What a wonderful place, Varanasi is!
And at night, it's even more exciting.
A shining Medieval city turns into a mysterious spectacle.
A dreamscape, indeed: stairs leading down to the water, dozens of staircases, several kilometers of stairs...
And - a foggy river, the hypnotizing sound of splashing water, slight, dimmed mumbling of the walking people, quaint buildings (ancient temples, fortresses, palaces), and, of course, bonfires.
They cremate the dead there. But it's rather a place of farewell than a grief...
Maybe, because there is no more calming experience than circling with other people around a fire?
Or it's because people believe cremation is the beginning of new life, or even liberation and uniting with God?
The light of a distant city also looks surreal, like, if you are in the fantasy world as Game of Thrones.
Is this glorious seaside city Pentos or Braavos?
Is it a pyramid of Yunkai or Astapor?
Like, fantasy fiction brought to life.
Though real life isn't less exciting: Varanasi is at least 3000 year old, great kings and great warriors walked here as well as prophets - Siddhartha Gautama was one of them.
A fantastic realm. Everyone is blessed who once reached this land.
And you are blessed twice if you can afford to be in Varanasi for a while, without a hurry.
There are many foreigners here who don't rush anywhere.
Strolling along the river, warming up by the cremation fires, attending Ganga Aarti, a daily performance worshiping the Ganga River, and watching unusual characters at the ghats.
Some of these characters are meditating, some are searching for a profit, some are high on weed and gazing into eternity. Boatmen, street vendors, playing kids, travelers, pilgrims, priests, eccentrics, and Hindu ascetics...
At last, you are returning to your hotel along the dark lanes, only to return to the wondrous dreamspace of the Ganga River the next night.
And this is not a figure of speech - I'm finishing the post and going for a walk along the ghats - want to watch the Ganga Aarti and observe the cremation ceremony, and most importantly, breathe in the atmosphere of a waking dream - once again.
Hope you liked the story and photographs; stay tuned to see more from this brilliant city! 🙂
The photos were taken with a Nikkor 50mm f/1.8G on a full-frame DSLR Nikon D750 on January 16 (and #2 from below on January 17), 2026, in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India.
