Vanarasi is one of the seven holiest cities with a history dating back about 4,000 years, Vanarasi is where ancient beliefs continue, and where life and deathare both play their part. The highlight of a trip to Vanarasi is a boat trip on the River Ganges, where the rituals of life and death are performed side by side.
Starting from Dashashwamedh Ghat, the liveliest bathing ghat at where Hindu pilgrims come to wash away sin in the sacred waters and perform religious rituals, including Ganga Aarti, the fire worship, in the evening. Manikarnika Ghat is the main and most auspicious ghat for cremations.
At Vishwanath Temple pilgrims push over one another to give offerings to the ‘lingam’ in the belief that it will cleanse their sins, while at the Durga Temple, an 18th century red temple that was built for the Goddess Durga, a large number of monkeys clamber over the walls and look down on the throngs of worshippers. Ramnagar Fort is an 18th Century sandstone fortification built in the Mughal style, which also has a temple and a museum exhibiting unusual and rare collections.
