Holiday in Varanasi

What makes Varanasi special as a destination?

Varanasi is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world and the spiritual heart of India. For over 3,000 years, Hindus have been pilgrimage to the banks of the sacred Ganges to pray, ritually cleanse themselves, and — in the final chapter of life — to die here and escape the cycle of rebirth. No other city in the world confronts the great themes of life so directly. The Ghats, the stepped riverbanks along the Ganges, are the centerpiece of Varanasi. 84 Ghats stretch over seven kilometers along the western bank, forming a unique stage of human existence. Here, pilgrims bathe alongside washing women, meditating Sadhus sit next to playing children, and at the cremation Ghats Manikarnika and Harishchandra, funeral pyres burn day and night — a sight of shocking intensity and beauty. The evening Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat is one of the most moving rituals one can experience in India. Young priests perform a choreographed ceremony in honor of the Ganges with burning oil lamps, incense, and rhythmic chants. Thousands of spectators watch the spectacle from the shore and from boats on the river. The old town behind the Ghats is an incredibly dense labyrinth of alleys so narrow that sometimes only one person can pass through. Here, there are ancient temples, silk weavers, tiny tea kitchens, and herds of cows pushing through the maze. The Kashi Vishwanath Temple, one of the holiest Hindu temples, has recently been enhanced by the impressive Kashi Vishwanath Corridor with a spacious forecourt. A boat ride on the Ganges at sunrise is one of the most profound travel experiences imaginable. When the fog lies over the water, the silhouettes of temples and palaces along the shore become visible, and the first devotees step into the water, one understands why Mark Twain wrote: "Varanasi is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend."