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Varanasi
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Varanasi, India’s ancient city on the Ganges, offers sacred ghats, temple traditions, classical music, living history and memorable cultural experiences.

The River City

Varanasi rises along the Ganges in eastern Uttar Pradesh, a city where spiritual practice, daily commerce and ancient ritual unfold in full public view. Known historically as Kashi and widely called Banaras, it is one of Hinduism’s most important pilgrimage centres. The riverfront ghats form its defining landscape: broad stone steps descend to the water for bathing, prayer, cremation ceremonies and evening gatherings, while narrow lanes lead into a dense old city of shrines, workshops, guesthouses and small food stalls.
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Heritage in the Old City

The area around Dashashwamedh Ghat and the Kashi Vishwanath Temple attracts pilgrims from across India, yet Varanasi is more than a religious destination. The old quarters preserve a layered architectural character shaped by Hindu institutions, Muslim craft communities, Maratha patrons and later colonial influence. At nearby Manikarnika and Harishchandra ghats, funerary traditions remain part of the visible life of the city, approached by visitors with discretion and respect. Beyond the riverfront, the lanes of Chowk and Vishwanath Gali contain silk merchants, brassware shops, shrines and traditional eateries.

Music, Craft and Everyday Life

Varanasi has long been associated with Hindustani classical music, particularly the sitar, shehnai and tabla, as well as with the celebrated Banarasi silk-weaving tradition. Assi offers a more relaxed setting of cafés, bookshops and riverside walks, while the spacious campus of Banaras Hindu University provides a contrasting modern academic landscape. A boat journey at dawn reveals the changing colours of the ghats; after sunset, the Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh presents a highly choreographed devotional ceremony beside the river. Nearby Sarnath, where the Buddha is traditionally said to have delivered his first sermon, provides an important excursion beyond the city.

When is the best time to visit Varanasi?

Best: December–February · 31–32°C
Average daytime high and rainfall by month
MonthHigh (°C)Rainfall (mm)
January (best)3110
February (best)3210
March355
April405
May4510
June47150
July45300
August43300
September42250
October40100
November3520
December (best)3110

Getting to and around Varanasi

How to get there

Varanasi is served by Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport at Babatpur, roughly 25 kilometres from the central city, with onward taxis and other road transfers. Varanasi Junction, commonly called Varanasi Cantt, is a major railway station with connections to cities across northern and central India; Banaras station and other local stations also serve the metropolitan area. Long-distance trains can be busy, so reservations and station details should be checked before travel. Inter-city buses and private coaches connect Varanasi with cities in Uttar Pradesh and neighbouring states. Road journeys are possible, although congestion and variable traffic conditions can make them slower than rail.

Transportation

The lanes around the main ghats and Vishwanath Temple are best explored on foot, although they can be crowded, uneven and difficult to navigate with luggage. Auto-rickshaws, cycle-rickshaws, app-based taxis where available and conventional taxis provide most local travel, while city buses serve broader routes. Traffic is often dense around Godowlia, the railway stations and major markets, so allow generous time for road journeys. E-rickshaws operate in parts of the city, but routes and availability can vary. Boat rides are a distinctive way to view the riverfront, yet they are a river excursion rather than a substitute for ordinary urban transport.

Best attractions in Varanasi

Varanasi’s principal sightseeing experience is the riverfront, where a long sequence of ghats reveals different aspects of the city’s religious and social life. Dashashwamedh Ghat hosts the evening Ganga Aarti, while Assi Ghat offers a broad riverside setting and a popular starting point for morning walks and boat trips. Manikarnika Ghat is a working cremation ground and should be observed only with discretion. In the old city, the Kashi Vishwanath Temple is a major Hindu pilgrimage site, though access arrangements and security procedures can change. The Bharat Kala Bhavan museum at Banaras Hindu University presents Indian art, sculpture and textiles, and the university campus provides a calmer contrast to the lanes. Sarnath, outside Varanasi, adds Buddhist monuments, the Archaeological Museum and the Dhamek Stupa to the area’s cultural itinerary. Narrow lanes around Chowk and Vishwanath Gali are attractions in their own right, filled with shrines, silk shops, food stalls and glimpses of everyday commerce.

