“Varanasi is one of the most intense places I’ve ever visited,” wrote Katie Couric, an American journalist and presenter, in an Instagram post about her trip to the city. “I will never forget our day in Varanasi from sunrise to nightfall.” On Reddit, too, one comment read, “Time just seems to warp when you’re in Varanasi. The city just has its own way of existence and I really don’t think there is quite a place like it in the world.” And much like Dehradun in Ruskin Bond’s novels and Hong Kong in Wong Kar Wai’s films, Varanasi with its swarming crowds and lively streets, exudes main character energy in countless Bollywood films.
Seemingly, everyone is in agreement that Varanasi has a soul of its own. Powerful and magnetic, it’s a city of ancient temples, boat rides at dusk, cremation ghats—where hundreds of bodies are burned on pyres along the edge of the Ganga, and transcendental music festivals with some of India’s finest classical singers.
