With pomp and spiritual fervour pulsing in its narrow alleys and grand temples, the ancient city of Benares has always drawn the curious and the creative. While the Gangetic city’s backdrop of sacred rituals and timeless traditions continues to captivate even today, Ashish Anand, CEO and managing director at DAG, points out how for centuries “the cultural centre has been a muse for artists from India and overseas”.
By the late 18th century, spellbinding tales of Benares had started to reach British shores, after landscape painter William Hodges published a series of picturesque views of the city. Other artists followed in his footsteps, most notably the British uncle-nephew duo Thomas and William, to visually document the subcontinent, inspiring a throng of creatives to come over in the next century.
