Varanasi, the ghats of the Ganga from dawn to aarti

Kashi, the city of light

• Sunrise on the steps: the city faces east across the water to an empty sandbank, so every morning the sun rises straight onto the ghats, the stone steps that run down to the river along almost the whole old city.
• Shiva's city: for Hindus, Kashi belongs to Shiva, who is said never to leave it.
• Freedom from rebirth: it is believed that to die here, and be cremated on its ghats, is to be freed from the cycle of rebirth. People come in old age to wait for that release, and families bring their dead from far away.
• Poets and saints: Kabir and Ravidas were born here, and Tulsidas wrote much of his Ramcharitmanas here.
• A university city: Banaras Hindu University, founded in 1916, is one of the largest residential universities in Asia.
• Sacred to others too: Jains revere Varanasi as the birthplace of Parshvanath, and Buddhists come to Sarnath, just outside, where the Buddha first taught.
• Outside ordinary time: Mark Twain wrote that Benares is older than history and tradition. People here say the city stands on the tip of Shiva's trident.

The ghats, from Assi to Panchganga

• A parade of kings: Rajput, Maratha, Bengali and South Indian rulers built palaces, temples and bathing steps along the riverfront.
• How to see them: you can walk the whole waterline in the dry season, but it is far better seen first from a boat, then explored on foot in sections.

Dawn on the river, by rowing boat

• Why not a motorboat: they are quicker, but loud, and the dawn here deserves silence.
• The stories: the boat moves slowly downstream past the palaces and temples, and your guide tells their stories quietly, ghat by ghat.
• In winter: flocks of gulls migrate to the river and wheel around the boats.
• Float a lamp: you can set a small lamp of leaves and marigolds on the water, as pilgrims do. We prefer the ones made without plastic.
• Breakfast after: once the sun is up, the boat drops you at a ghat for a walk through the waking lanes and a breakfast of kachori and jalebi.
• Sunset too: the ghats are just as beautiful from the water as the sky turns orange and the lamps come out, so we usually plan two boat trips, one at dawn and one at dusk for the aarti.
• Monsoon caution: from July to September the river can rise over the lower ghats and boats are often stopped, so check before you plan around them.

The evening Ganga aarti

• From the water: in a boat we hold in position at the front, you see the priests framed against the lit ghats and avoid the crush on the steps.
• From the ghat: on reserved seats or a balcony we arrange, you feel the crowd and the heat of the lamps.
• Do both: neither view is wrong, and many of our guests do one each evening.
• Arrive early: the best places fill well before the ceremony begins.
• The quieter aarti: a smaller, calmer one is held at Assi Ghat, and in the early morning as part of the dawn programme there.

At the burning ghats, with respect

• The rite: each body is dipped in the Ganga and placed on a pyre of stacked wood, lit by a close male relative, usually the eldest son, whose head is shaved in mourning.
• Is it ghoulish to watch: no. Many Indians find it calming, a frank acknowledgement of death in daily life. But it is a funeral, and every fire is a family's grief.
• Never photograph: not the cremations, the bodies or the mourners. This is the one firm rule of the ghats, and it is enforced.
• Keep your distance: watch from a boat or from an upper level with your guide, and keep your voice low.
• Dress and behave soberly: dress modestly, and don't eat, smoke or laugh loudly nearby.
• The known trap: ignore anyone who offers to take you closer or asks for money for wood for the poor or for a hospice.
• If it affects you: step away. Our guides are used to it, and it is perfectly natural.

The galis, Varanasi's lanes

• Who you share them with: cows and bulls wander freely.
• Kashi Vishwanath: at the centre stands one of the twelve jyotirlingas, the holiest shrines of Shiva.
• Who built it: the present temple was built in 1780 by Ahilyabai Holkar, the Maratha queen of Indore.
• The Golden Temple of Varanasi: in 1835 Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab gave about a tonne of gold to plate its spires.
• The corridor: in 2021 a broad corridor opened connecting the temple to the river.
• Security: strict. Phones, bags and cameras are usually not allowed inside, so we arrange for them to be held. Expect long queues at festival times.
• Sankat Mochan: the temple to Hanuman, founded according to tradition by Tulsidas.
• The Durga temple: known for its red spire.
• Thatheri Bazaar: the street of the brass-workers.
• Banaras Hindu University: on its leafy campus, the Bharat Kala Bhavan museum holds fine miniature paintings, textiles and sculpture, and the new Vishwanath temple there is open to all.

