Cities · Varanasi

Varanasi

Varanasi sits on the west bank of the Ganga where the river turns north, and the bank is built up into a near-continuous run of stone steps — the ghats — for about six and a half kilometres. Almost everything a pilgrim comes for happens on that strip or in the lanes immediately behind it. The lanes are narrow, largely closed to cars, and easiest to walk early.

The day has a shape. It begins before sunrise, when the ghats fill for bathing and the first aarti; it empties through the hot middle of the day; and it fills again at dusk for the evening aarti at Dashashwamedh. Kashi Vishwanath, the temple most visitors come to see, sits a short walk inland from the central ghats and now has a broad corridor connecting it to the river.

For older travellers the thing to understand is that distance in Varanasi is measured in steps, not metres. A house four minutes from the water may still put eighteen stone steps between you and it. Where we know that count, we state it.

Stays

Where to stay in Varanasi

Pratham, Varanasi: double bed with an ochre runner facing a leaded-glass window, wooden ceiling with a fan, air conditioning and a door open to the screened verandahPrathamOur first house: amber light, a wooden ceiling and a balcony full of flowersMinimilist, Varanasi: white bedroom with a double bed under a yellow-and-white block-print spread, saffron curtains at a barred window, two wall sconces and a marble floor with an inlaid borderMinimilistWhite walls, marigold accents and room to thinkBoutique, Varanasi: teal bedroom with gold wall mouldings, dark tufted headboard, blue cushions and runner, upholstered bench at the foot of the bedBoutiqueThree rooms, three moods: blue and gold, rose, and emeraldSantorini, Varanasi: white room with a teak bed, blue cushions and runner, blue shutters open to the balcony and a blue console table oppositeSantoriniWhitewash, cobalt and jali windows framing the Varanasi skyGardenia, Varanasi: double bed with a yellow headboard and bedspread, rolled towels laid out, mustard wardrobes either side of a white arched niche, marble floorGardeniaSunlit yellow rooms that open onto a shaded garden lawn

Things to do

Things to do in Varanasi

All things to do
Subah-e-Banaras at Assi Ghat — musicians and listeners on the steps at sunrise, mist on the riverSubah-e-Banaras at AssiChanting, yoga and classical music, at sunrise.Ganga aarti — priests on raised platforms swinging tiered brass lamps, the crowd behind themGanga aarti at DashashwamedhThe evening offering to the river, done in full.A wooden boat on the Ganga at first light, the ghats and their buildings catching the sunA boat at dawnThe only way to see the ghats as one thing.Sarnath — the giant seated Buddha statue among trees, one of the modern temples around the siteSarnathWhere the Buddha gave his first sermon.A handloom in a Varanasi weaving workshop, gold zari thread on the warp, the weaver's hands at the shuttleBanarasi silk, at the loomSee the brocade woven before you are sold any.Ramnagar Fort from the river — sandstone walls and balconies above the far bank of the GangaRamnagar FortThe Maharaja's fort, and its magnificently odd museum.

Places to eat

Places to eat in Varanasi

All places to eat
Tamatar chaat in two clay bowls topped with coriander and sev, the dish Kashi Chat Bhandar is known forKashi Chat BhandarTamatar chaat, the dish Banaras is known for.A wide iron pan of tamatar chaat ringed with whole tomatoes, as Banarasi chaat sellers cook itDeena Chaat BhandarThe other great tamatar chaat, a few doors along.Kachori with potato sabzi on a steel plate, the Banarasi breakfast Ram Bhandar servesRam BhandarKachori, sabzi and jalebi: the Banarasi breakfast.A clay cup of lassi topped with saffron and pistachio at Blue Lassi in Varanasi's old cityBlue Lassi ShopThick fruit lassi in clay cups, near Manikarnika.The Pahalwan Lassi counter at Lanka, Varanasi, customers crowding under its Hindi signboardPahalwan LassiLassi topped with rabri, near the BHU gate.A vegetarian thali on a banana leaf with a dozen small bowls of dal, sabzi, raita and sweetsShree Shivay ThaliA twenty-dish sattvic thali, without onion or garlic.A tray of baked wheat baati, the bread served with chokhaBaati Chokha RestaurantBaati, chokha and litti in a village-style setting.A North Indian vegetarian meal in a compartment plate: dal, sabzi, salad and rotiKeshari RestaurantA reliable vegetarian sit-down meal at Godowlia.Peda and milk sweets on trays behind a sweet-shop counterKsheer SagarMilk sweets and rabri at Sonarpura.A Varanasi street vendor's pan of saffron-flecked malaiyo, served in small clay cupsMalaiyo in the old citySaffron milk foam, sold only on winter mornings.

