9 things to do in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

This holy city on the banks of the Ganga in Uttar Pradesh sees hordes of tourists. And yet, travellers have been known find their own quiet amid all the chaos. Whether you’re stopping by for a weekend, or spending a leisurely week in the city, there’s a lot that this city offers. Here is a list of things to do while you’re there to get you started.

1. Visit a ghat: Over a 100 ghats line the river Ganga. Dashashwamedh Ghat, with its daily 7pm aarti, is the most popular of the lot. Other popular ones include Man Mandir Ghat with its observatory built by Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur, and Scindia Ghat with its partially-submerged Shiva temple.
2. Eat like a local: Discover Varanasi’s street-food scene at the tiny stalls in Vishwanath Galli. Sample  bite-sized samosas, kachoris served with a chickpea curry, pani puri and lots more. Wrap it all up with a classic Benaresi paan or a glass of bhaang.
3. Eat bread: Score the best bread in town at the Brown Bread Bakery. Most of their produce is organic – you’ll see this in their cheeses, cookies, soups and sandwiches. Part of the sale proceeds go towards educating underprivileged children.
4. Hang at a museum: Meet royalty at the Ramnagar Fort and Museum, 14km from Varanasi. Built in the 18th century by the Maharaja of Benares, the museum houses a vast collection of vintage cars, ornate palanquins and royal garments. The fort also hosts popular Ramlila performances.
5. Get closer to moksha: Stop by Kashi Vishwanath Temple, believed to be one of the holiest Hindu shrines. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the 12 jyotirlingas. There are daily prayers – for Hindus only – which start with the mangala aarti and end with the shayan aarti.
6. Salute Mother India: Visit the Bharat Mata Temple, located on the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth campus, to pay your respects to Mother India. Built in 1936 by Babu Shiv Prasad Gupta, a leader of the freedom struggle, the temple is home to a marble carving of undivided India, with the country’s plains, mountains and rivers depicted in vivid detail.
7. Get on a boat: Varanasi by boat is possibly the best way to get to know the city. Set out early to see the city come alive; you’ll see poojas being conducted at the ghats. End the ride with a view of the morning aarti at the Dashashwamedh Ghat, which incidentally, is also the best place to hire the boat. It’s best to find a boatman the previous evening and negotiate in advance. Be warned: the sight of burning corpses can be off-putting.
8. Explore the old city: Vishwanatha Khanda (or the Old City) is home to places of worship. Next to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple is the Jnana Vapi Mosque, or the Great Mosque of Aurangzeb, on the original foundations of the temple, overlooking the Jnana Vapi (Wisdom Well).
9. Stock up on saris: One of the best souvenirs to get yourself from the city is a Benares silk sari (or a scarf, or a bedspread, or silk boxers… you get the picture). There are various stores around the city, like the fixed-price Mehrotra Silk Factory, that’ll offer a super selection of the geotagged weave.

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