Varanasi: The City That Has Been Burning Since Before Rome Existed

At 4am on Manikarnika Ghat, the smoke is already thick and the boatmen are already arguing over your fare. Bodies wrapped in orange and white cloth arrive on bamboo stretchers. Wood is weighed, stacked, lit. The ghat workers, the Doms, keep a sacred fire burning here that is said to have never gone out. Somewhere between 200 and 400 cremations happen on this single stretch of riverbank every day. Whatever you thought Varanasi would feel like, you were probably wrong.

This is arguably the oldest continuously inhabited city on earth, though historians argue about that with the same energy the chai sellers argue over price. What is certain: Varanasi has been a pilgrimage destination since at least the 5th century CE, and the stone steps at Manikarnika were first built in 1303, rebuilt by Bajirao Peshwa in 1730, and upgraded by the Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar in 1791. The original Kashi Vishwanath Temple was demolished by Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb in 1669 and replaced with the Gyanvapi Mosque, still standing beside the reconstructed temple today. That layering of destruction and revival, over and over, is what makes Varanasi feel unlike anywhere else in India.

The Ghats

There are 84 ghats strung along roughly 6.5 km of the Ganges. You do not need to visit all of them, and you probably should not try.

Dashashwamedh Ghat is the centre of gravity. The evening Ganga Aarti here runs every night around 7pm and lasts about 45 minutes. It is spectacular the first night and crowded every night after that. If you want to watch from a boat, expect to pay somewhere between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,500 for a private ride. Skip the sunset boat trip on weekends, when the river between the main ghats becomes a slow-moving traffic jam of wooden boats and you spend most of it looking at the back of someone else’s head.

Manikarnika Ghat is the main cremation ground. You can watch from a respectful distance without any guide. Ignore anyone who tries to lead you to a rooftop for “a better view” and then asks for a donation to buy wood; it is a well-worn hustle.

Assi Ghat is at the southern end of the waterfront and has a calmer Aarti of its own each morning. It is also where the backpacker restaurants cluster, and where Pizzeria Vatika Cafe has been serving good wood-fired pizza to people who, after two days of street chaat, need something different.

Tulsi Ghat, a few hundred metres north of Assi, sees almost no tourists. It was named after the 16th-century poet-saint Tulsidas, who reportedly wrote parts of the Ramcharitmanas here. It is quiet in a way that Dashashwamedh is not.

Temples

The Kashi Vishwanath Temple corridor, inaugurated in December 2021, transformed access to the temple by cutting a wide pedestrian path directly from the river ghats to the sanctum. Phase 2 of the expansion is underway as of 2025, with road widening near Gate No. 4 and a planned ropeway connecting Cantonment to the corridor via Godowlia. The temple opens at 4am; the crowd is lightest between 8am and 10am. Afternoons, especially noon to 3pm, are the worst.

The BHU Vishwanath Temple on the Banaras Hindu University campus is architecturally cleaner and quieter, and if you want to experience a Shiva temple without the pushing and the touts, this is the better option. General darshan runs 4am to 11am and noon to 7pm.

The Durga Temple near Durgakund tank is worth the short detour. The resident monkeys are aggressive enough to be entertaining from a safe distance, and the temple architecture is genuinely striking.

Day Trips

Sarnath is 10 km northeast of the city and where the Buddha gave his first sermon after his enlightenment under the Bodhi tree. The Sarnath Museum holds the original Ashoka Lion Capital, which became the national emblem of India. Most people underestimate Sarnath and try to rush it in two hours; give it half a day. The archaeological site and the Dhamek Stupa are genuinely impressive, and the contrast with Varanasi’s Hindu intensity is part of the point.

Ramnagar Fort, across the river, is impressive from the outside but the interior museum is poorly maintained and the drive adds up in travel time. Sarnath is the better day trip.

Where to Eat

Kashi Chat Bhandar near Godowlia has been serving chaat for over 60 years. The tamatar ki chaat, cooked in ghee with boiled potatoes and a slow-cooked tomato gravy, is the thing to order. Get there before noon or accept a queue.

Brown Bread Bakery near Assi Ghat is run partly as a social enterprise. The baked goods are genuinely good, not just “good for Varanasi.” The apple crumble on a cold November morning is worth walking 20 minutes for.

Pizzeria Vatika Cafe at Assi Ghat is where you go when your stomach has given up on street food. The Ganges views help, and the wood-fired pizza is better than you have any right to expect in a city that runs on kachoris and jalebi.

For street food, the kachoris at the Kachori Gali lanes near Vishwanath Temple are the real thing. Eat them at 7am, standing up, with the aloo sabzi they ladle over the top.

Where to Stay

BrijRama Palace is a restored 18th-century haveli sitting directly on its own ghat. Rooms start around Rs 12,000 a night and the property earns it: the location alone is worth the cost, and the boat check-in is a memorable arrival. Book well in advance for November to February.

Suryauday Haveli on Shivala Ghat is the slightly more affordable heritage option, five minutes south of the main ghat cluster. It has the river views without the full BrijRama price tag.

Budget travellers do well in the narrow lanes behind Assi Ghat, where guesthouses in the Rs 800 to Rs 2,000 range are clean and close to the action. The Taj Ganges and Radisson Blu are fine hotels but they are 20 minutes from the ghats in a city where location is everything; staying away from the river to save money makes sense, but staying away to upgrade to a pool does not.

Getting There and Around

Varanasi’s Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport is 25 to 32 km from the riverfront. Prepaid taxis cost Rs 700 to Rs 1,200 depending on vehicle size, and the journey takes 40 to 55 minutes outside rush hour. Budget for longer during mornings and evenings.

By train, Varanasi Junction (BSB) and Manduadih (MUV) both connect well to Delhi and Mumbai. From Lucknow, the journey is under three hours on an express. Book train tickets at least two weeks ahead; the Varanasi-Delhi corridor sells out fast.

Inside the city, autos work for longer distances and the new ghats road allows cycle-rickshaws along the waterfront. The lanes of the old city, especially around the temples, are too narrow for anything with an engine. Walking is faster once you know where you are going.

Practical Notes

The honest answer on timing: November to February is the right window. Mornings hit 12 to 15 degrees, the light is clear, and the river does not smell. Monsoon months (July to September) bring both beauty and problems; the ghats flood, the river turns brown and rises dramatically, and lower-lying areas become difficult to navigate.

Two days in Varanasi is enough to see everything worth seeing. Three days is one too many unless you are here for a specific festival, a yoga retreat, or you genuinely want to slow down and sit with the place.

Cards are accepted at hotels and a handful of restaurants but cash is essential for ghats, autos, street food, and temples. ATMs near Godowlia and near Assi Ghat are the most reliable. Tipping boatmen Rs 50 to Rs 100 is normal; tipping temple guides (who are often unofficial and persistent) is optional.

Dress conservatively around temples and ghats. Photography at Manikarnika is a sensitive subject; ask before pointing a camera near the cremation fires, and accept it if the answer is no.