Dashashwamedh Ghat, Varanasi

Varanasi is the oldest continuously inhabited city in the world, or so its residents will tell you, and there’s no reason to argue. Dashashwamedh Ghat is its most active and crowded ghat, situated on the main bend of the Ganges where the river turns north, which Hindus consider especially sacred. The name means something like “ghat of the ten sacrificed horses” and refers to a story involving Brahma. The place functions simultaneously as a bathing site, cremation pathway, festival ground, and continuous theatre of devotional life.

The Ganga Aarti

Every evening at around 7pm (timing shifts slightly by season), seven priests perform the Ganga Aarti ceremony on the main platform: synchronized movements with large oil lamps, incense, and conch shells, while hundreds of pilgrims, tourists, and boatmen watch from the steps and the river. It’s been described to death but is still genuinely moving to witness. Arrive 30-45 minutes early for a good vantage point from the steps, or pay for a boat to watch from the water. The boat view is less crowded; the steps give you more of the surrounding atmosphere.

A smaller morning aarti happens at dawn. Fewer people, less production.

Getting Around the Ghats

The Varanasi ghats run for about 7km along the riverbank. Dashashwamedh is roughly central. Walk north toward Manikarnika Ghat (the main cremation ghat) and Scindia Ghat, then take a boat back. Manikarnika burns 24 hours a day; photography is not permitted and you should not attempt it.

The morning boat ride (roughly 5am) is a cliche worth doing. The light on the ghats at dawn, with the smoke from the fires and the mist off the river, is every bit as good as it’s reported to be.

Where to Eat

Blue Lassi on one of the lanes off Dashashwamedh is the most famous lassi shop in Varanasi, possibly in India. Small, cash-only, queues out the door. The mango lassi runs about 80-100 rupees for a large clay cup.

Pizzeria Vatika sounds wrong but is consistently rated highly by long-term travellers and has a rooftop river view. Good for an evening beer if Varanasi’s intensity is getting to you.

For a proper thali, the restaurants along Godowlia Chowk are reliable and cheap.

Where to Stay

BrijRama Palace is a converted 18th-century haveli right on the ghats, and the rooms with river-facing balconies are worth the price (around ₹15,000-25,000 a night). For mid-range, Hotel Alka near the ghats has clean rooms and helpful staff. Budget: numerous guesthouses on the lanes behind Dashashwamedh starting around ₹500-800 a night.

Practical Notes

Varanasi is genuinely chaotic — motorbikes in alleyways that are technically too narrow for them, persistent touts near the ghats offering boat rides at inflated rates, persistent offers of guided tours to silk workshops. A polite firm “no” once is generally enough. If you want a boat ride, agree the price before getting in, and expect to pay around 200-300 rupees for an hour.

The best time to visit is October to March. April onwards gets very hot; June-August brings monsoon flooding that partially inundates some ghats.