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Varanasi and the Ganges

Varanasi is one of the oldest cities of the world today that brings with it a combination of physical, metaphysical and supernatural elements. It is said in Hindu mythology that Varanasi stems soul from human body and that the Ganga ghats of Varanasi that complements the concept of divinity. Today the Ghats of Ganga is considered to be the holiest spots of Varanasi where you find many pilgrims flocking here to take a dip in the holy Ganges. It is said that a dip in the holy Ganges absolves one from all sins. You find many temples on the banks of the river Ganges in Varanasi. People cleanse themselves physically, mentally and spiritually at Ganga ghats for it is here that one sees life and death together. This is why people from all over India come here to immerse the ashes of their kin in the Ganges and other places like Varanasi, Prayag and Haridwar. There are more than 100 ghats found here in Varanasi where the prominent ones are Dasaswamedh Ghat, Marnikarnika Ghat, Kabir Ghat, Harischandra Ghat and Assi Ghat. The Ganges is personified as a goddess and has an important part in Hindu religion. It is an important river of the Indian subcontinent that is associated with myth and reality in both India and neighboring countries like Bangladesh. The Dasaswamedh Ghat is one of the most important Ghats of Varanasi that is still unspoilt and clean. You can always find numerous sadhus performing religious rites on this Ghat. You have to visit this Ghat in the evening where after Aarti; you find thousands of earthen lamps being immersed in the waters. These lights give a divine look to the river at dusk. The main cremation Ghat of Varanasi is the Marnikarnika Ghat. It is the oldest and most sacred ghats found in Banaras where on being burnt here, one attains an instant gateway to liberation from the birth and rebirth cycle. It is in the center of the five tirthas and symbolizes both creation and destruction.