Travel to Varanasi

cremations on the banks of the Ganges River

Varanasi (previously known as Benares) is located on the River Ganges, in the Uttar Pradesh region of northeast India, roughly 725 km (450 miles) east of Delhi and 625km (380 miles) northwest of Kolkata.

This historic riverside city is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world, dating back to at least 1100 BC. It is a place of legend, where the Hindu god Shiva is said to have torn off one of Brahma’s five heads during a fight.

It is also one of the holiest places in India, which is really saying something. Hindus believe that if you die in Varanasi greatly increases your chances of achieving moksha (freedom from the cycle of life and death). So when people feel that they might be close to death, they make the pilgrimage to this remarkable place, in the hope that they will pass on, their body will be burned in a pyre on the shore and their ashes distributed into the holy Ganges.

The waterfront within the city is lined with ghats, terraces locations where, mainly in the early evenings, the faithful come down to bathe in the sacred waters, cast floating offerings out onto the river and set fire to their deceased relatives. Meanwhile, monks clad in maroon robes come down from the local Hindu ashrams to perform rituals, accompanied by the cacophonic trumpeting of conch shells and the tinkling of countless bells.

It’s an incredible, if rather chaotic and challenging scene and certainly not for the faint-hearted.

The most common way to visit the waterfront at Varanasi is to take a boat out into the river and view the scene from a safe distance. In truth it’s still rather shocking. In addition to concerns about voyeurism, the stench of burning bodies is pretty hard to take.

But there is also a serenity and dignity here, a sense of hope in death, an incredible concentration of human emotion and faith, with the air heavy with incense and, in the evening, the river covered with floral offerings and illuminated by countless candles and lanterns.

There is also a sense of celebration in death, the atmosphere is surprisingly positive and uplifting, given the subject matter.

By contrast, a boat ride in the early morning is a great deal more peaceful, with just a few people coming down to bathe in the river. There are chances of encountering Ganges river dolphins, which remarkably seem not to be too worried about all the palaver and pollution.

Other activities include visiting the various temples in the area, each of which has a different tradition of offerings to the gods. There is also a very strong tradition of astrology and it is possible to have your future forecast in a formal reading. The holiest of all temples, the Kashi Vishwanath, was built in 1776 and is painted in real gold.

There are also some interesting forts along the river, which may be worth visiting.

The best time of year to visit the Varanasi area is generally considered to be during Oct-May, although there are considerable seasonal variations within that period…

October is the transition period between the end of the monsoon rains and the start of the cool dry season. During October the daytime temperatures usually rise to around 32C/90F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures remain up around 20C/68F. However the rainfall usually drops away to around 25mm (1”). Sunshine is around 8 hours per day (around 70% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are usually clear.

Nov-Feb is the main cool dry season. During Nov-Feb the daytime temperatures usually rise to around 24C/75F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures hold up around 12C/54F. There should be virtually no rainfall. Sunshine is around 7 hours per day (around 70% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are usually clear.

Mar-May is the hot season, the often uncomfortable build-up to the main monsoon. During Mar-May the daytime temperatures can climb steeply to around 38C/100F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures are up around an uncomfortable 22C/72F. Rainfall usually remains almost negligible. Sunshine is around 8 hours per day (around 75% of daylight hours), meaning that skies are usually clear.

Jun-Sep is the main monsoon season and is generally considered to be the least favourable time to visit. During Jun-Sep the daytime temperatures drop off slightly to around 34C/93F, whilst the nighttime low temperatures remain up at a stifling 25C/77F (made all the more uncomfortable by the increased humidities). Rainfall climbs to around 250mm (10”) per month. Sunshine drops to around 5 hours per day (around 40% of daylight hours), meaning that skies can remain overcast.

Getting there

The Varanasi area can be accessed in a number of different ways…

By air

The closest airports and their most common connections are …

• Varanasi : 25km to the northwest : Delhi, Jaipur, Agra, Mumbai, Kolkata

By luxury train

The Varanasi area is visited by the following luxury live-aboard train itineraries…

Train : Maharaja’s Express

• Indian Panorama : 6 nights : Delhi to Delhi

By train

The closest train stations and their most common connections are…

• Varanasi Junction : 4km to the northwest : Agra, Delhi, Kolkata

By road

The Varanasi area is rarely reached by road, but can be combined with the tiger areas of Madhya Pradesh…

• Bandhavgarh : 300 km to the southwest
• Panna/Khajuraho : 300 km to the southwest

Where to stay

The Varanasi area has a reasonable range of hotels, some along the main riverfront, others located in the more upmarket suburbs to the northwest of the city centre.

an intense cultural experience