Sightseeing Catalog
253 forts, temples, ghats, havelis and heritage sites across ten cities — browse by category, or search for something specific.
City
Category
Fort/Palace
Ramnagar
The riverside residence of the former Maharaja of Banaras, preserving palace courtyards, collections and a strong connection with the city's royal traditions.
Temple
Vishwanath Gali
One of India's most revered Shiva temples, at the spiritual heart of Varanasi and deeply connected with the city's sacred identity.
Ghat
Ganga
The city's most famous ceremonial ghat, where the evening Ganga Aarti creates one of Varanasi's most unforgettable experiences.
Other Sacred Sites
Where the Buddha delivered his first sermon after enlightenment, Sarnath's Dhamek Stupa and adjoining archaeological museum make it one of Buddhism's four most sacred pilgrimage sites.
Palace
A fortified riverside palace associated with the history of Banaras and the conflict between its ruler and the British.
Darbhanga Ghat
A grand palace fronting the Ganga, whose monumental architecture forms one of the most impressive stretches of the Varanasi waterfront.
Shivala
A historic riverside palace complex reflecting the presence of royal families from across India along Varanasi's ghats.
Assi area
A beloved temple dedicated to Hanuman, known for its devotional atmosphere and its connection with the cultural life of Varanasi.
Durga Kund
A distinctive red temple beside a historic pond, dedicated to Durga and deeply woven into the religious landscape of southern Varanasi.
A modern but culturally important temple associated with the poet Tulsidas and the Hindi retelling of the Ramayana.
Cantonment
An unusual temple dedicated not to a deity but to Mother India, featuring a large relief map of the subcontinent.
Kaal Bhairav
A powerful shrine dedicated to Kaal Bhairav, regarded in Varanasi's traditions as the city's guardian deity.
Lalita Ghat
A charming wooden temple near Lalita Ghat, built in a distinctive Nepalese style with carved details and a quiet riverside setting.
Chowk
A historic temple dedicated to Sankatha Devi, situated within the dense sacred landscape of Varanasi's old city.
Vishwanath area
A revered shrine to the goddess Annapurna, closely connected with Varanasi's traditions of food, nourishment and devotion.
Mir Ghat
An important Shakti shrine near the Ganga, remembered as one of the sacred goddess sites of Varanasi.
Sarnath
A peaceful Buddhist complex reflecting the international character of Sarnath as a pilgrimage destination for Buddhist communities from around the world.
A colourful and deeply atmospheric ghat associated with Shiva and South Indian traditions, with temples and rituals unfolding along the river.
One of Varanasi's oldest and most sacred cremation ghats, central to the city's understanding of life, death and liberation.
A lively southern ghat where pilgrims, students, artists and visitors meet the river, especially atmospheric at sunrise.
A striking riverside ghat known for its partially submerged temple and quieter lanes leading into the old city.
A historic ghat associated with sacred traditions and an important meeting point of Varanasi's religious and architectural history.
A beautifully maintained ghat associated with the celebrated Maratha queen Ahilyabai Holkar and her patronage of Varanasi's sacred architecture.
An elegant riverside ghat developed by a wealthy official, known for its distinctive palace architecture and lively riverfront atmosphere.
A culturally rich ghat where Hindu and Nepalese architectural traditions meet beside the Ganga.
Temple/Ghat
Kedar Ghat
The temple-lined steps around Kedar Ghat create a vivid sacred environment where river rituals and everyday worship continue side by side.
Museum
BHU
A respected museum at Banaras Hindu University housing paintings, sculptures, textiles and objects representing India's artistic traditions.
Ramnagar Fort
The royal museum of the former Banaras estate, preserving arms, costumes, manuscripts and objects connected with the court.
One of India's most important archaeological museums, preserving sculptures and the famous Lion Capital associated with Ashoka.
Palace/Observatory
Man Mandir Ghat
A Rajput palace on the riverfront containing an eighteenth-century observatory built to study the heavens from Varanasi.
Astronomical Observatory
An eighteenth-century observatory built beside the Ganga, where monumental instruments reveal the scientific ambitions of the period.
Stupa
A monumental Buddhist stupa marking the sacred landscape where Buddha is traditionally believed to have delivered his first sermon.
An ancient mound commemorating the meeting place of Buddha and his first disciples, later crowned with a Mughal-era tower.
Temple/Vihara
A Buddhist temple and modern pilgrimage centre decorated with remarkable murals, offering a living continuation of Sarnath's spiritual heritage.
Archaeological Site
The archaeological remains preserve the memory of Emperor Ashoka's patronage of Buddhism and Sarnath's importance as a pilgrimage centre.