Article Tour of Varanasi

The holy city of the Ganges

Petr Liška
Wrote 2420 articles and follows him / her 243 travelers
Inserted: 12.11.2017
© gigaplaces.com

Varanasi, with a population of more than three million, is considered to be the holiest city in India. Travelers are attracted here by the dense local atmosphere, including the burning of the dead at the border or life in the completely polluted Ganges. Varanasi is definitely worth a visit, because the experiences here are extreme in any direction. Expect two days to visit if you want to really see it here and „soak up“ the atmosphere.

Laundry ghát

Most travelers who come to Varanasi will take the first steps to the Ganges. The river is 300–400 meters wide in these places. Not every local ghat is incinerated. For example, this one is used for washing clothes. It is almost incomprehensible that in sewage such as Ganga you can wash white.

Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Water buffalo herdsman

Obviously, water buffaloes enjoy it the most. But I wouldn't want to be their herdsman here.

Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Waterfront in Varanasi

If there is no extreme state of water, it is possible to take a long walk along the shore. The local buildings obviously count on increased water

Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Pilgrims from all over India

Pilgrims from all over India come to Varanasi, so you can meet a really interesting mix of people. Of course, there are most Hindus, but the city is also sacred to Buddhists and Jainists.

Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Varanasi old town

The ghats are followed by the winding streets of the old town. You will find mainly classic binec and poverty as in other Indian cities.

Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Evening at the Ganges

In the evening it lives the most here. Ceremonies, singing and praying take place on the main ghat of Dashashwamedh. You probably won't resist and buy a floating bowl with a candle like other pilgrims and send it across the waters of the Ganges to an unknown place. An ideal place to remember loved ones who have already left you.

Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Sunrise in Varanasi

The next day get excited, get up early and go see the sunrise over the river. You will see how lucky you will be, but we experienced a comical situation there, where boats hung in front of an empty ghat.

Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Life by the river

In the morning, pilgrims usually prepare for a ritual bath

Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Morning ritual bath

The river in the river Ganges is sacred to Hindus. This does not change the fact that it is extremely polluted. I thought for myself that I would risk the bath, but when my grandfather took off his pants next to me and started to smoke into it, it suddenly passed me by.

Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Dashashwamedh

The most interesting is always around Dashashwamedhu – the main ghat. It almost always lives here, even though the other ghats are dead.

Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com
Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Beggars in Varanasi

There are many beggars in India, but whole groups in Varanasi

Cruise around Manikarnika ghat

Few visitors to Varanasi refuse to sail on the Ganges. He offers it here where who. When you think about it, you will definitely hear the message „is very good time for boat“. Of course, they say that at any time of the day. It is certainly interesting in the early evening, when the borders on the combustion ghat are being prepared.

Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Cruise on the Ganges

Although it doesn't seem so at first glance, the Ganges has quite a current here and the rower has something to do, especially when sailing against the current.

Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

A corpse in the Ganges

If you keep saying that bathing in the river is a sacred duty, then be careful not to run into a corpse, for example. In the Czech Republic, a police investigation would start immediately, no one is interested in any corpses in the river here, but it is also a sacred cemetery.

Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Varanasi train station

Varanasi is located on the railway route to Agra, so you can move along the classic North Indian circuit. Buses run on all sides at any time of the day. We caught a connection directly to the border with Nepal, for example, which brought us here.

Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com

Life on the platform

Waiting for the train can take hours, but in India you will not be bored, you will experience something here every minute. Here the bull almost trampled on the sleeping guy's head. Outside it, you can see cockroaches, rats, dogs, cows, millipedes and monkeys. A beggar with leprosy is just a small bonus.

Author: Petr Liška © gigaplaces.com
Applaud the author of the article!
Share it on:

Articles nearby