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Best landmarks in Varanasi

The ghats are Varanasi’s most distinctive civic and religious landmarks, with Dashashwamedh, Assi, Manikarnika and the elegant stone terraces of Ahilyabai Ghat each reflecting different histories of worship, patronage and public life. The Kashi Vishwanath Temple is dedicated to Shiva and is among the city’s most important pilgrimage landmarks, while the nearby Gyanvapi area carries deep religious and political sensitivity. The riverside palace at Ramnagar, across the Ganges from the main city, is associated with the former Banaras royal family and provides a reminder of regional princely history. In the university district, the Bharat Mata Temple is known for its carved marble relief map of India. Sarnath’s Dhamek Stupa and the Ashoka Lion Capital, displayed in the local museum, represent the wider historical landscape surrounding Varanasi and its connections with Buddhism.

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Neighbourhoods in Varanasi

Best restaurants in Varanasi

Varanasi’s food culture is shaped by vegetarian Hindu traditions, eastern Uttar Pradesh ingredients and the city’s long association with pilgrimage. Breakfast often centres on kachori sabzi, while snack stalls serve aloo or tamatar chaat, jalebi and seasonal sweets. Lassi is common in the old city, and Banarasi paan, a betel-leaf preparation, is a recognised local tradition rather than simply a dessert. Depending on season, visitors may encounter malaiyyo, a light milk-based speciality associated with winter mornings. Assi, Godowlia, Chowk and the lanes near Vishwanath Gali contain a mixture of old eateries, sweet shops, cafés and casual stalls; Banaras Hindu University adds student-oriented options. Baati chokha, a regional dish of baked wheat dumplings with mashed vegetables, is also widely associated with the wider Bhojpuri and eastern Uttar Pradesh food culture. Hygiene standards vary, so busy establishments with high turnover are generally the practical choice.

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Best bars in Varanasi

Varanasi’s evenings are shaped more by religious gatherings, music and riverside social life than by a large nightclub circuit. The Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh is a formal devotional ceremony, while smaller ghats and temple areas may host prayer, chanting or classical music. Assi has the broadest concentration of relaxed cafés and rooftop settings, with evenings often extending around conversation, tea and views of the river rather than heavy drinking. Alcohol service is restricted or discreet in some parts of the city, particularly around religious sites, so visitors should follow local regulations and venue policies. Traditional Hindustani music, tabla performances, dance recitals and cultural programmes are more characteristic forms of evening entertainment than mainstream clubs. The riverfront remains active after sunset, but narrow lanes can be confusing, and returning by a pre-arranged rickshaw or taxi is sensible.

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Best nightclubs in Varanasi

Varanasi’s evenings are shaped more by religious gatherings, music and riverside social life than by a large nightclub circuit. The Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh is a formal devotional ceremony, while smaller ghats and temple areas may host prayer, chanting or classical music. Assi has the broadest concentration of relaxed cafés and rooftop settings, with evenings often extending around conversation, tea and views of the river rather than heavy drinking. Alcohol service is restricted or discreet in some parts of the city, particularly around religious sites, so visitors should follow local regulations and venue policies. Traditional Hindustani music, tabla performances, dance recitals and cultural programmes are more characteristic forms of evening entertainment than mainstream clubs. The riverfront remains active after sunset, but narrow lanes can be confusing, and returning by a pre-arranged rickshaw or taxi is sensible.

