Kneeling at the Ghat

The Ganga Aarti at Varanasi — a priest kneeling before the lamps, chamar raised, the ghat receding into smoke behind him. Signed archival print, framed and ready to hang.

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A priest kneels on a marigold-strewn cloth, barefoot, one hand resting on his thigh, the other raised with the chamar held aloft. His head is turned in profile, eyes lowered. He is not performing outward; he is attending to the lamp in front of him.

Where the earlier frames in this series look up at the gesture and along the line of altars, this one drops to the ground. From the kneeling figure the frame recedes past four more priests, each smaller and dimmer than the last, until they dissolve entirely into the blue smoke gathering over the ghat.

The altars run with them — brass lamp stands, tiered deepaks, an open flame burning in a shallow dish in the near foreground, marigold petals scattered across red and gold cloth. To the right, the crowd stands close enough to touch, some with hands joined, some simply watching.

The smoke is what makes this photograph. It softens everything beyond the first two priests, turns the far end of the ghat to atmosphere, and gives the picture a depth the other frames do not have. Everything sharp is near; everything distant is suggestion.

Shot in available light at night, without flash. The colour comes entirely from the oil lamps, the string lights and the saffron the priests are wearing.

A document rather than a decoration. It suits a study, a hallway, a reception, a restaurant or a hotel lobby, and anyone who has stood on that ghat will recognise it immediately.

Printed on archival paper with pigment inks, signed and numbered as a limited edition. Supplied mounted and framed under glass, with a certificate of authenticity.

Specifications
Subject: Ganga Aarti, Varanasi
Medium: Archival pigment print
Paper: Acid-free fine art paper
Edition: Limited edition of 10 signed and numbered
Sizes: A0 (118.9x84.1cm), A1 (84.1x59.4cm), A2 (59.4x42.0cm), A3 (42.0x29.7cm), A4 (29.7x21.0cm)
Framing: Mounted and framed under glass
Included: Certificate of authenticity
Delivery: Tricity delivery included; shipped India-wide