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Why Varanasi and
the Ganges are special
India's Ganges River is sacred to Hindus and flows by their holiest city, Varanasi (formerly
Banaras).
Varanasi is principally known to
travelers for its ghats (stone steps leading directly into the water). It has about 100 of these riverbank
stairways.

Ritual bathing ghats
of Varanasi

Most ghats are used for ritual bathing. Hindu pilgrims, while standing waist high in the water, pray to
cleanse their souls as they face the rising sun.

Dasaswamedh is the tourist's favorite
ritual bathing ghat because of its picturesque backdrop of old temples, palaces and pavilions (see photo).

Cremation ghats

Varanasi also has cremation ghats becauseHindus believe that those who die and are cremated in Varanasi
go directly to heaven, bypassing the lengthy reincarnation process. First the dead are burned on riverside
pyres, then their ashes are scattered on the sacred Ganges River.

Best ghat
visiting time

Being at the ghats (especially the ritual bathing variety) is glorious at the crack of dawn. Most worshipers
prefer that time because the surroundings mystically glow with the reflected golden-red hues of the low-lying
sun. Photographers do, too, for the same reason.





View my other top 100
Wonders of the World

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