Varanasi

Situated on the banks of the sacred River Ganges, Varanasi is one of the holiest cities in India and a great Hindu centre of pilgrimage. Colourful and intriguing, it is considered a most auspicious place, since to die here gives release from the cycle of rebirth and allows immediate access to heaven. The most intimate rituals of life and death, from fertility ceremonies to cremations, take place in public on the ghats (steps) leading down to the river. As most of the rituals are enacted in the early morning, the best way to witness them is by boat at sunrise. Later in the day, the old town can be explored on foot through the narrow lanes and colourful bazaars.