Varanasi and the Ganges

Varanasi is the spiritual heart of India and one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth, holy to Hindus as the city of Shiva. Along its riverfront, dozens of stone ghats step down to the sacred Ganges, where at dawn pilgrims bathe and pray, priests perform the fire ceremony at dusk, and the dead are cremated at the water's edge, a place of intense, unfiltered devotion, life and death.

What to look for

• The ghats at dawn - the pilgrims bathing and praying by the river at sunrise.
• A boat at sunrise - the classic rowing boat along the riverfront.
• The Ganga Aarti - the fire ceremony with lamps at dusk.
• The old lanes - the labyrinth of ancient alleys behind the ghats.

When to go

October to March for the coolest, most comfortable weather; a dawn boat ride along the ghats and the evening Ganga Aarti fire ceremony are the essential experiences. The festival of Dev Deepawali in November lights the ghats with thousands of lamps.

What to expect

It is intense and can be overwhelming, a raw, crowded and sometimes confronting place where cremations happen openly at the burning ghats; approach with deep respect and never photograph them. The lanes are a maze, and hassle from touts and boatmen is constant. It is unforgettable but not an easy, gentle destination.

Nearby

Sarnath, where the Buddha gave his first sermon, is nearby; Bodhgaya is within reach.