Varanasi (Ganga Mahotsav & Dev Deepawali)
Varanasi → Varanasi
6 days 5 nights
year-round
Starting from
Price on request
per pilgrim · 6 days / 5 Nights
Quick answer
In short
Experience My India's 6 Days Ganga Mahotsav with Dev Deepawali Package is the full festival week in Kashi - five evenings of elite classical music and dance on the ghats, the Nauka Daud boat race, a heritage crafts bazaar and the rare midnight Hari-Har Milan, all building to Dev Deepawali, when lakhs of diyas light the riverfront. Private AC car, hotel, a guide, a pre-booked boat and meals. Rated 4.9 out of 5 · 615+ reviews. In 2026 the festival runs about November 20-25 - WhatsApp +91-7302265809 to book. Har Har Mahadev · Jai Gange 🙏
Experience My India's six-day Ganga Mahotsav with Dev Deepawali Package is the complete festival week in Varanasi - and it is a very different trip from coming for the single night of Dev Deepawali.
The Ganga Mahotsav is a multi-day cultural festival held on the ghats in the days before Kartik Purnima, and this package gives you all of it: five evenings of Indian classical music and dance by renowned national artists under the stars, the thrill of the Nauka Daud boat race, a heritage crafts bazaar, a darshan at the Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga, the quiet of Sarnath, and the rare midnight Hari-Har Milan, when Shiva and Vishnu are symbolically united. It all builds to the climax on the final evening - Dev Deepawali, when lakhs of hand-lit diyas cover the ghats from Ravidas Ghat to Namo Ghat and you watch the riverfront blaze from a pre-booked boat.
Five nights in a Varanasi hotel booked ahead of the rush, a private AC car, a local guide and meals are included. In 2026 the festival runs roughly November 20 to 25; because hotels and boats sell out early, the one rule is to book well in advance. For your dates' price, WhatsApp +91-7302265809.
Route overview
Varanasi → Varanasi
Departure
Varanasi
Stop 1
Rajghat & Namo Ghat → The Ganga Mahotsav concerts each evening
Stop 2
Sarnath → Dhamek Stupa and the Archaeological Museum
Stop 3
Central ghats → The Nauka Daud boat race
Stop 4
Kashi Vishwanath → Darshan and the midnight Hari-Har Milan
Stop 5
The Ganga, by boat → Dev Deepawali - diyas from Ravidas Ghat to Namo Ghat
Final arrival
Varanasi
6 days / 5 nights in Varanasi - the whole festival week, not just one night
Five evenings of Ganga Mahotsav classical music and dance on the ghats
The Nauka Daud boat race and the Gandhi Shilp Bazar crafts fair
Kashi Vishwanath darshan, Sarnath and the rare midnight Hari-Har Milan
Dev Deepawali from a pre-booked boat - diyas from Ravidas Ghat to Namo Ghat
Private AC car, five nights of hotel booked early, local guide and meals
You are met at Varanasi Airport (VNS) or Varanasi Junction and transferred to your pre-booked hotel to check in and freshen up.
Day 1 - Arrival in Kashi and the Ganga Mahotsav Opening
Into the eternal city as the festival begins - the grand inauguration of the Ganga Mahotsav under the stars.
We head to Rajghat or Namo Ghat for the grand inauguration of the Ganga Mahotsav - classical music and dance recitals on the ghats under the open sky, alongside the traditional Dev Uthani Ekadashi sugarcane rituals on the steps, which mark Lord Vishnu waking from his cosmic sleep.
Good to know
The opening night sets the tone for the week; Experience My India positions you well at the venue.
We return you to your hotel for the night.
Stay
Varanasi
A short drive to Sarnath, the deer park where the Buddha delivered his first sermon - the ancient Dhamek Stupa and the Archaeological Museum with the original Ashoka Lion Capital.
Day 2 - Sarnath Excursion and the Mahotsav Continues
The Buddhist calm of Sarnath by day, the heritage crafts by afternoon, and a second night of music.
Good to know
The Sarnath Archaeological Museum is closed on Fridays; the stupas and gardens stay open.
We visit the Gandhi Shilp Bazar, the festival's heritage crafts fair, to browse master handlooms, handicrafts and traditional food stalls set up for the Mahotsav.
We return to the Mahotsav venue for the second evening of cultural performances, featuring renowned national classical artists.
We stay the night in Varanasi.
Stay
Varanasi
We visit the marble New Vishwanath Temple inside the green Banaras Hindu University campus, the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple, beloved of Tulsidas, and the red-stoned Durga Mandir beside its ancient Durga Kund tank.
Day 3 - Heritage Temples and the Nauka Daud Boat Race
The city's temples by morning, the thrilling Ganga boat race by afternoon, and more music by night.
