Varanasi Old City Walk at Dawn

  [rev_slider VaranasiOldMarketWalk]   The Old City of Varanasi is at its charming best at dawn. Join us as the holy city rises to offer its morning prayers along the banks of its many Ghats.   The Varanasi Old City Walk actually begins with a 45 minute boat ride that takes you between the Dasashwamedh Ghat and Manikarnika Ghat. Your local storyteller will talk about the history of Varanasi and introduce you to the city’s morning rituals and explain what’s special about the many ghats you come across on your boat ride.   As you get off the boat at Manikarnika, the burning ghat where cremations take place, you’ll get a firsthand look at the ceremonies and activities. You will also get to see a sacred water tank, Manikarnika Kund.   Next, you will traverse narrow lanes with lodging for pilgrims, residences and shrines that lead you to the heart of Varanasi and the Golden Temple, Kashi Vishwanath Temple, the city’s best known pilgrimage spot. An optional stop on the 45 minute walk is at Satua Baba Ashram, where scriptures are taught to boys and young men in ancient Sanskrit. A visit to both Kashi Vishwanath and Annpurna Temples is on the agenda, after which the tour will end at the ‘Phool Mandi’/Flower Market, adding some color to the morning.  

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Ganga Aarti & Evening Bazaar Walk

  [rev_slider GangaAarti]   Varanasi’s by lanes are as intricate a part of the city’s culture as its temples. Winding alleys are home to myriad markets, each with a specialty from metalware, fabrics, sweetmeats, handicrafts, decorative items, temple items, bangles and more.  An afternoon walk about and rickshaw ride are the best ways to see this side of the city.   The Ganga Aarti & Evening Bazaar Walk begins at the Town Hall. You’ll walk through a brightly arrayed fabric and saree market to visit a Goshala (a charitable sanctuary for stray cows). Here you’ll learn why the cows are holy to the people of this land. Witness the royal treatment of Varanasi’s bovine populace. A cycle-rickshaw ride thought the city markets will bring you to Chowk, from where you’ll take a walk through:  

• The wedding market (Kinari Bazaar)
• Kachori Galli (kachori lane, kachoris are popular and delicious deep-fried snacks)
• Khoa Galli (this lane sells milk products including paneer)
• Vishwanath Galli (Varanasi’s most famous lane and street market)

  You’ll arrive at Dasashwamedh Ghat in time to see the flamboyant evening Ganga Aarti (prayer) ceremony performed by a group of young priests with much pomp and circumstance. This is bound to be one experience that will go on to define your holiday to India.  

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Walk Through the Famous Varanasi Ghats

  [rev_slider VaranasiGhats]   Walk through the waterfront and take in the ghats (series of steps leading to the river) from Asi Ghat to Dashashwamedh Ghat. Your local storyteller will regale you with stories and legends on each leg of the tour. Covering half of the sites on the Panchatirthi or five scared folds pilgrimage, you will be witness to pilgrims engaged in prayer and ritual bathing.   From Asi Ghat, we will walk downriver, passing Tulsi Ghat (named after poet-saint Tulsidas). Continuing on, we will pass the ashram of Anandamayi Ma and the 17th century palace of Maharaja Chet Singh, to reach Hanuman Ghat, which houses a sizeable South Indian population. Noteworthy in Hanuman Ghat are the Hanuman (Monkey God) Temple and the temple of Ruru (The Dog) Bhairava.   Harishchandra Ghat, one of the two burning ghats of Varanasi, will be next and you are sure to see rituals for the dead being performed. Continuing downriver is Kedara Ghat, a busy ghat, followed by Chauki Ghat. Climb to the top of the steps and you will come upon a giant tree with shrines to the serpent dieties, the Naga. As we proceed, you will see dhobis, the washermen, washing and laying out great masses of clothes. Three more ghats, Mansarovar, Narada, Amareshwara and Chaunsathi Ghat will be along the way – each of them named for a deity.   The tour ends at Dashashwamedha Ghat, where you will see the temple of Shitala Devi, the goddess who cures ailments and pox.  

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