Varanasi, one of the world’s oldest living cities. Enjoy a morning and evening boat ride on the Ganges River and marvel at the Ghats, stone steps leading to the riverbank used for centuries by devotees as bathing and cremation sites. You’ll learn about India’s three ancient religious traditions – Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism – as you walk through Varanasi’s old city with an expert guide.

Witness one of the city’s most wonderful scenes—an evening prayer ceremony on the banks of the sacred Ganges, with help from a private guide. With flaming torches, plumes of burning incense, and the sound of chanting prayer around you, this spiritual event effuses a marvelous, ethereal atmosphere.

Lining the banks of the Ganges, the center piece for Varanasi, are the ghats—a series of steps leading into the water. They stretch for miles up and down the river, and your guide explains how they serve as sites for some of life’s most intimate events.

At Dasaswamedh Ghat, an Aarti ritual takes place—a Hindu ceremony of light being offered to deities. Gaze in awe at the marvelous act of worship as people offer flaming torches and candles to their gods, and smells of burning incense fill the air and sounds of praiseful song serenade the revered occasion.

As the ceremony concludes, many Diyas—ghee-based candles—are offered to the holy waters of the Ganges, providing a stunning finish to your evening.

Most of the ghats are bathing ghats, while two are used as cremation sites. Most of the ghats are associated with legends or mythologies while some ghats are privately owned. Boat ride, especially in morning, on the Ganges across the ghats is very famous and popular visitor’s attraction.