Crowd of people bathing in the Ganges.

Mark Read

Varanasi

Varanasi is the India of your imagination. This is one of the world's oldest continually inhabited cities, and one of the holiest in Hinduism. Pilgrims come to the Ganges here to wash away sins in the sacred waters, to cremate their loved ones, or simply to die here, hoping for liberation from the cycle of rebirth.


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Latest stories from Varanasi

March 15, 2017: The sacred city of Varanasi with people taking a morning bath on the Ganges River.
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March 15, 2017: The sacred city of Varanasi with people taking a morning bath on the Ganges River.

Art and Culture

A first-time guide to Varanasi, India

Sep 19, 2024 • 9 min read

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