Varanasi

There are around 90 steps or ghaat lined across this 6km wide stretch river Ganges, joining this holy river with the frantic city that lies above it. Filled with mazes of alleys and streets and overwhelmed with bereft palaces and homes, there are more than 2,000 shrines and temples scattered across the city. During your holiday to Varanasi you will witness things funeral processions and goats and cows feeding, especially close to the Golden Temple, also known as Kashi Vishvanath and the centrally located Dashashvamedh Ghat.

This city is considered to be the holiest of Indian cities, so there is no better place if you are in search of yourself or a third eye. Meditation and Yoga are two ancient India practices and 5000 years later, there is still no better Yoga destination than India. This city has a number of yoga ashrams and yoga resorts, which focus on cultivating spirituality. If you are looking for meditation and yoga, holidays in Varanasi will offer you an exceptional spiritual experience. If you are looking for meditation, you can go to any of the different ashrams in Varanasi. Varanasi can be called the heart for Yoga, Meditation, Ayurveda and Astrology in India. The Sampurnanand Sanskrit University is a place where you can find different departments and faculties of Yoga, Meditation, Astrology and Ayurveda.

If you’re game for a true Varanasi experience, you may try some of the traditional local activates during your Holiday in Varanasi. Over 65,000 people visit the ghats everyday for a dip, mostly at the time of dawn, in the holy waters of Ganges. It is nothing short of an exotic sight to witness. However, as the sewerage pipes dump human waste into water, as well as sunken corpses which are very prevalent, the likelihood of infections or diseases is very high – so it best to not get too close to the water. Boat riding is very popular here, especially at sunset and sunrise. Both rowboats and motorboats are available for touring. The most famous sunset boat ride starts at the Dasaswamedh Ghat or any of the other ghats along Ganges and they head upwards to the Manikarnika Ghat to witness the cremations. You can head down to the Dasaswamedh after sunset and you will get to witness the aarti ceremony from your boat. The sunrise is also an enchanting time to visit these ghats. You can also go exploring the alleys and streets during your Varanasi Holidays. The, sight, sounds and smells here are unbelievable. You will see little houses and shops that you had never imagined seeing. This place will overwhelm all of your senses- just make sure avoid eating anything unless you have very strong stomach immunity.

Holy sites are a must see during your holidays in Varanasi. You will get to witness the rich history and culture of India here. There are a lot of religious buildings around every corner that you turn. Here are a few that you should definitely see: 1.    Kashi Vishwanath Temple: It was built originally in 1776 by the Devi of Indore, Maharani Ahilya. The towers of this temple are gold plated.  Maharaja Ranjit Singh donated over 1000 kilograms of gold for its purpose in 1800s. 2.    St. Mary’s Church: This church is one of India’s oldest Protestant Churches. Its construction started on April 29th, 1810 and Daniel Corrie laid down the foundation stone. St Mary’s Church is located in the Varanasi’s cantonment area. 3.    Manikarnika Ghat: It is also called the “Maha shamsana’ or ‘Greatest Cremation Ground’, this is the place where dead bodies arrive from all across the country for cementation by fire. The fire used in this process is considered to be sacred and is believed to be burning for centuries. 4.    Ramnagar Fort: This fort is also a palace and it was constructed in the 18th century. King of Kashi used to live here. The building has red sandstone, and the fort museum displays a Royal collection of vintage royal cars and palkies, an armory with vintage swords and guns, antique clocks and ivory work. 5.    Nepali Temple: It is a very unique temple situated at the Lalita Ghat. The king of Nepal commissioned this temple and i

To make your Varanasi holiday pleasant, the time to visit is very important. Weather in Varanasi is usually humid and hot with temperatures that vary drastically between winter and summer. The summers last from the early April till October.

Temperatures can go from 32°C to over 45°C. The stretch of Heavy monsoon rain and humidity characterize the monsoon, which occurs between June and July. Winter is between December and March. The weather here can get really cold and the temperature often fall as low as 5°C during the night but days are very pleasant generally. This is the best time for a Varanasi holidays.

Summers

Varanasi faces very harsh weather from April to October; hot summers with high 33°C and low of 24°C. The hottest time of the year is May, where the temperature soars up to 40°C. It is followed by great levels of rain. In July, the city stays wet with more than 340 mm of rain.

Winters

Contrary to summers, the winters in Varanasi are quite pleasant, where 22°C is the highest. Winters here appear very soothing as the minimum temperature fluctuates between 12 to 16°C. The coldest time is January, where it can go as low as 5°C. The rainfall level is very low during winters as March only receives 10 mm. This is the ideal time for a Holidays to Varanasi.