Itineraries & Maps Insider Tips Covers Colombo, the South, the Hill Country, the Ancient
Mayhew, Bradley
Francis, Joseph Richard
Paska, Marisa Megan
Paperback
Lonely Planet Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra: Plan the Trip of a Lifetime Detailed Itineraries & Maps Insider Tips Covers Taj Mahal, Jaipur, Udaipur, Agra Fo
Bindloss, Joe
Sidhu, Puneetinder Kaur
Choy, Monique
Paperback
Ascent of the Thunder Dragon: The Surprising Spiritual Life and Legacy of Bhutan's Founder
Wakefield, Sasha
Paperback
Lonely Planet Bhutan: Plan the Trip of a Lifetime Detailed Itineraries & Maps Insider Tips Covers Thimphu, Paro, Trongsa and Mongar Dzongkhag and More
Mayhew, Bradley
Fegent-Brown, Lindsay
Tenzin, Galey
Paperback
Lonely Planet South India & Kerala: Plan the Trip of a Lifetime Detailed Itineraries & Maps Insider Tips Covers Mumbai (Bombay), Maharashtra, Goa, Kar
Grace, Lucie
Lobo, Christabel
Bindloss, Joe
Paperback
Tuttle Pocket Hindi Dictionary: Hindi-English English-Hindi (Fully Romanized)
Delacy, Richard
Paperback
Oude geheimen van een Meester-Genezer: Een Westerse Scepticus, een Oosterse meester en de Grootste
Rogers, Clint G.
Paperback
Ancient Secrets of a Master Healer: A Western Skeptic, An Eastern Master, And Life's Greatest Secrets
Rogers, Clint G.
Paperback
The Jackfruit Chronicles: Memories and Recipes from a British-Bangladeshi Kitchen
Ahsan, Shahnaz
Hardcover
Decoded Durga Saptashati in Sanskrit and English: It gives you strength, great mental balance, bliss and success
Thorat, Santosh
Hardcover
Maldives Traveler's Guide 2026: Your Guide to Islands, Resorts, Local Culture, and Budget-Smart Travel
Lyde, John
Paperback
Overland Before the Hippie Trail: Kathmandu and Beyond with a Van a Man and No Plan
Sullivan, Patricia Noble
Paperback
River Traveller - Journeys on the Tsangpo-Brahmaputra from Tibet to the Bay of Bengal
Hazarika, Sanjoy
Paperback
Trekking Everest Base Camp: Classic Ebc, Three Passes & Gokyo Lakes
Butler, Stuart
McCluggage, Andrew
Paperback
Beyond the Snow Leopard: Travels Through the Himalayas, Buddhism, Mountaineering and Possible Paths to Enlightenment
Crozier, Bill
Paperback
21 Days to Paradise: Reader's Edition: Journey to the Roof of the Universe
Ventrone, Sebastian Theodore
Paperback
My Journey to Lhasa: The Classic Story of the Only Western Woman Who Succeeded in Entering the Forbidden City
David-Neel, Alexandra
Hardcover
Trekking in the Karakoram: Pakistan: K2, Snow Lake, Gondogoro La and Nanga Parbat
Jordans, Bart
Paperback
20 Hindi Short Stories for Beginners: An English-Hindi Dual-Language Book for Easy Reading and Learning
Mengioglu, Duygu
Paperback
Discovering Bhutan: Land of Gross National Happiness
Schofield, Janetward
Schofield, Janet Ward
Paperback
Butter Chicken in Ludhiana: Travels in Small Town India: Now with a New Introduction by Chandrahas Choudhury
Mishra, Pankaj
Paperback
Secretos Ancestrales de un Maestro Sanador: Un escéptico occidental, Un maestro oriental, Y los mayores secretos de la vida
Rogers, Clint G.
Paperback
Secrets ancestraux d'un maître guérisseur: Un sceptique occidental, un maître oriental et les plus grands secrets de la vie
Rogers, Clint G.
Paperback
Greater Than a Tourist - Bologna, Emilia-Romagna Region, Italy: 50 Travel Tips from a Local
Mathews, Emily
Tourist, Greater Than a.
Paperback
पहाड़ी बघल्याणी १
Kaviraaj, Shyaam Laal Gautam
Paperback
Mystic Journey to India: The Key to Spiritual Awakening and Fixing Fate
Hamilton-Parker, Craig
Paperback
The Long Strider in Jehangir's Hindustan: In the Footsteps of the Englishman Who Walked From England to India in the Year 1613
Moraes, Dom
Srivatsa, Sarayu
Paperback
Guide de conversation Français-Persan et vocabulaire thématique de 3000 mots
Taranov, Andrey
Paperback
DK Top 10 Delhi: Top 10 Lists for Your Perfect Trip, Plus an All-Weather Folded Map
Dk Travel
Paperback
Adventure in Zanskar: A young woman's solitary journey to reach physical and metaphysical heights
Edelstein, Amy
Paperback
A Photographic Field Guide to the Birds of India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh
Singh, Sarwandeep
Grewal, Bikram
Sen, Sumit
Paperback
Volga Se Ganga (वोल्गा से गंगा)
(राहुल सां&#
Paperback
Two Arabic Travel Books: Accounts of China and India and Mission to the Volga
Al-Sīrāfī, Abū Zayd
Faḍlān, Aḥmad Ibn
Hardcover
رأيت في الهند: يوميات كات
خدوسي, راب&#
Paperback
Learn Nepali While Having Fun! - For Children: Kids of All Ages - Study 100 Essential Thematics with Word Search Puzzles - Vol.1
Linguas Classics
Paperback
Learn Bengali While Having Fun! - For Adults: Easy to Advanced - Study 100 Essential Thematics with Word Search Puzzles - Vol.1
Linguas Classics
Paperback
Learn Telugu While Having Fun! - For Children: Kids of All Ages - Study 100 Essential Thematics with Word Search Puzzles - Vol.1
Linguas Classics
Paperback
The Duke of Edinburgh in Ceylon. A Book of Elephant and elk Sport ... Illustrated With Chromo-lithographs, Etc
Capper, John
Brooks, Vincent
Paperback
Learn Urdu While Having Fun! - For Children: Kids of All Ages - Study 100 Essential Thematics with Word Search Puzzles - Vol.1
Linguas Classics
Paperback
El-Akar Akash (এল-আকার আকাশ): A Collection of Bengali Poems
Chakraborty, Sujit
Paperback
Tiger in a Lifeboat: Discovering India, Deconstructing Faith, and Deciding to Trust Again
Cibene, Lauren
Paperback
Drowning in Now: A Search for God and Humanity at the Top of the World
Demetropolis, Alicia Jean
Paperback
A Voyage to the East-Indies: Giving an Account of the Isles of Madagascar, and Mascareigne, of Suratte, the Coast of Malabar, of Goa, Gameron, Ormu
Dellon, Gabriel
Crull, Jodocus
Paperback