1 Night / 2 Days - Varanasi and Sarnath Tour
Day1:
Varanasi –Arrival + Ganga Aarti-
After escort from airport and checking into a hotel, the rest of the afternoon is free. If you desire, you could take up small sightseeing around the hotel. You can find a lot of shops around the temples and on the roadsides. You can shop for statues, brass works, ritual items, Benaras silk material and others. The trip starts right before sunset.
Visit to Dashashwamedh Ghat to witness the Ganga Aarti. It is the famous attraction of Varanasi in which you can watch interesting rituals performed to please the River Ganges and God of Fire. If you are a photo enthusiast, this will be an interesting spot to click pictures. You can also choose to watch the ritual on a boat, from the river. The ghat tend to get very crowded during the attraction. Night stay in Varanasi.
Day2:
Varanasi – Morning Boat Ride - Sarnath - Temple Tour-
The day starts with an early morning boat ride on river Ganges. You would watch local rituals along the riverside and ghats during the ride. The locals of Varanasi visit River Ganges very early in the morning to pray to Sun God. You will also ride through many ghats, which are famous for any unique activity. For instance, Manikarnika Ghat is famous for Hindu cremation rituals.
After the boat ride, you would be visiting top temples in the city like Sankat Mochan temple, Kashi Vishwanath temple, Kalbhairav temple, ManasMandir, Birla temple, Bharat Mata temple and others. Some temples have strict rules regarding usage of mobile phones and cameras. Please follow the simple rules. During auspicious days and festivals, there will be a long queue to see the deity. Please be prepared for the wait..
In the afternoon, you will be taken on an excursion to Saranth from Varanasi. Sarnath is an important Buddhist pilgrim spot. It is the place where Buddha made his first sermon after getting enlightenment.
Later, many kings including King Ashoka built many stupas and monuments that are now a famous tourist attraction and pilgrim spot. In Sarnath, you will be visiting Chaukhandi stupa, archeological museum, Dhamekha stupa and others.
You can find many ancient Aartifacts, terracotta objects and other items inside the museum. By late evening, you would be escorted to airport or railway station as per your request. If desired, you can stay back in Varanasi and take up a detailed tour to each temple and ghat in the city. Did you know that there are 88 ghats in Varanasi?