The Ghats – Varanasi, India

The Ghats, Varanasi, India welcome pilgrims from all over India to bathe in the river and cleanse their sins. Varanasi is such an important and sacred city that Hindus, at least once in their lifetime, try to visit the place to take the bath ritual and complete the pilgrimage. This city is one of the oldest cities in the world, being inhabited for over 4000 years. Without a doubt, one of the activities that you must see at the Ghats is the bath ritual.

Activity/Place Highlights

Varanasi, the ‘City of Light’ in old Hindu, is one of the holiest places of Hinduism. It has been for a long time an inspiration for writers and artists worldwide, thanks to its clarity. At sunrise, it’s the best moment to appreciate the city, when people go to the sacred river to take a bath. Indeed, all the narrow and tangled streets will almost magnetically guide you to this river.

What are the Ghats?

The ghats are steps leading to the banks of the river, and they are full of life. Nearby, there are stalls selling vegetables or religious items, pilgrim priests preaching, barbers shaving pilgrims and mourners, people meditating or doing yoga, and even children playing cricket joyfully. But the main and the most conspicuous activity is pilgrims bathing to get rid of their sins.

Witness the Bathing Pilgrimage

Take a boat down the river to watch the bathing ritual in the best way. You will have to haggle with a boatman, so get informed at the hotel to have the best idea about the price you will ask for. Don’t forget to clarify if you want the price for a person or for the whole boat. If possible, write it down to avoid any problems in the future.

Even though I describe this bathing as something with a really powerful, serious spiritual meaning, Hindus add a lot of joy to it. It won’t be hard to observe pilgrims laughing, splashing, diving and playing with others in the water. You will want to stop a few times to watch the pilgrims along the journey. For this reason, it will take you a couple hours to travel along the whole river. 

Visit the Manikarnika Ghat

You can ask the boatman to leave you at Manikarnika Ghat. Then you can come back on foot to where the boat trip started. This ghat is the cremation ghat. According to Hindus, if someone is cremated there, it ensures their salvation. That is why many families bring the bodies of their loved ones to cremate them at Varanasi. Then the ashes are swept into the river.

Varanasi’s Temples

Not only is Varanasi City widely known for its ghats, but also for its temples. Many people will agree that your trip won’t be complete if you don’t visit any temple at Varanasi. In fact, there are no excuses for not visiting them, as they are spread almost anywhere.

The Ganges River and boat rides

In addition, you could bath in the holiest Hindu River: the Ganges River. According to the Hinduism tradition, you can assurance your salvation if you clean your sins in the River.

Another thing you can’t miss is observing the sunrise on a boat in the ghats. The panoramic view is splendidly full of a deep spiritual sense that will take over your body.

Visit as many Ghats as you can!

Don’t limit yourself to the cremation and bathing activities. Indeed, there are 88 different ghats, each one of them with a particular meaning.

How to get there

You can easily reach Varanasi either by plane, by bus or by express train. However, the experience of trying an old Indian train is worthwhile. The trains tend to run daily at night and the railway stations are connected to the most important cities of India.