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 essayThe archive
Stories from Purvanchal
Reported essays, photo essays, interviews, and oral histories from across Eastern Uttar Pradesh.
Featured
This month’s lead story
Latest
All stories
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·
Cuisine7 min read
Flavours of Purvanchal
Litti-chokha, thekua, kachori-sabzi, malaiyo — a walk through the kitchens and street carts of Purvanchal, dish by dish.
Kavita Singh·
Music8 min read
Bhojpuri Music: Roots and Rhythms
A primer on the song-forms of Purvanchal — Kajri, Birha, Sohar, Nirgun, Chaita — where they are sung, who sings them, and what they are really about.
Editorial Team·
Festivals7 min read
Dev Deepawali on the Ghats
A night-long walk along the Ganga on Kartik Poornima, as lamps, rituals, and crowds transform the stone steps into a shared public stage.
Anjali Rai·
Festivals8 min read
Chhath at the Waterline
Chhath draws whole streets to the water at sunrise and sunset. A report from two neighbourhoods — one in Varanasi, one in Ballia — and the women who keep the vow.
Anjali Rai·
Browse by theme
Browse by format
- Photo essays
- Explainers
- Interviews
- Oral histories
- Recipes
- Dispatches
Newsletter
A monthly letter from Purvanchal
One essay, one photograph, one festival we’re watching.