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Best shops in Varanasi

Varanasi is best known for its Banarasi silk, particularly brocaded saris and textiles woven with intricate patterns and metallic thread, although quality and authenticity vary widely. The old-city markets around Vishwanath Gali, Chowk and Thatheri Bazaar sell religious objects, brassware, jewellery, wooden items, incense and everyday goods amid very narrow lanes. Godowlia provides a busier commercial setting, while silk shops and cooperative outlets can offer more formal purchasing environments than temporary stalls. Visitors may also find handloom fabrics, shawls, prayer beads, miniature religious images, sweets and packaged paan ingredients. Ask clearly whether a textile is handloom or powerloom, request a written receipt for valuable purchases and avoid assuming that a high price guarantees traditional manufacture. Shopping here is closely tied to the city’s artisan communities, especially the Muslim weaving families whose work forms an essential part of Banaras’s cultural economy.

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Varanasi essentials

Currency and Payment
India uses the Indian rupee, abbreviated INR or written as ₹. Cards and contactless payments are accepted at many established hotels, modern restaurants and larger shops, while the Unified Payments Interface, or UPI, is widely used by Indian customers and may not always be straightforward for visitors without an Indian banking arrangement. Smaller food stalls, rickshaws, market traders and some guesthouses may prefer cash, so keep modest rupee notes available. ATMs are found in central and commercial districts, though an international card may not work in every machine. Notify the card issuer before travel and check exchange rates and any fees.
Safety
Visitors should take ordinary urban precautions, particularly in crowded lanes, markets, railway stations and around busy ghats, where bags and phones can be vulnerable to opportunistic theft. Traffic is unpredictable, so take care when crossing roads and when walking near the river steps. The old city can be confusing after dark; use a known route or arranged transport rather than following unsolicited offers. Take care on wet or uneven stone steps by the water and follow local instructions near cremation areas. Drink treated or bottled water, choose busy food stalls with good turnover, and keep valuables discreet during crowded religious events.
Emergency Situations
India’s national emergency number is 112, which can connect callers with police, fire and medical assistance. Ambulance services may also be reached through 108 in many parts of the country, but response arrangements can vary, so hotels or trusted local contacts can help with communication and transport to medical care. Keep passport, insurance and essential medication details accessible, and save the contact information for the nearest established hospital before travelling outside the main tourist areas. In a serious incident, contact the local police and the relevant embassy or consulate, and ask accommodation staff to assist if language or location details become difficult.
Do's and Don'ts
Dress conservatively at temples and other religious sites, covering shoulders and knees where requested, and follow instructions about footwear, photography and entry. Ask permission before photographing residents, pilgrims, musicians or ceremonies, and never photograph cremations at Manikarnika or Harishchandra ghats. Remove shoes when required and avoid touching religious objects or people engaged in worship. Public displays of affection may attract unwanted attention in traditional areas. Tipping is discretionary but appreciated for attentive service; agree fares and service terms in advance with rickshaw drivers, boatmen and guides. Do not accept unsolicited claims that a donation or ritual is compulsory.
Local Tips
Use the riverfront as an orientation line: the main ghats run broadly north to south, while the old city lanes behind them are easier to understand when approached from a known landmark. Dawn is particularly atmospheric for the ghats and boat journeys, whereas sunset brings large crowds for the Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh. Assi is useful for a slower-paced riverside stay and cafés, while the Cantonment and Sigra areas offer more road access and contemporary services. Visit Sarnath as a separate half-day outing, and leave room in the schedule for waiting, processions and the slower pace of navigating the old city.
Eve, your Evendo local guide

From Eve

Local phrases worth knowing

You don't need to get them perfect. A few words go a long way, and locals appreciate the effort.

