One of the most colourful and fascinating places on earth, surprises abound around every corner.
Varanasi, once known as Benares or Banaras and Kashi, is a historical city in northern India.
The city is sacred to Hindus and Jains and also one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, with settlements dating back to the 11th century BC.
This is one of the world’s oldest continually inhabited cities, and one of the holiest in Hinduism.
Pilgrims come to the ghats lining the Ganges to wash away sins in the sacred waters or to cremate their loved ones.
It’s a particularly auspicious place to die, since expiring here offers moksha (liberation from the cycle of rebirth) so some ghats are known as burning ghats, where over 200+ corpses per day are cremated in full view before their ashes are eased into the Ganga.
The scene of pilgrims doing their devotions in the River Ganga at sunrise set against the backdrop of the centuries old temples is probably one of the most impressive sights in the world.
The River Ganga is a sacred river for the Hindus and you will see traditional rituals and bathing occurring at all times of the day.
On the Eastern banks, the River Ganga is flanked by a 300m wide sand belt, beyond which lies a green belt, a protected area reserved for turtle breeding.
The western crescent-shaped bank of the River Ganga is flanked by a continuous stretch of 84 ghats, or series of steps leading down to the river, stretching for 6.8km.
These ghats were built by Hindu kings who wanted to die along the Ganges, and they built lofty palaces along the river, most of which are now hotels, to spend their final days.