The boat ride at sunrise offers you the most amazing spiritual experience. It’s also the best way to observe the fusion of life on ghats and temples and the Ganga and the deep sacred connection between them.
Soak in the panoramic view of the Ghats from the other bank of the river. The crescent-shaped left bank of the Ganga, significant for the Old City Heritage Archaeological Zone with the sacred Ganga riverfront, provides a brilliant range of vignettes Varanasi’s spiritual diversity. Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism have defined its architectural, religious and cultural splendour. The crescent shape is symbolically described as a crescent moon on Lord Shiva's forehead.
The ghats, the focal point of many traditional and ancient forms of worship, also reflect the city’s cultural traditions and religious symbolism. The five premier merit-giving and sacred ghats (together called the Panchatheerthis) here in the heritage area are the Assi Ghat, Dasaswamedh Ghat, Manikarnika Ghat, Panchganga Ghat and the Raj Ghat—all deeply significant for the throngs of pilgrims who descend on this venerable city. From Assi to Manikarnika (South to Center), the grammar of its architecture is marked by the amalgamation of different building styles mirrored beautifully in the palatial buildings, holy sites, ashrams and pilgrim rest houses etc along the waterfront. Dig deep into knowledge of the storyteller who accompanies you on the tour, which includes these sacred ghats, dating back three centuries, which have been rebuilt again and again as the city was destroyed by several invaders.
You will love the atmospherics here of the morning Ganga aarti and the tales of the great Yagya, performed by Lord Brahma himself, who sacrificed 10 horses at the city’s iconic Dashashvamedh Ghat. Manikarnika Ghat contains what is said to be the holiest spot in the city and is the meeting point of Shaiva and Vaishnavite traditions.
At the crack of dawn, the first lot of pilgrims arrives to perform the ritual dip in the Ganga, which symbolises the goddess washing away all your sins and giving you sustenance for a new life. The unique directional change of the course of the Ganga led to the development of the ancient city, then known as Kashi. The sudden northward turn of the Ganga at Varanasi symbolises the life cycle from death to life. For the devout Hindu a holy dip in the River Ganga at the ghats, symbolises the individual soul can get purified.
The crowds continue to swell with each passing hour. Photo ops are aplenty as vignettes unfold of pilgrims descending into the swirling waters carrying ritual brass vessels, marigold garlands and oil lamps; ash-smeared sadhus with matted hair still and silent on the ghat steps; lively youths conducting their daily calisthenics before diving into the water to worship and the sun and Goddess Ganga.