"Varanasi - Oldest & most auspicious city... " a Varanasi Travel Page by Willettsworld

There are few places as unique in the world as Varanasi. Its history alone stretches back to at least 3,000 B.C. making it one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world and certainly the oldest in India. During this time it has changed its name a couple of times and still, today, goes by the older names of Benares and Kashi (City of Life). This last name is a bit ironic as the city has always been an auspicious place to die. It is said that if a person dies in Varanasi, he/she will be free from the cycle of re-birth. You will undoubtedly witness funeral processions through the narrow streets that lead to the ghats, a series of steps that lead down to the river Ganges. The river is viewed as a river of salvation, an everlasting, ever flowing symbol of hope to past, present and future generations. It is on the ghats that bank onto the river where you witness the cremating of corpses at the burning ghats (of which Manikarnika Ghat is the most famous) and the bathing ritual known as puja which pilgrims perform to the rising sun at dawn. A boat trip at dawn to witness both of these events and the daily early morning life that also happens here is a must thing to do whilst staying in Varansi and definitely should not be missed.