Benaras.
(or Varanasi for outsiders)

Chaos. Cacophony. Crowds.
To me that describes the place.
Oh and then there’s disgustingly dirty.

And yet, it is magical and spiritual too — deeply devotional, and filled with people whose warmth and kindness catches you off guard.
How can a place be so contrary, I wonder.

We landed in Benaras past 11pm on 20th November. The taxi driver, as promised, was there on time. We were on our way to our destination in no time. Chatty driver showed us a few landmarks, honked incessantly on empty roads, and dropped us safely having called our caretaker, on his own, to tell him to keep awake because we were on our way. The first of many gestures that revealed the warm, hospitable heart of this bewildering city.

We had a super early morning because we wanted to catch Subah-e-Benaras at Assi (And by the way, Assi doesn’t mean 80. It’s named after the River Assi that flows through Benaras — the “Asi” of Varanasi. The “Varana” comes from the River Varuna, also flowing through the city) Ghat.

Subah-e-Benaras is a magical experience.

The morning Ganga Aarti, akin to the world-famous evening one at Dashashwamedh Ghat. Except this unfolds at dawn — we reached the ghat at 5 am, with November darkness still clinging to the sky. The ambience quiet, the mood reflective.

Priests in resplendent red performed the aarti. Young girls chanted mantras. And I was asked to light the lamp to begin the ceremony — what an unexpected privilege. A yagya followed. I sat for it after ages. Invoking blessings this way, with strangers who felt strangely familiar, was deeply moving.

It’s beautiful to participate in an experience, not just watch it from afar.

As this reverent ceremony unfolds, dawn quietly makes its presence and a new, full of hope, day begins.

You can never really predict how these things will go when you book experiences, so immediately after we had a sunrise boat ride booked. If we hadn’t, I would’ve sat at Assi Ghat for a bit, just watching the Ganga quietly flow by… reflecting on the millennia she has flown through the plains, what all she would’ve witnessed, who all she would’ve purified and blessed with her holy waters.

For another day, I guess.

So, we boarded our boat for a ride through the 84 ghats of Benaras - from Assi Ghat till Namo (wonder if that’s a pun… you know what i mean! ;-)) Ghat. We paused at Manikarnika and Dashashwamedh, taking in their starkly different energies.

Each ghat seemed to have a different atmosphere, a different mood, though what was omnipresent was a saffron hue - a sadhu wearing it, a temple painted in it, a script written in it. And dogs. They were everywhere, to my delight, playing like they were the original inhabitants of the ghats! And in some ways they are - they are Kaal Bhairav’s vaahan so should be revered.

Slowly, the sun climbed the Benaras horizon (a hazy veil muting its brilliance), and the morning unfurled with quiet promise.

The ride lasted an hour and a half, ending back at Assi Ghat.

Breakfast was at Chachi ki Dukaan — an experience in itself. Sitting on old tin ghee boxes, using smaller tins as tables, eating sabzi-kachori and sipping piping hot chai. Oh, the joy.

Later, we met a guide who was going to walk us through the old town. Full of historical facts, insightful and entertaining stories, he took us through streets narrower than an arm’s width, showed us sights we’d otherwise not have stumbled onto, made us climb ghat steps equal to 12 storeys!

It took us two hours to walk a single kilometre, stopping at every turn for another tale.
It is the oldest living city after all.

On the way, just like that, we met a ‘singing boatman’. He so loves to sing, he regaled us with thumaris, right there, in a small alley behind the ghats. So unexpectedly delightful.

We stood at the Harishchandra Ghat for a while. A smaller version of the Manikarnika Ghat, it wasn’t my most comfortable experience. Felt disrespectful being a tourist in a crematorium. But you’ll see just a bit later I was forgiven!

Lunch was at Baati Chokha — recommended by locals. Rustic interiors, hearty food, excellent baati and chokha. Yum.

Singing Boatman

Ghats map, on Assi Ghat

Lolark Kund

And then it was time for the grand evening Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh.

Premium seats. Front and centre. Nearly an hour (or more) of waiting, but so worth it.

I didn’t know we’d get to perform the aarti alongside the priests. What an ethereal moment.

We weren’t merely watching — we were part of it.

Ganga ji was blessing me for good deeds done in my past, perhaps? This is what i meant, I was forgiven for gawking at pyres in a crematorium.

Day one ended well.

Day two in Benaras started with a trip to Sarnath. Sarnath is the exact opposite of Benaras. Quiet, clean, green.

Our guide made it so interesting, telling us story after story, making stones from 6th century BC come alive today.

People normally spend 30 minutes in Sarnath, we spent 3 hours!

The Ashoka Emblem … seeing it in real life was quite a goosebumpy moment, I must say.

Majestic.
Commanding.
Iconic.

After soaking in Sarnath and its serenity, we made our way back towards the heart of Benaras — to Kashi Vishwanath.

Another kind soul — my student from years ago — had been on a mission for months to get me tickets for the Mangala Aarti at Kashi Vishwanath (3 am!). We were ready to wake at 2 am, but a minister (don’t they always get in the way!) announced his visit, so ours got cancelled.

But she didn’t give up. Her husband joined the mission. He met us at the temple office, helped us buy alternate tickets, walked us in, waited till the Shastriji arrived to escort us.

Benaras again surprised me — warm, helpful, unexpectedly generous.

So now, we enter the temple, get to do the darshan - since the ‘darshan’ is officially 1 second per person, well it seemed like quite an anti-climactic moment.

When we got out, i suppose we had a rather puzzled look on our faces. The kindly shastriji said - it’s not very crowded, would you like to go again? Omg! Really? Again. That doesnt happen at a jyotirlinga!

Yes, of course, we’d like to go again. This time we got 2 seconds.

Aaand, that wasn’t it. We went a third time. And we were 3rd time lucky. Stood for nearly 10 seconds. Observing. Taking in. Trying to experience.

I think Shivji was trying to make up for stealing my slippers in Rameshwaram. I accept your gesture, even though the Jimmy Choos are still pending, Mahadev. :-)

Got out of the temple suitably blessed and headed straight to Deena Chaat. Yum yum yum.
Missed eating so many things. I think i need to go back.
And after a second good day, headed back, heart full, feeling blessed, thinking of believing again… or maybe not!

All this magical experience apart, the roads in Benaras. Oh they are not for the faint-hearted.

They’re loud - people just honk mindlessly, incessantly. They’re dusty and polluted - the smoke you inhale is beyond compare - i think Delhi just has a bad name, Benaras seemed equally bad (or maybe I haven’t been to Delhi in the winters in a while). They’re chaotic - pedestrians jostle with cycles, cycle rickshaws, motorbikes, autos, sometimes LCVs (all with their finger constantly on the horn), and throw in dogs and cows for good measure, why dont we!

Must carry:
Earplugs or a noise cancellation device.
An N95 mask for each day there.
And grit (and hope) that you’ll make it to the other side in one piece.

PS: I still need to buy my Benarasi saree, so yes, I am probably going back at some point with a single point agenda of eating and shopping!

And if you’re planning a trip - well, reach out to My India Story and we’ll help make it just as magical.

The blog has been written by our founder from her personal travels.

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Benaras. (or Varanasi for outsiders)

Benaras.
(or Varanasi for outsiders)