Varanasi Ganga Aarti

Varanasi, one of the world's oldest living cities, offers a spiritual assault on the senses that is intense and unforgettable. The Ganga Aarti performed every evening at the Dashashwamedh Ghat is a choreographed ceremony of fire and devotion dedicated to the River Ganges.

Priests in saffron robes hold heavy multi-tiered brass lamps, moving them in rhythmic unison to the sound of conch shells, bells, and chanting. Thousands of devotees and tourists watch from the steps and from boats on the river.

The air is thick with incense and faith. It is a powerful display of Hindu ritualism that connects the earthly with the divine, highlighting the cycle of life and death that plays out daily on these ghats.