Benares...

...Will Modi grab the idea of Kashi dwip?

The highlight of the evening is a maha-aarti held on the two main ghats. It is performed by over a dozen groups of Brahmins representing famous shrines and religious orders, each wielding a giant vertical brass triangle festooned on all three sides with flaming diyas. They perform the aarti (offering of fire) to the chanting of shlokas. The ghats have a standing capacity of just a few thousand people, few of whom can see the entire array of aartis. Another thousand or so people get onto boats that anchor in the Ganga River just opposite the two ghats. The view from the river allows spectators to see the entire range of aartis, and the palaces and ghats beyond. It is a breathtaking sight, enough to move atheists like me, so I can imagine the phenomenal impact it has on pious Hindus.