‘Varanasi is not an ordinary place – it’s an experience’: Svetlin Yosifov’s best phone picture

Capturing the sights, smells and heat of India's spiritual capital

Varanasi, on the banks of the Ganges, is viewed as the spiritual capital of India," photographer Svetlin Yosifov says. It's also known as the city of death. While many Hindus undertake pilgrimage to see its temples and ghats, and bathe in the sacred river, some come when they feel death is near. Hindu scripture says dying and being cremated there frees a person from the cycle of rebirth and grants them salvation."

In 2022, Yosifov, from Bulgaria, had already visited India four times, including one trip to Varanasi. This time he traversed the city on foot for hours, looking for the perfect shot. The streets are so crowded," he says. Any empty space is filled instantly."