India is known as the land of contrasts, and nowhere will you experience as many extremes in such a small space as in Varanasi, the spiritual capital of Hinduism.
One of the world’s oldest continually inhabited cities, it is the place where life and death, the sacred and profane blend in a splendid cacophony of religious chanting, blaring horns, and more languages than we knew existed. Among the traffic of cars, bicycles, and rickshaws, pedestrian cows placidly graze in the middle of the road. You won’t need a lot of time to experience Varanasi, two days is just right. Varanasi is gritty and a stark departure from the glittering palaces of the north, but if you are looking for a place that will move you, that holds deep meaning for so much of the world, look no farther.
