TextilesEditor's pick
Banarasi Weaves: A Morning in Madanpura
In a narrow lane of the old city, two brothers weave the same sari their grandfather wove. The loom is older than the house.
By Rahul Verma··9 min read
Read the essayA cultural archive of Eastern Uttar Pradesh
Discover the Heart of Purvanchal
Reported essays, photographs, and oral histories from the ghats of Varanasi, the looms of Madanpura, the kitchens of Ballia, and the monsoon Kajri of the Ganga plain.
- Stories
- 9+
- Photographs
- 8+
- Places
- 6
- Themes
- 6
Photographs from Varanasi, featured workshops, and the ghats during Kartik Poornima.
About the archive
Discover Purvanchal documents the festivals, food, music, textiles, and people of Eastern Uttar Pradesh. Every story here is reported, photographed, or contributed by someone with ties to the region — published with sources, credits, and care.
The long read
One story we're reading this week
Latest
New stories from the archive
Traditions6 min read
A Morning at the Ghats
A slow walk from Assi to Dashashwamedh at first light, with the boatmen, bathers, yoga teachers, and sweepers who make a Varanasi morning.
Anjali Rai·
Music6 min read
Kajri Season
Kajri is a song for the monsoon, and the monsoon is a song for women whose husbands have gone away. An essay on one of the great seasonal forms of Bhojpuri music.
Editorial Team·
Traditions6 min read
Sarnath: The First Turning
The Dhamek Stupa, Ashokan remains, and the modern-day monasteries of Sarnath — a visitor's guide that takes the site on its own terms.
Editorial Team·
Traditions7 min read
Jaunpur: Mosques and the Sharqi Century
Atala, Jama, and Lal Darwaza — the three great Sharqi mosques of Jaunpur, and a short history of the Sultanate that produced them.
Editorial Team·
Themes
Explore by theme
Six threads run through Purvanchal's cultural life. Begin with one, follow where it leads.
2 stories
Festivals
Chhath, Dev Deepawali, Holi, and the regional calendars that shape the year.
3 stories
Traditions
Everyday customs, rites of passage, and community life.
0 stories
Art & Craft
Weaving, woodwork, metal craft, painting, and the artisans who carry them forward.
1 story
Cuisine
Litti-chokha, thekua, malaiyo, kachori-sabzi, and the seasonal kitchens of the region.
2 stories
Music
Kajri, Birha, Sohar, Nirgun — Bhojpuri traditions from courtyards to stages.
1 story
Textiles
Banarasi silk, regional weaves, dyes, and the weaver communities of the Ganges plain.
“The river doesn't need our rituals. But every morning, thousands of people arrive anyway — and the rituals hold the city together.”
Editorial process
How we work
01
Reported on the ground
Writers and photographers visit the place, speak with people, and verify every factual claim.
02
Edited for sources and care
Editors review every piece for accuracy, attribution, and tone. Interviewees are shown their quotes.
03
Published with credits
Every photograph is credited. Every source is linked. Corrections are published openly when needed.
By place
Stories from across the region
Festival calendar
Coming up
Kartik Shukla Shashthi · October–November
Chhath Puja
A four-day festival of fasting, purity, and worship of the Sun at riverbanks and ponds.
Read the deep-dive
Photography
From the gallery
Behind the work
Our contributors
Editorial Team
Discover Purvanchal
Essays produced collaboratively by the Discover Purvanchal editorial team — reporting, fact-checking, and photographs pulled together from across the masthead.
Anjali Rai
Contributing writer
Based in Varanasi, Anjali writes on ritual, riverine life, and the changing public spaces of the old city. Her work has appeared in cultural journals across India.
Rahul Verma
Photographer & writer
Documentary photographer working across eastern Uttar Pradesh, with a long-term project on handloom communities in Madanpura, Mubarakpur, and Mau.
Kavita Singh
Food writer
Kavita writes about home kitchens, seasonal eating, and the recipes passed between women of Purvanchal. She is at work on a book of Bhojpuri kitchen histories.
Contribute
Have a story, a photograph, or a family memory from Purvanchal?
We publish reported essays, photo essays, interviews, and oral histories from people with ties to the region. If you have something to share — from archival photographs to a remembered song — we'd like to hear from you.
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A monthly letter from Purvanchal
One essay, one photograph, and one festival we’re watching — sent once a month. No spam, unsubscribe anytime.