7 First Impressions of Varanasi, India
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

After finishing Delhi, I took the train down to Varanasi, India for major city #51 on the project. Just like Delhi, I’d been to Varanasi before, but not yet to photograph for the project. If you know anything about Varanasi, especially for photography, this is a city that had to be included.

What can you really say about Varanasi? It’s honestly a city that needs to be experienced, not described. No cliché bs, Varanasi is truly unlike any other place in the world. One of the world’s oldest and holiest cities, you can really feel this in its atmosphere. The holy river, the ghats filled with life, the chaotic spirituality and more make this a city you can’t forget. From early morning to night, Varanasi is one magical place. Be ready for touts, hassle and other photographers, as this city is far from a hidden gem, but if you want to experience a city that goes at every sense of the imagination, Varanasi is at the top.

So here are my first impressions of Varanasi, from my personal Street Photographer perspective…

7 First Impressions of Varanasi
(From a Street Photography Perspective)

1. One of a kind, no place like it. 

Mark Twain once said of Varanasi, “Benares is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together.” He wasn’t exaggerating. While he was able to experience it before much of the tourism today, it still feels mostly as he described if you’re able to ignore that stuff. When people ask me about favorite cities, I don’t really deal in favorites, but Varanasi comes to mind as maybe the most unique. “There’s no place like it” is a common cliché thing to say, but it really is true when it comes to this magical place.

Everything feels old, back in time and full of character. The spiritual atmosphere is on another level. The atmosphere in general is like nothing you can describe. Walking the ghats early in the morning feels almost unreal. The river, the steps, the characters, the animal life, the clothes drying, the people bathing and praying, children playing cricket, and the list goes on. It all surrounds you with something you can’t experience anywhere else. From the morning mist to the day time heat to the night-time lights, Varanasi is one of a kind.

2. Get up early

I can’t think of another city where waking up and getting out early is more recommended than in Varanasi. The city wakes up early too, especially along the ghats. More importantly, though, the atmosphere is even more special in the morning along those ghats. The morning mist floating above the water, the sunrise casting a warm glow, locals in the river washing up and washing clothes, people setting up for the day, and much more. Mornings in Varanasi are when the uniqueness of this place is at its peak, in my opinion. 

Much of the year, there’s another reason to get out early too. Varanasi can get really hot. On this last visit, the daily high didn’t go below 40ºC (104ºF) all week, while reaching as much as 44ºC (111ºF). The scorching sun not only makes it less fun to shoot in, but also clears out much of the activity mid-day along the ghats, as everyone hides from the sun. My most common shooting schedule here was 5:30-9:30, Break/Eat/Rest/Stay out of heat, and then back out from 2:00-6:00+. 

3. Stay out late too

Another favorite time for many to shoot in Varanasi can be after sunset too, when the ghats come alive with the popular evening rituals, candles, music and a magical nighttime atmosphere. I still prefer shooting with sunlight, and I’d say the atmosphere feels a little more touristy and cliché photographically at this time, but Varanasi is a special place to photograph at night, as well. Plenty of others love shooting here at night too. So bearded men praying with a candle’s glow across their face and background of candles and lights along the ghats does make for a pretty picture, but it won’t be the only one. While the nighttime here won’t give you as much variety to photograph as the day, you can still find ways to capture something new if you look to. And the nighttime atmosphere of life and lights on the ghats provides something nice to complete the picture.

4. Ghats provide an interesting, easy daily walk with their variety

When I think about Varanasi I think about many things, but nothing sticks out more than walking the ghats. These riverfront steps along the banks of the River Gangas are a part of the city experience like nothing else. Varanasi has 88 of these ghats stretching for many kilometers and the most popular thing to do for visitors and photographers is to walk back and forth along them. This is where you’ll see people bathing, washing clothes, praying, kids playing, dogs barking, cows relaxing, pilgrims smoking, the famous cremation ceremonies and much more. Some spots are packed with chaos, while others can be more quiet and relaxing. Some ghat steps are painted different colors and others sit in front of ancient architecture. There’s a distinctive mix of atmospheres that the variety of ghats supply. The best advice is just to walk the length of them all at different times of the day to find out your favorites, but below you’ll find some of my favorites…

• Dashashwamedh Ghat
  • This is the chaotic main ghat, full of life, ceremonies and plenty of haggling
• Assi Ghat
  • The southernmost ghat where many long-term travelers stay. Also important for Hindu pilgrimages and many ceremonies/festivities
• Kedar Ghat
  • Red & White stripes make this one stand out, along with a shrine popular with Bengalis and Southern Indians
• Pandey ghat
  • Popular for drying laundry out in the sun
• Manikarnika (burning ghat)
  • The more elaborate of the cremation ghats
• Lalita Ghat
  • Where you can find some of the best narrow alleys to explore behind the ghat
• Scindhia Ghat
• Munshi Ghat
• Chet Singh Ghat

5. Boat, Boat? Marijuana, Hash?

One thing you should be ready for in Varanasi is the amount of hassle you’ll get, especially as a foreigner. The main ghat is the epicenter of hassle, where there’s no way to escape it, but it will pop up along your daily walks everywhere. “Boat, boat” will be the most common question, as everyone wants to take you on a boat ride along the river. After that, it’s “marijuana, hash?” as many people come here for that too. If I was to guess, in a full day of exploring the ghats, you’ll be asked at least 50 times. Telling them “no, thanks” doesn’t always stop them so it’s up to you if you want to just ignore them, which seems to be what most do after being here for more than a day. It’s not a big deal, but it can be an annoying, especially if they do it while you’re taking a shot and ruin it. It’s just part of the experience in Varanasi, especially for a foreigner. 

6. Check the alleys!

Varanasi is famous for the Ghats and life along the river, but the city has plenty of interest to explore too. Some of the best areas to explore are the narrow alleys behind the ghats. It’s easy to get lost in the maze like construction, but it’s worth it. You’ll discover interest and life around every corner. You can also find different spots where the sun shines through the narrow alleys creating light and shadows to play with. One of the best section of alleys to check out are located above the Lalita Ghat. You’ll find plenty of color, life and character here.

7. Check the rest of the city too

Going even further away from the ghats and alleys, you’ll find more urban life for a change of scenery. While a lot of it is similar to other Indian cities, some still contains the Varanasi atmosphere. You’ll walk through plenty of activity too and you can check out the main train station for that atmosphere of chaos. If you want more village like atmosphere, though, you can walk south past the Assi Ghat and following the dirt road into more interest for exploring. Varanasi contains a variety of scenery, in addition to its famous ghat atmosphere.

If any of you have been to Varanasi before, tell me about your experience and impressions of the city and country in the comments below! And stay tuned for more on Varanasi, including some of the best Street Photography shots I captured while there.

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(from a street photographer’s perspective)

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