Varanasi Tour Packages

Here are a few things that you can consider when booking your Varanasi tour package to make the most of your Varanasi trip.

The holiest of all rivers, Ganga is truly the lifeline of this majestic city and should definitely be a part of your Kashi tour package. The best way to experience this river is to take a boat and explore how this river has infused life into the city and helped it last for thousands of years. The spectacular ghats with the pandits performing various religious ceremonies celebrating both life and death are a sight to behold. These ghats are also centres of music and learning.

It is a fifty-mile path with a radius of five miles that covers 108 shrines starting at Manikarnika Ghat and also covers the five religious places of Kardmeshwar, Shivpur, Rameshwar, Bhimchandi, and Kapildhara.

Considered to be one of the holiest temples dedicated to Lord Shiva, Kashi Vishwanath Temple is located in Kashi Vishwanath Galli (street). This temple is mentioned in the Kashi Khanda of Skanda Purana. It is the 12th Jyotirlinga in the country and is one of the most famous and popular places to visit for devotees and tourists alike. This temple witnesses about 3,000 visitors daily and the number even goes up to 1 lac on special occasions such as Shiva Ratri. The architecture of the temple is quite magnificent with intricate carvings adorning the walls. The temple complex has a pond known as Jnana Vapi or wisdom well. The complex also houses many smaller temples such as Kaalbhairav, Vishnu, Virupaksh Gauri, Vinayaka, and Avimukteshwara.

Legend has it that this ghat is the place where Lord Brahma performed the Dasa (ten) Ashwa (horse)Medha (intelligence) sacrifice and hence the name. This ghat is the epicentre of many religious rituals and activities. Every evening, the Ganga Aarti is performed, and thousands of locals, tourists, and devotees turn up to witness the spectacular event. The magnificence of the aarti increases manifolds during important occasions such as Dev Deepavali which is celebrated during the Hindu month of Kartik. When booking your Varanasi city tour package, make sure witnessing the Ganga aarti is included in the itinerary.

Not only is Varanasi a hotspot for Hinduism, but it also plays a crucial role in the evolution and spread of Buddhism. Sarnath is adorned by towering stupas and it is where Gautam Buddha preached his first sermon. Sarnath is located about 10 kilometres from the city centre. The Sarnath museum displays the archaeological finds as well as a rich collection of numerous Buddha and Boddhisattva sculptures and artefacts. A kilometre away from Sarnath is the village of Singhpur, where Shreyansanath was born. Shreyansanath is the eleventh Tirthankara of Jainism and that makes Sarnath an important pilgrimage site for Jains as well. The erstwhile King of Banaras gifted Sarnath a deer-park which is in existence even today.

This temple is dedicated to Lord Rama and Lord Hanuman and is situated by the River Assi. This temple was built by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya in the 1900s. This temple should definitely make it to your Varanasi Tour Package.

Varanasi has for long been an important centre of learning and the Banaras Hindu University is a glowing testimony of the same. This university is internationally reputed and was founded by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya in the year 1916. It has contributed immensely to the nation's progress by producing many scholars in various fields.

The campus spreads over 1300 acres and boasts of lush greenery, beautiful buildings that house 124 departments and 6 centres of advanced studies, playgrounds, and even an airstrip. It is home to about 15000 students from all over India as well as a large number of foreign students.

Maharaja Jai Singh of Jaipur was a great patron of the arts and sciences. He built the Jantar Mantar, which is an astronomical observatory, in 1737. The Jantar Mantar at Varanasi is built like the ones in Jaipur, Mathura, Delhi, and Ujjain. A lot of attention to details has gone into the building of this observatory, with each structure designed to perform a particular function. The main purpose of the Jantar Mantar is to measure the local time, the Sun's declination, as well as monitor other planetary movements. The instruments used for the many astronomical purposes are so accurate that they can be used even today.

No Varanasi tour package is complete without shopping for Banarasi handicrafts and sarees. This colourful city has been at the centre of Indian civilization and thus offers an evolved opportunity to discover its many offerings. The Banarasi saree has been a quintessential part of every bridal trousseau since times immemorial. Intricate gold and silver brocade work done on fine Banarasi silks make for a treasure that is passed from generation to generation. Apart from the rich silks, this city is also known for its brassware, copperware, carpets, religious souvenirs, and unique toys. The best places to shop for these are Vishwanath Gali, Thatheri Bazaar, Chowk, and Golghar. Ensure you have some free time included in your Varanasi holiday package to look around these old markets and shop to your heart’s content.