Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

Also referred to as “Benares” this city sitting on the banks of the Ganges , is widely acknowledged, as one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. Varanasi is regarded as holy by numerous religions and indeed the city itself for thousands of years, has been an important cultural and religious centre in Northern India .

Visitors will not find magnificent palaces, impressive forts or great architectural structures, they will however be treated to another side of India. The city rises from the banks of the Ganges , into a web of little streets and alleys, scattered with temples.

Many tourists visiting Varanasi make the effort to rise at dawn and make their way down to the river banks, where one can witness the pilgrims in their early morning rituals, at the waters edge.  Lights are dotted along the banks and the air is filled with the scents of spices and the heady aromatic oils and flowers.

Steps leading down to the water are known as ghats. Their purpose is not only one of domestic chores, bathing, ablutions and so on, specific ghats are utilised for ritual bathing and some for cremation. The body is cremated by the waters edge and the ashes are then allowed to gently float away on the rivers flow. Varanasi’s culture has long been closely intertwined with the Ganges and its religious significance.