DAILY PHOTO: A Corner House in Shimla
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Being one of the four most major pilgrimage sites of Buddhism, Sarnath has a number of temples built by members of countries with large Buddhist populations. Among these countries is Thailand. (FYI: There is also a Chinese Temple, a Japanese Temple, and a Tibetan Temple.) While the guidebook advice is that these modern temples are skippable, an exception might be made for Wat Thai, which is both nearby to the [unskippable] Archaeology Museum and has a giant Buddha statue.
Here is the sign for the giant Buddha.
Back in the day, it was common for Hindu royalty from all over India to maintain a palace in Varanasi so that they could make their Ganges pilgrimage in style. Some of these palaces have deteriorated in abandonment, others have been sold or donated, and a few are still owned by a trusts connected with the original owners.
One of the most grandiose is the one that once belonged to the Raj Darbhanga–a royal family from the Bihar area. The Darbhanga Palace was purchased by Clarks Hotel Group with the intention of putting in a luxury hotel.
The Nepali Temple (Nepali Mandir) is located near the Lalita Ghat, between the main ghat (Dashaswamedh Ghat) and the big burning ghat (Manikarnika Ghat.) It’s construction is red brick with black wood, and the wood carvings are ornate. This 19th century temple is dedicated to Shiva, and–like the sandstone temples at Khajuraho–feature eroticism as one of its subjects.