Banaras: steps to heaven

India, 1984

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The most sacred of India’s cities, Banaras is the meeting place of heaven and earth. For over two-thousand five hundred years pilgrims have journeyed to Banaras to bathe in the River Ganges and to be cremated on its banks, and the film explores the spiritual forces that have ensured the survival of Banaras over thousands of years of history.

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Collection

In ACMI's collection

Credits

producer/director

Richard Riddiford

production company

Fek Films

Duration

00:49:11:00

Production places

India

Production dates

1984

Collection metadata

ACMI Identifier

016386

Language

English

Subject categories

Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Funeral rites and ceremonies

Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Ganges River (India)

Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → India - Description and travel

Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → India - Religion

Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Pilgrims and pilgrimages

Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Religion

Anthropology, Ethnology, Exploration & Travel → Travel

Documentary

Documentary → Documentary films - India

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Hinduism

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → India - Religion

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Pilgrims and pilgrimages

Economics, Philosophy, Politics, Religion & Sociology → Religion

Food, Health, Lifestyle, Medicine, Psychology & Safety → Funeral rites and ceremonies

History → Funeral rites and ceremonies

History → History

History → India - History

History → Pilgrims and pilgrimages

Places → Ganges River (India)

Short films

Short films → Short films - India

Sound/audio

Sound

Colour

Holdings

16mm film; Access Print (Section 1)

Please note: this archive is an ongoing body of work. Sometimes the credit information (director, year etc) isn’t available so these fields may be left blank; we are progressively filling these in with further research.

Cite this work on Wikipedia

If you would like to cite this item, please use the following template: {{cite web |url=https://acmi.net.au/works/77961--banaras-steps-to-heaven/ |title=Banaras: steps to heaven |author=Australian Centre for the Moving Image |access-date=9 July 2025 |publisher=Australian Centre for the Moving Image}}