What Banaras eats

• Tamatar chaat: a spicy, tangy tomato dish made only in Banaras, for the evening.
• Chooda matar: flattened rice with green peas, a winter dish.
• Banarasi paan: betel leaf folded around areca nut, spices and sweet fillings, famous across India. Every family has its favourite paanwala. Ask for a sweet paan without tobacco.
• Langda mango: in summer, one of the finest mangoes in the country.
• Thandai: at Holi everyone drinks this chilled milk with almonds and spices.
• Vegetarian city: much of the old city is vegetarian, especially near the temples, and alcohol is found mainly in hotels.

Banarasi silk, from the loom

• Kadhua: each motif is woven separately by hand, so the back is clean and the work slow.
• Jangla: dense, all-over vines.
• Tanchoi: intricate patterns in coloured silk, without metal.
• The imitations: much cheaper powerloom copies flood the market. Real handloom work has a protected geographical indication.
• Buy from the makers: we take guests to weaving families we know, to see the looms and buy directly from the people who make the cloth.
• Know what you're buying: our shopping guide explains how to tell handloom from powerloom and real zari from plated thread.
• Beside our own textiles: our textile shopping page shows how Banarasi silk sits beside the block prints and tie-dyes of Rajasthan.

Sarnath, where the Buddha first taught

• Dhamek Stupa: massive, rebuilt in the Gupta period, it marks the spot traditionally linked to the sermon. Its lower walls are carved with delicate geometric and floral patterns.
• The lion capital: in the Sarnath Museum, four lions back to back above a wheel, which independent India adopted as its national emblem. Its polish still gleams after more than two thousand years.
• One of the ancient world's great sculptures: the capital alone is worth the drive.
• Mulagandha Kuti Vihara: a modern temple opened in 1931, with murals of the Buddha's life painted by a Japanese artist.
• Temples of many nations: Buddhist communities from Thailand, Tibet, Japan, Sri Lanka and elsewhere have built temples around the park.
• Our rhythm: we go in the late morning, after a dawn on the river, and stay for lunch.
• For families: a welcome contrast with the intensity of the old city, and children love the gardens and the deer.

Where to stay in Varanasi

When to come, and the festival days

• April to June: very hot.
• July to September: the monsoon swells the Ganga over the lower ghats, and the aarti sometimes moves to higher ground.
• The detail: our page on the best time to visit Varanasi.

Getting to Varanasi

• From Khajuraho: a full day by road from Khajuraho, so we fly when connections allow.
• In the old city: cars cannot reach the ghats. We walk, take cycle rickshaws, or use the river itself, the best road in Varanasi.
• Gateways from the west: Delhi and Agra, with Rajasthan before them.
• Our journey: the Rajasthan and Varanasi journey runs twelve nights from Jaipur to the Ganga.
• How we route it: our journal piece on combining Rajasthan and Varanasi.

Three days in Varanasi, at the river's pace

• Shorter and longer versions: our Varanasi itinerary.
• More ideas: things to do in Varanasi.

What we tell our own family before Varanasi

• Photographs: never photograph the cremations, and ask before photographing sadhus or pilgrims. Some sadhus pose for money, and the polite answer is a smile and a no.
• The river: don't drink from or swim in the Ganga, however devout the crowd. A sprinkle on the head is enough.
• Watch your step: the ghats are steep, uneven and often wet.
• Before the Vishwanath temple: read our temple etiquette guide, and leave phones and bags with your guide.
• Who will love Varanasi: anyone curious about faith, ritual and the oldest rhythms of Indian life.
• Who will not: travellers who find crowds, poverty or death hard to face. For them, a single night and a boat ride is the gentler way in.