Bigger India
In Varanasi’s bylanes, a surprise: A thriving Korean culture
South Koreans on the Buddhist tourist circuit are settling down, opening cafes, learning to speak Hindi and play the sitar in the holy city.
There’s a Little Korea in the gullies of Varanasi.
Walk through this timeless city and you will see, near the foreign tourists sipping blueberry lassis and the vegetable vendor arguing loudly beside a music shop where someone is playing the sitar, suddenly an oasis of calm in the form of a Korean café.
Dimmed lighting, soothing music, low seating arrangements and authentic Korean cuisine — it’s like you’ve stepped into the streets of Seoul.