Varanasi (Banaras) is a remarkable city made up of thousands of small streets ("gullies") many of which are only wide enough for one person to walk through. It is in these gullies that the life of Varanasi takes place, with each neighborhood ("tola") having a distinct personality.
In addition to its temples, sweets and "paan", Varanasi is famous for its production of lacquered wooden toys which are popular, not only in India, but are exported throughout the world.
Kashmiri ganj is one of several places in the city where the toys are produced. As its name implies, the inhabitants of the neighborhood were originally from India's northern-most state, Kashmir. They are predominantly Muslim and the toy-making craft has been handed down within families for generations due to the strictures of the caste system.
The industry is heavily male-dominated which is in accordance with the restrictions of the purdah system on the women. However, on the fringes of Kashmiri ganj, some Hindu women are involved in the painting of religious "murtis" (figurines).
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