Varanasi’s temple corridor destroys old neighbourhood

IndiaTimes: Varanasi is clearing the way for a grand temple corridor by razing hundreds of houses, wiping away its oldest neighbourhood and upsetting locals. In pic: Workers gather next to the remains of a temple before carrying on with demolition work in the Lahori Tola area of Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh. The aim is to improve accessibility for pilgrims by providing a direct pathway from the Ganges river to the 18th-century shrine of Lord Shiva, the Kashi Vishwanath temple.
In pic: Schoolgirls walk over the rubble of a demolished house along an alleyway near Meer Ghat in Lahori Tola area of Varanasi. For centuries Hindus have visited Varanasi to cremate their dead but it has often required navigating crowded alleyways to reach the city’s ghats, or riverside steps, where the caretakers of the cremation grounds pass flaming torches to the bereaved families to ignite wooden pyres dotting the banks.
In pic: A view of buildings undergoing demolition near Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi.