After watching the Ganga Aarti ceremony in Varanasi, which was easily one of the best experiences I've had, not only during my time travelling across India so far, but also during life in general; the following morning I woke up early to take a boat ride and witness sunrise from the River Ganges. Another magical experience.
Varanasi is one of the most religious and spiritual places on the planet and people from all across India come here to pray, to swim, bathe and even drink the water from the river Ganges, believing that this sacred river is not only healing but also stops the cycle of the afterlife.
People also come here to cremate the dead on the few dedicated ghats where this is permitted.
The many Ghats of Varansi are fascinating places. A ghat is simply a flight of steps leading down to a river, and with the Ganges being one of the most sacred places in the world, Varanasi has 88 ghats leading to it.
Varanasi is also believed by many, to be the oldest City in the World and so it truly is a remarkable place to visit and was easily my favourite place during my 10 weeks in India. I had some really special experiences here which I will never forget and it was exactly for these unique, spiritual and significant moments which drew me to India in the first place.
Witnessing the sunrise on the river itself and viewing the Ghats, including one where they do cremate the dead, and watching hundreds of people all gather first thing in the morning, to swim and bathe in the river, all in such sheer joy and all from the perspective of the River was another one of those great experiecnces and again gave me some great photos.
If you ever visit India, Varanasi I would say, is the number one place you cannot miss!
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