Varanasi is India distilled to its absolute core. Everything you know or think you know about the country is here. The temples, the food, the cows you name it and Varanasi seems to have it. Its no wonder that almost all the travelers I met said this was their favorite place in India. The Ganges river is the Hindu holy river and Hindus from all over the country come here as a pilgrimage. This gives the city a certain energy to it that other cities just don’t have.
It’s a city full of tourists but hardly any of them are non-hindus. You are not going to find a McDonalds down the street from your hotel. Everything there caters to the pilgrims which makes things seem really authentic for travelers. This also means things are priced to them too! Varanasi was one of the cheapest places I visited in India. I ate at the busy open air restaurants that were along the a main road and the food was always very good and crazy cheap. I think I paid $1 USD for 6 samosas at one place, it was just silly.
But with all of these pilgrims rich and poor it takes its toll on the city and the river. The river is known as one of the most polluted rivers in the world but since its a holy river the people think it will do them no harm. The city is also a mess, vast armies of tuktuks block the roads seemingly forever. If its not the dust or tuktuks then its the waste from all of these pilgrims, food garbage is everywhere you look. Also because Varanasi is a holy city you will find more cows and goats here than anywhere else in India. Cows were absolutely everywhere eating up all of the food garbage from the streets. Varanasi was the first time I had to watch the floor while I walked at all times.
It is an insanely dirt place but also very holy. Large famous temples are all over the city and are open to everyone to visit. Go pray and get your forehead dotted at them all to blend in with the pilgrims. Each temple even has a different color dot. These temples are actually really fun though since they are active and full of people. In my time in India I must have gone to 50 temples or more but the ones here were really what I was looking for. As I said before Varanasi is the India you are looking for.
I guess its a bit hard to describe, its super holy, insanely dirty, crazy crowded, amazing and disgusting at the same time. Really the city will overload your sense and give you a unique travel experience which is why most travelers love it so much.
