Things To Do In Varanasi

Things to do in Varanasi

Varanasi, on the Ganges, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and Hinduism's holiest, where pilgrims come to bathe and the devout come to die.

Take a boat on the river at dawn, when the ghats, the stepped banks, fill with people bathing, praying, washing and doing yoga as the sun rises. Walk the ghats from Assi to Dashashwamedh, a few kilometres of temples and palaces.

At Manikarnika and Harishchandra ghats, cremations take place around the clock. Watching is permitted, but photography is not; be respectful, and ignore people who offer to guide you in exchange for 'donations' for firewood.

The Ganga Aarti, every evening at Dashashwamedh Ghat, is a ceremony of fire, bells and chanting by young priests; watch from the steps or a boat.

The Kashi Vishwanath Temple, one of the holiest Shiva temples, is reached through a new corridor to the river; phones and bags are not allowed inside. The old city's narrow lanes, galis, are full of shrines, lassi shops and silk weavers.

Sarnath, half an hour away, is where the Buddha gave his first teaching, with ruins, a stupa and a museum.