Varanasi · Things to do

Ramnagar Fort रामनगर किला

Any day, across the river

Ramnagar Fort from the river — sandstone walls and balconies above the far bank of the Ganga

Ramnagar Fort from the river — sandstone walls and balconies above the far bank of the Ganga

On the east bank, opposite Tulsi Ghat, the fort of the royal house of Banaras looks back across the river at the city. It was built in creamy Chunar sandstone by Maharaja Balwant Singh around 1750, and parts are still the family's residence; a flag flies when the Maharaja is at home. The rest is open, along with a Veda Vyasa temple.

The Saraswati Bhavan museum inside is the reason to go: palanquins, vintage cars, ivory work, arms, manuscripts, and a nineteenth-century astronomical clock that tracks the sun, moon and constellations and is still wound. It is dusty and idiosyncratic and nothing like a modern museum.

The fort is about two kilometres from Banaras Hindu University by the Ramnagar bridge, or around an hour by boat from Dashashwamedh. Ramnagar is also where the month-long Ramlila is staged, when the whole town becomes the stage.

Things to do

More 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.

Stays

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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