Varanasi

Uttar Pradesh

India Travel Guide

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Crowd of people bathing in the Ganges.

Mark Read

Why visit 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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Best of Northwest India: Rajasthan in 15 Days

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  1. 1 Standing before Agra's world-famous Taj Mahal in morning twilight before the crowds descend
  2. 2 Visiting historic landmarks, from the Hawa Mahal to Govind Ji Temple, in Jaipur's "Pink City"
  3. 3 Taking a sunset cruise through Udaipur's Lake Pichola
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Top places to visit in Varanasi

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