Varanasi · Things to do

Subah-e-Banaras at Assi सुबह-ए-बनारस

Daily, from first light

Subah-e-Banaras at Assi Ghat — musicians and listeners on the steps at sunrise, mist on the river

Subah-e-Banaras at Assi Ghat — musicians and listeners on the steps at sunrise, mist on the river

Every morning at Assi Ghat, the day opens with Vedic chanting and a yagya, a Ganga aarti, a recital of morning ragas by classical musicians, and an open-air yoga session anyone can join, as the sun comes up over the far bank. It begins about forty-five minutes before sunrise and runs for roughly two hours.

It began as a civic initiative in 2014 and has settled into a genuine daily habit of the neighbourhood. It is free, and it is unhurried.

It is the gentlest introduction Varanasi offers. Assi is the southernmost of the main ghats and the easiest to reach on foot with someone who does not manage steps well — the approach is shallower than most.

Things to do

More in Varanasi

All things to do
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.

Stays

Where to stay in Varanasi

All houses
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