The Ganga Aarti From the River

Every evening at Varanasi, as the light fades, a row of young priests faces the river with brass lamps and incense. The Ganga aarti is the city’s most famous ritual — and the river is the best seat in the house.

What Happens at the Aarti

At Dashashwamedh Ghat, priests in matching robes stand on raised platforms facing the Ganges. To the sound of bells, chanting and conch shells, they move in unison, offering incense, flowers and tall, tiered lamps of flame to the river. Crowds fill the steps behind them, and boats gather on the water in front. Many people float small leaf-cup lamps (diyas) with flowers on the current. The ceremony takes roughly an hour.

Why watch from the river

• A clear, front-on view of the priests and lamps
• Away from the crush on the steps
• The chance to float your own diya
• The city lit up behind you as you return

Floating a Diya

Many visitors end the evening by floating a diya: a small cup made of leaves, holding a marigold or two and a tiny lamp. You make a wish or say a prayer, light the wick and set it on the current, where it joins hundreds of others drifting downstream. Boatmen and sellers on the ghats offer them. It is a simple act, but for many travelers it becomes the moment they remember most from Varanasi.

The aarti is a daily ritual, but some nights are bigger than others. On Dev Deepawali, the full-moon night of the Hindu month of Kartik (usually in November), the ghats are lit with countless oil lamps and the river crowds with boats; it is spectacular and very busy, so boats must be booked well ahead. Ask your advisor whether your travel dates fall near it.