India's holiest city on the Ganges
Varanasi is intense, ancient and unforgettable. Pilgrims bathe in the Ganges from dozens of stone ghats, and the cremation fires at Manikarnika burn day and night. At dusk, priests perform the Ganga Aarti with fire and bells; at dawn, a rowing boat along the river shows the city waking up. Just outside town, Sarnath marks the place where the Buddha gave his first sermon.