Bathing in the Holy River Ganges at Dawn. Varanasi ghats.

The River Ganges springs forth from snow melt in the Himalayas and runs across northern India until it exits into the sea in Calcutta. Varanasi (formerly called Benares) is the spiritual center of Pilgramage for Buddhists. Buddha began his Avatarship in Sarnath ( near to Varanasi) and then spent much of His time here in Varanasi. Hindus alike believe that to bathe in the River Ganges is to cleanse ones soul and all try to make the pilgramage during their lives. Elderly people come to Varanasi to die and have their bodies cremated and floated away down the River.

Varanasi is not a tourist place, but many tourists come to see it. There is a feeling of spirituality that envelopes Varanasi, especially boating on the Ganges at dawn. It is an old city with twisted roads and traffic. Cows wander in the streets and alley ways. The new and Modern India is not Varanasi. Below, visitors taking a boat ride on the Ganges at dawn.