Ganga View Guesthouse, Varanasi

Advantages: A fascinating insight into Indian beliefs
Disadvantages: Poverty is all around you

...We visited Varanasi as part of a package tour of Northern India. We had heard lots about it before we went, but experiencing it first hand was much more than we imagined it to be. The Ganges is the holiest river in India and runs through Varanasi. It is believed that a dip in the river purifies the sins of the living and ensures the salvation of the dead. A bath in the Ganges has sacred and cultural connotations that go back centuries. Early morning is seen as the best time for bathing in the holy water, as the first rays of the sun break through the clouds. Most of the tourists head down for the river before dawn. Your senses are immediately assaulted by a wide variety of sights, sounds and smells. A boat trip on the Ganges at dawn is an unforgettable experience. Not only do you see the bathers, but you experience... Read review

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...“All my sins are cleaned…” Note: ----- Most of the temple names are Sanskrit and it doesn’t have an English Translation, but wherever needed, I have included the English Translation. As these names can’t be changed, I have kept it intact. To believe or not to Believe --------------------------- It was 16th August after the Independence Day, it was 7.30, I was sitting in the Guesthouse room after watching Minority Report talking to my friend. We were talking about every unbelievable thing in the world. When my friend was telling me about various religious places and its existence since thousands of years (Can I say that!!). We were talking about “Kashi, Badrinath, Rameswaram & Puri”, which is the most holy place for the Hindus. According to Hindu, religion if you visit these places and do some offerings all your sins would be cleaned... Read review

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Advantages: Large and comfortable room, quite good breakfast
Disadvantages: Very poor Reception, dull dinner, boring bar

...The ancient city of Varanasi is located on the banks of the River Ganges is north eastern India. Also known as Benaras, it is over 3000 years old, one of the oldest continually inhanbited cities in the world. It is also one of the holiest sites for Hindus as it is believed that Varanasi was the home to the God, Krishna. The River Ganges, which flows through the city, is believed to have the power to wash away all sin and it is said that those who pass away and are cremated here will be able to break the cycle of birth and rebirth. Varanasi is also one of the four major pilgrimage sites for Buddhists, as the suburb of Sarnath is said to be the place where Buddha gave his first sermon about the principles of Buddhism. Attracting millions of pilgrims every year, it is also draws over a million international tourists every year... Read review

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