The many shades of Varanasi ghats

Take a journey through the vibrant, colorful and iconic ghats of Varanasi - from bustling markets to tranquil sunrises and sacred evening aartis.

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Across the 84 ghats in Varanasi, 1300 plus boats of different sizes and capacity operate to ferry the tourists across the holy river Ganga. An early morning snapshot of some tourists taking the delightful boat rides (Photo by Shankar L)

An old pujari (priest) records the ganga aarti at a ghat in Varanasi through his phone. (Photo by Rahul Raman)

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Varanasi has 84 ghats in total. On a chilly winter morning, a snake charmer captures passersby’s attention along the ghats of river Ganga. (Photo by Arnab Ray)

The famous evening Ganga aarti at the Dashaswamedh ghat in Varanasi attracts thousands of devotees everyday. Many devotees can be seen capturing the spectacular aarti. (Photo by Parag Sharma)

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Varanasi is renowned for its mouthwatering street fare and refreshing beverages. Here a hawker sells delicious sprouted black chickpeas (kala chana), a popular local snack, near Dashashwamedh ghat. (Photo by Gourav Pande) 

The night guards – A midnight shot of dogs guarding one of the many old, beautiful temples across the bank of river Ganga. (Photo by Parag Sharma)

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In the lead image an early morning snapshot of the boats docked near Assi ghat in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh (Photo by Rahul Raman)