6 phrase groups · English, local and pronunciation

Basics
EnglishLocalSay it
Helloनमस्ते[namaste]
Goodbyeअलविदा[alvida]
Yesहाँ[haan]
Noनहीं[nahin]
Please/You're welcomeकृपया[krupaya]
Thank youधन्यवाद[dhanyavad]
Excuse me/Sorryक्षमा कीजिए[kshama keejiye]
How are you?आप कैसे हैं?[aap kaise hain?]
Fine. And you?ठीक हूँ। और आप?[thik hoon. aur aap?]
Do you speak English?क्या आप अंग्रेज़ी बोलते हैं?[kya aap angrezi bolte hain?]
I don't understandमुझे समझ नहीं आया[mujhe samajh nahi aaya]
Eating & Drinking
EnglishLocalSay it
I'd like to see the menu, pleaseकृपया मेन्यू दिखाएं[krupaya menu dikhaye]
I don't eat meatमैं मांस नहीं खाता/खाती[main maans nahi khaata/khaati]
Cheers!चियर्स![cheers!]
I would like to pay, pleaseकृपया मुझे भुगतान करने दे[krupaya mujhe bhugtan karne de]
Emergencies
EnglishLocalSay it
Help!बचाओ![bachao!]
Go away!चले जाओ![chale jao!]
Call the Police!पुलिस को बुलाओ![police ko bulaao!]
Call a doctor!डॉक्टर को बुलाओ![doctor ko bulaao!]
I'm lostमैं खो गया/गई हूँ[main kho gaya/gayi hoon]
I'm illमुझे बीमारी है[mujhe bimari hai]
Shopping
EnglishLocalSay it
I'd like to buy...मैं... खरीदना चाहूँ[main... khareedna chahta/chahti hoon]
I'm just lookingमैं सिर्फ देख रहा/रही हूँ[main sirf dekh raha/rahi hoon]
How much is it?यह कितने का है?[yah kitne ka hai?]
That's too expensiveयह बहुत महंगा है[yah bahut mahnga hai]
Can you lower the price?क्या आप कीमत कम कर सकते हैं?[kya aap keemat kam kar sakte hain?]
Time & Numbers
EnglishLocalSay it
What time is it?अब कितने बजे हैं?[ab kitne baje hain?]
It's one o'clockएक बजे हैं[ek baje hain]
Half past (10)दस बजे तक[das baje tak]
Morningसुबह[subah]
Afternoonदोपहर[dopahar]
Eveningशाम[shaam]
Yesterdayकल[kal]
Todayआज[aaj]
Tomorrowकल[kal]
1एक[ek]
2दो[do]
3तीन[teen]
4चार[chaar]
5पांच[paanch]
6छह[chhe]
7सात[saat]
8आठ[aath]
9नौ[nau]
10दस[das]
Transport & Directions
EnglishLocalSay it
Where's a/the...?... कहाँ है?[... kahan hai?]
What's the address?पता क्या है?[pata kya hai?]
Can you show me (on the map)?क्या आप मुझे दिखा सकते हैं (नक्शे पर)?[kya aap mujhe dikha sakte hain (naksha par)?]
When's the next (bus)?अगली (बस) कब है?[agli (bas) kab hai?]
A ticket (to ....)एक टिकट (किसके लिए...)[ek ticket (kiske liye...)]

History of Varanasi

Kashi and the Early Sacred City

Varanasi developed around the ancient settlement known as Kashi, situated on the Ganges in the middle Ganga plain. Literary and religious sources associate the city with Shiva and with a long-standing tradition of pilgrimage, although the precise chronology of its earliest urban growth remains complex. Archaeological evidence indicates settlement in the wider area from the first millennium BCE, and Kashi became an important centre of religious learning and commerce. Its position beside a navigable river helped connect it with other communities across northern India. The sacred geography established in early Hindu traditions continues to shape the city, particularly through pilgrimage routes, temple foundations and the ritual importance of bathing in the Ganges.

Buddhism and the Wider Sacred Landscape

Around the sixth century BCE, the region around Varanasi became closely linked with the emergence of Buddhism. At nearby Sarnath, traditionally identified as the place where Siddhartha Gautama delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment, the Buddha established an early community of disciples. Monasteries and monuments later developed there under successive Buddhist patrons, including during the Mauryan period. Sarnath is outside Varanasi’s old city but forms an essential part of its historical landscape. The coexistence of Kashi’s Hindu importance and Sarnath’s Buddhist heritage placed the area within wider networks of pilgrimage, scholarship and cultural exchange extending across the Indian subcontinent.

