December at Varanasi has the river running cold and the morning fog sits over the ghats till nine. The boats wait at Assi for sunrise but the sun won't break through until ten-thirty most days. The overnight low drops to seven degrees; the cha vendors do good business.

December and January are when the Tibetan monastic community is in residence at Bodh Gaya. The Dalai Lama has taught Kalachakra here twice this decade. The Mahabodhi temple at six in the morning is when the resident monks circumambulate. The cold sharpens the meditation; the marble platform stays warmed by the brass lamps.

Lumbini in January is dry, cold and uncrowded. The sal trees that ring the Maya Devi temple are leafless and the Asoka pillar stands clear. The morning bell from the Korean monastery carries across the meadow; the locals walk to the temple wrapped in shawls and gloves.

Shravasti's Saheth-Maheth ruins are most photogenic in winter. The low sun catches the brick foundations of Jetavana's gandhakuti and the surrounding stupas. December afternoons here are warm-cool, fifteen degrees, dry air, no haze. The bo tree planted by Anathapindika still stands at the entrance.