6 Best Places To Visit In Varanasi (Banaras)

People have various reasons to travel. If your reason to travel is to visit a holy place that offers great and unique experience with its historical value apart from its pilgrimage tag, Varanasi could be the right choice. The old city has great places that never fade in your memory once you visit the place. Varanasi is located on the banks of the famous and mighty river Ganges. Ganges has a great belief attached to it by followers of Hinduism. It is believed that the river washes away the sins on taking a dip in the river. Varanasi is famously called the city of temples and learning. Varanasi is a mixture of religion, philosophy, culture and crafts. Here are listed the 6 places to visit in Varanasi trip.

1. River Ganges

river-ganges
Photo by Milo & Silvia in the world, CC BY-SA 2.0

Ganges is famous with the religious minded Hindus owing to their beliefs about the river’s power in washing away their sins. Whether you take a dip in the river Ganges or not, you should not miss the river in your trip to Varanasi. You would love a walk along the river as you get to see the place busy with activity through out the day. Riding on the boat during sunrise and sun set will give you spectacular views. The cultural richness of the river is amazing and the views are stunning. The lighted candles and the offerings of flowers in the evenings are views you should not miss. It would be amazing to see the various activities of day to day life performed in full view of the people.

2. Sarnath

sarnath
Photo by  Jean-Pierre Dalbéra, CC BY 2.0

Sarnath is situated 10 km from Varanasi. The place is famous as this was where Buddha made his first sermon after attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya. Emperor Ashoka, who was an ardent follower of Buddhism, erected a stupa at Sarnath somewhere around 234 BC. In the centuries to come, more structures were constructed. The tallest statue of Buddha in India is found here and Sarnath is visited by many tourists every year.

3. Manikarnika Ghat

manikarnika-ghat
Photo by  Dennis Jarvis, CC BY-SA 2.0

The most famous ghat in Varanasi is the Manikarnika Ghat. This is a place of cremation by the Hindus. If you are ready to experience with all boldness how it feels to see the continuous cremations taking place, this could be the place. You might wonder if this is a place worth the visit on a vacation, you may change your mind once you are here. It gives a view of life in its full nakedness and seeing it for real that this is the ultimate makes you experience a unique feeling. Knowing about life is different and seeing so many dead bodies cremated and how it just happens as a routine is altogether a different story.

4. Man Mandir Ghat

man-mandir-ghat
Photo by Vrinda, CC BY-SA 3.0.

Man Mandir Ghat is yet another Ghat in Varanasi and an old one too. The place is worth the visit if you love to view the architectural splendor of the Rajput in full form. Man Singh of Jaipur, the Rajput King, built a palace in this place in the year 1600. Sawai Jai Singh, the Second constructed an observatory here. If you have an eye for space, you will love the astronomical instruments here.

5. Ramnagar Fort

ramnagar-fort
Photo by Adam Jones, CC BY-SA 2.0

This was the residence of the former King of Varanasi. Ramnagar Fort was constructed by the King of Banaras in the year 1750 AD. It was built using red stones. It gains significance being an astronomical wonder. The big clock in the palace shows the day, week, month, year and details the astronomy of the space objects. It has a museum, which has a rich collection of swords, costumes, palanquins and so on. The majestic palace is a combination of architectural excellence and astronomical brilliance.

6. Chunar Fort

Chunar Fort is located on the banks of the river Ganges and a 40 km away from the city. The fort is spread in a massive 34000 square feet and it is famous for its rich antiquity. The fort was constructed by Ujjain King Vikramaditya for Bharthari, his brother. The fort has historical importance and it served as a significant post when the battle between Humayun and Sher Shah took place. It was under the control of various rulers and the last of the rulers to control the fort was East India Company.

Varanasi is one of the great places to spend some time in your life. The place that lets you visualize the end of life owing to the religious practices conducted here, offer various attractions as well. It is a city rich in cultural heritage and an old history and maintains freshness even if the practices and customs are old. It is one of the major tourist destinations in Uttar Pradesh.

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About Rohit

An architect by profession, Rohit Agarwal is a curious traveller, seeking out the minutest detail about the places he travels to, and that’s what one will find in his writings. His writings have appeared in various blogs, he’s currently trying to bring forth as many different places a traveller who shares the same level of curiosity like him would like to visit through his writings.

2 thoughts on “6 Best Places To Visit In Varanasi (Banaras)”

  1. Thank you for sharing this amazing experience.

    Reply
  2. Sarnath is a very good place for the tourists. This place is very dear to me in Banaras.

    Reply

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