Medieval Rule and Urban Change

From the medieval period, Varanasi experienced changing political authority while retaining its importance as a centre of pilgrimage, learning and craft production. Muslim dynasties governed the wider region, and the city’s religious institutions were affected by periods of patronage, conflict and rebuilding. Persianate cultural influences became part of the region’s social fabric, while weaving and other crafts developed through interaction between Hindu and Muslim communities. The urban pattern of temples, mosques, markets and narrow lanes reflects this layered history, even though individual buildings have often been reconstructed or altered. Varanasi’s reputation for Sanskrit scholarship and religious learning continued through these political changes.

Mughal and Regional Patronage

Under Mughal rule, Varanasi remained an important commercial and religious centre, with the city’s fortunes influenced by imperial policy and by regional landholders. In the eighteenth century, the decline of Mughal political control allowed powerful local and regional patrons to shape the riverfront more directly. Maratha rulers and aristocratic families from central and western India built or restored many of the palaces, temples and ghats that define the modern waterfront. The boundary between religious endowment, political status and urban construction was often close, so the ghats became both places of worship and public statements of patronage. Much of the riverfront’s recognisable form dates from this period.

Colonial Administration and Banaras State

During the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the British East India Company and later the British Raj extended administrative control over the region. The local Kingdom of Banaras retained a princely identity under colonial arrangements, while the city developed further as a centre of pilgrimage, trade and education. Printing, Sanskrit scholarship and the circulation of religious literature expanded, and new forms of municipal administration altered parts of the urban landscape. Colonial-era institutions and Cantonment areas emerged alongside the older city rather than replacing it. The period also saw the consolidation of Banaras’s reputation for silk weaving, music and religious learning, qualities that became central to its modern public identity.

Education, Nationalism and Modern Varanasi

Varanasi became an important setting for Indian cultural nationalism and modern education in the late colonial period. Banaras Hindu University was founded in 1916 through the efforts of Madan Mohan Malaviya and other supporters, creating a major institution that connected traditional learning with modern academic disciplines. The city participated in the wider independence movement and became part of independent India in 1947. Since then, Varanasi has expanded well beyond the historic riverfront, while pilgrimage, music, silk production and religious scholarship have remained central to its economy and identity. Contemporary projects have reshaped access around major temples and roads, but the old city still follows a dense urban pattern formed over centuries.

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Evendo: Your Ultimate Travel Guide to Varanasi

Discover Varanasi with the 100% free Evendo app-based travel guide covering attractions, landmarks, restaurants, and more. Plan your trip effortlessly and explore like a local.

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Unlock the secrets of Varanasi with Evendo, the ultimate free app-based travel guide. Explore landmarks, book hotels, and discover local tips effortlessly.

  • History of Varanasi and travel essentials
  • Tons of good, local advice for maximizing your visit
  • User-friendly navigation through the app and the city
  • Near Me feature to easily find nearby attractions
  • Curated local tips to experience the city like a local
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Welcome to Varanasi, the spiritual heart of India. Whether you're a first-time visitor or a seasoned traveler, Evendo is your indispensable companion. This 100% free app-based travel guide offers detailed information on Varanasi's best attractions, landmarks, shops, bars, nightclubs, restaurants, hotels, tours, experiences, and activities.

From the iconic ghats along the Ganges River to the bustling streets of the old city, Evendo provides rich descriptions, images, local tips, maps, and contact details to help you plan and organize your trip. Discover the sacred Kashi Vishwanath Temple, explore the vibrant Dashashwamedh Ghat, and immerse yourself in the serenity of Sarnath.

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