Varanasi in July

The July story

The rising Ganges is both spectacular and unsettling. Ghats you walked on in January are now underwater, and the boat ride takes you past submerged temples and staircases leading into brown, swirling water. The sheer power of the monsoon river — carrying the runoff of half northern India — puts your tourist experience in perspective. This is a city that has dealt with floods for 3,000 years. The old city's lanes become streams during heavy downpours, and navigating them in ankle-deep water is either an adventure or a nightmare depending on your temperament. The evening aarti at Dashashwamedh during rain is extraordinary — priests performing fire ceremonies as monsoon sheets blow through, the flames somehow staying lit. Ganga Mahotsav cultural events sometimes start in late July. Sarnath is lush and green, the deer park actually has deer, and the Buddhist sites feel more peaceful without tourist buses. This is monsoon India in its rawest, most honest form.