The holiness of Varanasi was very different from spiritual holiness of Rishikesh. The Ganges River is much more of a part of people's daily and religious lives in Varanasi. People are born on the river, spend each and every day on the river, and are even cremated on the river. On each end of the river are areas designated as burning ghats where cremations occur around the clock. According to Hindu belief, if one dies and is cremated in Varanasi, their soul is released from the cycle of reincarnation.
The ghats, or stairs leading down to the river, are used by people for bathing, praying, washing, and socializing. Varanasi is a large and crowded city and the streets near the river are a maze of alleyways very similar to Seville, Spain.
Life revolves on the river on the best way to experience the start of a day on the Ganges is by boat at sunrise.
