Varanasi is unique, ancient and spiritual, artistic and paradoxical. It is one of the most important places of Hinduism as to die here and be cremated is to achieve moksha (freedom from the cycle of rebirth). The essence of the city plays out in its daily rituals which are like no other; people bathe in the Holy River Ganges to absolve themselves of their sins, semi naked sadhu’s sit around practising yoga poses, bodies are cremated in the open air, ancient prayer ceremonies take place on the ghats, tourists glide by on row boats and, amidst all this, daily life goes on. A visit to Varanasi is a visit to another world, ancient and spiritual, overwhelming yet enthralling.
Highlights:
· A boat ride to witness early morning life on the ghats is an incomparable experience.
· The evening arti whether witnessed from the ghats or a row boat is India at its spiritual best.
· Visit Sarnath where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon, particularly beautiful at sunset.
· Discover the other reasons for Varanasi’s fame, its outstanding woven silk saris with intricate patterns.
· Explore the ghats on foot, visit akharas (traditional wrestling centres) try a chai and learn about the architecture.
Standard Sightseeing:
Morning boat ride with Assi Ghat morning arti.
An early morning visit to Assi Ghat is a wonderful way to start the day in this holy city. To the strains of bhajans, the morning mist clears and the sun starts to rise over the city. The young priests, draped in white robes, different from the saffron ones worn in the evening, arrive and a morning prayer ceremony takes place as they have for hundreds of years with chanting and the lighting of prayer lamps as an offering to Goddess Ganga. With all this as a backdrop, board a row boat and glide upriver witnessing the unique daily life which is played out in this city. Boats ply the river, individuals and families bathe, temple bells ring, friends gather and mourners take their loved ones to the cremation ghats for their final journey. It is a unique and enthralling experience.
Half day city tour – Bharat Mata Temple, Durga Temple, Banaras Hindu University.
Enjoy a half day excursion to discover some less well known sights of the city. Visit the Bharat Mata Temple dedicated to Mother India and which contains a statue which is a representation of India in the form of a mother goddess. Another temple, the Durga Mandir is dedicated to Goddess Durga and was built in the 18th century by a Maharani from Bengal. It is believed that the Goddess appeared on her own in this temple in the form of a statue that is still in the inner sanctum and since then she has protected the sacred land of Varanasi. Also visit The Banares Hindu University, which was developed in 1916 and as well as housing a replica of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, has the largest residential campus in Asia.
Half Day Excursion to Sarnath.
Sarnath, where Gautam Buddha preached his first sermon, is situated on the outskirts of Varanasi and is a spiritual place of stupas, shrines and temples, which although many are unfortunately now largely in ruin still has an almost ethereal atmosphere, especially at sunset.
Whilst there, also visit the Mulagandha Kuti Vihar (Sri Lankan Temple), built in 1931 with donations from various countries and the international Buddhist community. Its entrance foyer is decorated by a huge bell that was gifted by Japan and the interior houses a golden statue of the Buddha on a marble platform. The insides are completely dominated by fresco-covered walls depicting scenes from Buddha’s life and are made by Japanese artist Kosetsu Nosu and are said to have been completed in 1936.
Evening Aarti Ceremony
Every evening crowds gather whether on boats or on the ghats to witness this spiritual ceremony, giving thanks to the goddess of the river, also called Ma Ganga. Young priests clad in saffron robes perform the ceremony at sunset, where conch shells are blown, prayer lamps are lit and bhajans or religious songs are chanted.
Beyond 24 hours:
A Walk in the Old Town
The best way to discover a city is on foot. Walks of the old town take you through almost impossibly narrow streets, where you will see traditional architecture, sweet shops, street food stalls, jewellery, toys and household items. It is a profusion of sights and sounds and colours and cows and motorbikes and honking horns!
Visit a Weaving Village
This is wonderful opportunity to learn about the life of the weavers of Varanasi and the process of hand weaving of the famous silk Banarasi sari. Many of these are still made on handlooms in private houses allowing you the opportunity to interact with the artisans directly. The intricacy of the patterns and weaves, the quality of the silk and the use of silver and gold thread are some of the aspects which sets these saris apart from other regions of India.
Half Day: Ramnagar Fort Excursion
The Ramnagar Fort is the family home of the Maharaja of Varanasi and it’s museum now contains unusual and rare collections from their private collections including American vintage cars, jewelled sedan chairs, gold brocaded palanquins, elephant saddles carved out of silver, jewellery, costumes made of kimkhwa silk (the finest product of the weavers of Varanasi) and an impressive armoury hall with swords, old guns from Africa, Burma and Japan. Whilst there, visit the nearby magnificent Durga Temple believed to have been built 500 years ago and which is renowned for its extraordinary stone work.
Half Day: Aurangzeb’s Mosque, Gaushala and Women’s Centre
Visit the gaushala or cow rescue centre which was established in 1924 by a Rajasthani saint called Jhawardutt Dharma. Across the road is a women’s initiative where they make pappads and pickles to sell to the local communities, & all the cooking is fuelled by bio gas made from the dung from the cows in the gaushala!
Yoga on the Ghats
India is the birthplace of yoga, it originated here over 5000 years ago and the name is derived from the Sankrit word “yuj” which means “to unite or integrate.’’ The ghats in Varanasi are a wonderful place to practise yoga or even try it for the first time and most lessons are held in the early morning as the sun is rising over the River Ganges, making this a warming and spiritual experience.
Visit an Akhara
The Akharas are the traditional wrestling centres and at one time, every village, town and city in India had multiple akharas with gurus who taught the art of wrestling free of charge. This traditional Indian wrestling isn’t just a sport – it’s an ancient subculture where wrestlers live and train together and follow strict rules on everything from what they can eat to what they can do in their spare time. Drinking, smoking and even sex are off limits. The focus is on living a pure life, building strength and honing their wrestling skills. Today, thanks to the more popular cricket and now modern gyms most of the akharas have died out but a couple still exist along the ghats in Varanasi and are a fascinating place to go and visit.
For more information about activities in each destination or to arrange a training session for your teams, contact: Experiences@indianexperiences.com or whatsapp +447966025330.
Are you a city experience provider? Can you offer more in Varanasi? We’d love to hear from you. Please contact as above.