This photographic series was created in Varanasi, one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the spiritual heart of India. Perched on the banks of the Ganges River, Varanasi is a place where the boundary between the earthly and the divine blurs. Each dawn, pilgrims descend the ghats to bathe in the sacred waters, seeking purification, while at dusk, the same steps glow under the light of oil lamps and evening prayers.

Here, life and death meet openly. Families bring their loved ones to be cremated on the ghats, and the ashes — or sometimes entire bodies — are released into the Ganges. Pilgrims from across India come to offer prayers, shave their heads, and give their hair as an act of devotion. Among them stand the sadhus or babas — ascetic holy men whose ash-covered bodies and calm gazes embody renunciation and spiritual freedom.

Amid the chants and the smoke of the pyres, life unfolds in a rhythm both sacred and ordinary. Chai stalls — the city’s true coffee shops — spill onto the streets, where people gather over small glasses of steaming chai, sharing conversation, laughter, and silence. In Varanasi, spirituality and conviviality merge seamlessly, turning every moment into a quiet act of devotion.