Varanasi

Centred around a kaleidoscopically colourful old town that’s packed to the brim with Hindu mystics, pilgrims and an innumerable array of temples, one of Hinduism’s holiest cities Varanasi is a whirlwind of cultural immersion like no were else in India.

As any Varanasi tour guide will tell you, the action is all at the Ghats on the Ganges. Here, a walk or a boat ride around reveals pious pilgrims washing away their sins in the sacred waters, while others desiring “moksha” for their loved ones perform ceremonious cremations on the steps of Manikarnika. At sundown, the riverbanks take on magical hues with thousands of lit lamps moving in choreographed symphony to the Ganga Aarti. If you’re looking to get really stuck into the fray of Varanasi though, then it’s Dashashwamedh Ghat that should take centre stage—a veritable hubbub of persistent sellers, brightly robed sadhus and ritualistic curiosities.

Away from the Ganges, Varanasi’s old town ticks over to temple chants and bells and the flavours of paan and aloo chat. Here, visitors can easily get absorbed in its narrow maze-like alleys, as they indulge in a famous Benaras silk sari or an impromptu yoga session along the way.