Festivals

Festivals in Varanasi

All festivals
Maha Shivratri in Varanasi — the queue outside Kashi Vishwanath before dawn, marigolds and water vesselsMaha ShivratriThe night Varanasi belongs most completely to Shiva.Dev Deepawali — earthen lamps in rows down the ghat steps at dusk, the river dark beyondDev DeepawaliEvery step of every ghat carries a lamp.Ganga Mahotsav — a classical music performance on a lit stage above the ghat steps at nightGanga MahotsavFour evenings of classical music on the river steps.Masan Holi — ash thrown in the air above the cremation ghat, figures silhouetted against smokeMasan HoliHoli played with ash, at the burning ghats.Ramnagar Ramlila — an open-air performance lit by lanterns, the audience seated on the ground around itRamnagar RamlilaA month-long Ramayana staged across a whole town.Nag Nathaiya at Tulsi Ghat — a kadamba branch over the river, boats crowded belowNag NathaiyaKrishna subdues the serpent, from a branch over the river.

Writing

From the blog: Varanasi

All writing
Kardmeshwar Mahadev at Kandwa: a carved sandstone spire beside a pillared hall, under old treesThe temples of Varanasi most visitors walk pastFive temples away from the Kashi Vishwanath queue, each with a reason to stop.Chet Singh Ghat from the river: the red sandstone fort walls and domed pavilions above quiet stepsThe quieter ghats, beyond Dashashwamedh and AssiEighty-odd ghats line the river. Most visitors see two.The ramparts of Chunar Fort high above the Ganga, a single boat on the water belowA day beyond Varanasi: Chunar Fort, Lakhaniya Dari and the waterfallsA fort on the Ganga, waterfalls and reservoirs, all within a morning’s drive.

Questions

About Varanasi

What is the best time of year to visit Varanasi?
October to March is the comfortable season, with daytime temperatures usually between 15 and 27 degrees Celsius. April to June is severe, regularly above 40 degrees, and difficult for elderly travellers. The monsoon runs July to September, when the river rises and some lower ghat steps go under water. For a first visit with older parents, November to February is the safest choice.
How far is Kashi Vishwanath temple from the main ghats?
Kashi Vishwanath is roughly 400 metres inland from Dashashwamedh Ghat, about ten minutes on foot through the temple corridor that now connects the two. From Assi Ghat at the southern end the distance is closer to three kilometres, which is a cycle-rickshaw or auto journey rather than a walk, and takes twenty minutes in ordinary traffic. Queues are shortest very early in the morning and longest through the evening aarti period.
Are the ghats accessible for someone who cannot manage stairs?
Mostly not. The ghats are defined by their steps, and most approaches involve a flight of stone stairs without handrails. Assi Ghat at the southern end has the gentlest approach and a paved level area. If stairs are a problem, choose accommodation on the level lanes behind the ghats and plan to view the river from a boat, which can be boarded at the lowest step.
What is mangala aarti and when does it happen?
Mangala aarti is the first worship of the day, performed before dawn while the temple is still dark. At Kashi Vishwanath it begins around 3 AM and requires a ticket bought in advance. Guests attending it need to leave their accommodation by roughly 2:30 AM, which is why reception being staffed through the night matters more here than in most places.

Every house here is one we hold rooms in year-round, with a manager we pay and the sattvic standard re-checked each season. See what we are building next.