The first impression that I have of the city was when I visited Varanasi during my childhood. We lovingly called the place Benaras. My memory fails when I try to recollect those experiences. Then I read ‘Joy Baba Felunath’ by Satyajit Ray and I wanted to come back to Benaras again to trace the path the iconic detective character had taken! (For the uninitiated, I am talking about Feluda, the suave Bengali detective who holds a dear place in almost all Bengali’s hearts).

So we traced the narrow alleys of Vishwanath Gali, we totally embraced the colour, sound and odour of the place. As we watched the corpse being burnt on funeral pyres, we could understand how ephemeral life could be. As we watched the many people performing the last rites of their loved ones at the ghats, little boys getting their head shaved for the first time, we realized that faith is unquestioning belief. We are happy that we experienced the city of light, not just visited it! And so we decided to write a comprehensive Varanasi Travel Guide that might help you with your visit to this ancient city.

The name Varanasi came from the two river tributaries of Ganga that border the city. Varuna flows in the northern part and Assi flows in the southern part near the Assi Ghat.

History of Varanasi (Kashi)

Varanasi has found mention time and again in Indian epics Ramayana and Mahabharata as well as Buddhists Jataka tales. Varanasi was the seat of Aryan civilization during the 2nd millennium BCE and was an important centre for trade and commerce. Varanasi was the capital of the kingdom of Kashi during 6th century BCE. Lord Buddha preached his first sermon at Sarnath, merely 10 km from Varanasi. The famous Chinese traveller Xuanzang, who visited Varanasi during 635 BCE, substantiated the glory and prosperity of Varanasi. The prosperity of Varanasi declined during the Mughal rule, but was again revived by the Marathas. Under the British rule, it remained as a religious and commercial centre. The eventful history of the city can be seen at the various ghats of Varanasi.

What are the things to do in Varanasi?

If I have already bored you with too much history, let us travel back to the present. We stayed for 3 days in Varanasi and completely fell in love with the city. We explored the narrow lanes and alleys, enjoyed the kaleidoscope of colours, savoured the gastronomical trails and sought spirituality in the ghats of Varanasi. Here is our list of things to do in Varanasi. I am sure there are many and you can also discover your own delights.

Visit the Ghats of Varanasi

There are more than 70 ghats in Varanasi! The Ghats are the riverfront steps leading to the banks of the River Ganga. But Varanasi ghats are not just any other ghats. They are history in itself. The huge structures by the ghats tell you a lot about the story of the place.

Take a boat ride on the Ganges

Boat ride at the Ganges is a surreal experience, especially so if you do it early in the morning during the sunrise. There are two types of boats – the motorized one and the hand-rowed one. The motorized one will take a certain number of passengers, while you can hire a hand-rowed boat for yourself. You can talk to the boatman and fix a certain rate for a fixed amount of time on the boat. The ghats look quite beautiful from the river. A hand rowed boat would take between INR 500 – 700 for one-hour boat ride.

Attend the Ganga Arti

Ganga Arti is one of the most spectacular things to watch at Varanasi. We had earlier seen the Arti at Haridwar. The evening Ganga Arti takes place at Dasaswamedh ghat and Rajendra Prasad Ghat. Morning Arti takes place at Assi Ghat. The evening arti starts at around 6:30 PM and lasts for 45 minutes. The morning Arti starts at about 5:45 AM. You can see the Arti by booking special seats or by riding a boat. Even if you don’t do so, you will be able to see the Arti from the ghat. Believe us, the Ganga Arti is quite impressive

Visit the temples of Varanasi

Kashi is known for its temples. The Kashi Viswanath Temple is the most revered temple and is considered one of the most sacred places of worship by the Hindus. You can hire an auto and visit the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, Kaal Bhairav temple, Durga Kund Temple, Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple, Maa Annapurna Temple among others.

Go on a culinary trail at Varanasi

Varanasi can be a gastronomical delight. And the place is an absolute delight for vegetarians. The Chaats of Varanasi are quite famous and it will be a sin not to try the famous Benaras Chaats. Have Kachori and Jalebi, numerous chaats and then the mouth-watering desserts. Take a day tour to Sarnath and Ramnagar Fort Sarnath is just 10 km away and Ramnagar Fort is 10 km but in an opposite direction. You can hire an auto and make a day trip to both these places on a day. Negotiate with the auto driver about the rate. They usually charge less if you do both the trips together. At Sarnath, we had hired a guide who took us around the attractions. After visiting 2-3 places, he took us to a saree shop. When we did not buy anything from there, he abruptly ended the trip there, saying there is nothing more to see. We could smell a rat and checked on the net and found that there are many more things at Sarnath. By that time the guide had left after taking the charge. We had to literally argue with our auto driver to take us to those places. Sarnath is basically a small place. You can see all the attractions by walking from one place to the other.

The best time to visit Varanasi will be during any festival. The ghats will be lit up with numerous earthen lamps and it would be wonderful to watch. But also, there will be a lot of crowd. Otherwise, winters are the best time to visit Varanasi.

Visit Varanasi during Dev Deepavali on Kartik Poornima usually held in November. The entire ghat is lit with earthen lamps. We heard that the evening Ganga Arti is performed by 21 priests during. ..