The Holy Ganges in Varanasi, India

Varanasi is one of the world’s oldest living cities and one of the holiest for the Hindus. The water front of the River Ganges is lined with hundreds of stone steps, ghats. Built on top of the ghats are terraces, palaces, pavilions and temples. Varanasi is the holiest tirthas "crossing places" that allow the devotees access to the divine and enables gods and goddesses to come down to earth.

Thousands of Hindu residents and pilgrims bath in the river daily to wash away their sins. Early in the morning, hundreds of men and women can be seen taking their holy dip in the Ganges. We’ve never seen anything like it. Many combine their holy dip with their morning wash and scrubbing down with soap.

A Hindu who is fortunate enough to die in Varanasi attains instant moksha, enlightenment. If a Hindu dies there they circumvent reincarnation and go straight to Swarg (heaven). There are several hospices by the river where the elderly and widows spend their final years. This was our second experience at a burning ghat. A well spoken Indian man explained to us the process. At Manikarnika Ghat we were shown a fire that is said to have been burning for over 3,000 years. It is used to light the five fires used to cremate the deceased.

Sadly, the River Ganges is Funky. Funky as in filthy, septic and oily black. Factories dump all their chemicals into the river. Over thirty sewage pipes drain directly to the river. From the cremation ghats, the men’s chest and women’s pelvis do not burn well and are thrown into the river. Dead cows and other animals can be seen floating on the river.


From dawn until late evening, Varanasi if full of activity. In the early morning, people are bathing, meditating and practicing yoga. The dori are up early washing laundry in the river. The waterfront and ghats are busy with pilgrims, tourist, locals, kids with kites, vendors and holy cows roam as they please. Holy or not, we were not about to set foot in the river.

We did feel safe enough to go on a nice morning boat ride. It's hard to describe how incredible Varanasi is. We witnessed the cycle of life and death and rituals that have been practiced for over thousands of years. Parker and I woke up at dawn to see the sunrise over the River Ganges to watch the fascinating city of Varanasi come to life.