We secure a spot along the central ghats to watch the traditional Nauka Daud, the Ganga boat race, where local boatmen compete in decorated wooden boats - a lively, cheering, very Banarasi spectacle.
We attend the nightly cultural concerts of the Mahotsav at Rajghat.
We stay the night in Varanasi.
Stay
Varanasi
We walk the heritage lanes for a darshan at the holy Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga, then the fierce protector shrine of Kal Bhairav.
Day 4 - Kashi Vishwanath, the Finale and the Hari-Har Milan
The soul of Kashi by morning, the festival's grand finale by night, and a rare midnight ritual.
Good to know
Experience My India can arrange a VIP or sugam darshan so you skip the long general queue.
We attend the grand cultural finale of the Ganga Mahotsav - the festival's most celebrated evening of music and dance on the ghats.
For those who wish, we witness the rare midnight Hari-Har Milan ritual, when the deities Shiva (Har) and Vishnu (Hari) are symbolically brought together and exchange offerings - a ceremony unique to Kashi.
Good to know
This is a late, optional ritual; Experience My India takes you if you wish, and you simply rest if you would rather.
We stay the night in Varanasi.
Stay
Varanasi
A relaxed morning at your hotel to rest for the long, luminous evening ahead - the day of Dev Deepawali is intense, and a slow start is the right preparation for it.
Day 5 - The Main Event: Dev Deepawali
The night the whole week has been building towards - the ghats of Kashi turned to a river of light.
We head early to your designated boarding point. Road traffic is heavily restricted today, so an early arrival on foot or by boat is essential.
Good to know
Boarding early is non-negotiable on Dev Deepawali; Experience My India plans the timing and the boarding ghat so you are on the water in good time.
We board your pre-booked shared or private boat and watch the riverfront light up as lakhs of hand-lit diyas cover the steps from Ravidas Ghat to Namo Ghat, view the Maha Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh from the water, and take in the grand laser projection and firework shows over Chet Singh Ghat.
Good to know
The core lighting zone is administration-managed; Experience My India positions you at a prime accessible viewing point on the water.
We bring you back to your hotel after the celebrations.
Stay
Varanasi
We treat you to a classic Varanasi breakfast of kachori sabzi and sweet jalebis, followed by time for final shopping for authentic Banarasi silk sarees, with guidance to genuine weavers.
Day 6 - Local Shopping and Departure
A gentle close - a Banarasi breakfast, the famous silk, and an easy transfer home.
Good to know
We steer you to trusted shops - avoid buying silk from places that drivers or touts push aggressively.
After checkout, a private transfer to Varanasi Airport or Junction for your journey home.
Good to know
Tell Experience My India your departure time so the last morning is unhurried.
Quick enquiry
Usually within minutes on WhatsApp.
Guest rating
Based on 615 reviews
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This package has two moving parts that must be planned together - the week-long Ganga Mahotsav and the single climactic night of Dev Deepawali - and getting both right is almost entirely a matter of dates and early booking. Here is what you need to know.
First, the dates. The Ganga Mahotsav runs from Dev Uthani Ekadashi to Kartik Purnima, so it moves with the Hindu lunar calendar each year; in 2026 that window is roughly November 20 to 25, with Dev Deepawali falling on Kartik Purnima at the very end. Uttar Pradesh Tourism, which organises the festival, confirms the exact dates and the artist line-up a few weeks ahead. The trip is built precisely around that window, so there is no second chance a day later for the finale.
Second, the venues. The classical music and dance evenings are held on the ghats - in recent years at Rajghat and the new Namo Ghat - and are largely open to the public; we position you well, and premium seating, where the administration offers it, is arranged on request. The Nauka Daud boat race is watched from the central ghats, and the crafts bazaar runs alongside through the week.
Third, and most important, the Dev Deepawali night itself. This is Varanasi's single busiest evening, and the logistics are strict: roads around the ghats close well before dusk, so you board your pre-booked boat by around four in the afternoon, and the lit-up evening runs from about 5:30 to 9 PM, with the diyas stretching the full crescent from Ravidas Ghat to Namo Ghat. Hotels and good boats sell out months ahead at premium rates, so this is the one trip where booking one to two months early is not caution but necessity. Experience My India secures the hotel and the boat before the rush and plans the boarding to the minute. WhatsApp +91-7302265809 to lock your dates.
Of everything packed into this festival week, the one moment most travellers have never heard of - and never forget - is the Hari-Har Milan, a ritual so particular to Kashi that you could visit Varanasi a dozen times and miss it entirely.
The names tell the story. Har is a name of Lord Shiva, the lord of Kashi; Hari is a name of Lord Vishnu. For most of the year the two great streams of Hindu devotion - the Shaiva and the Vaishnav - run side by side but apart, each with its own temples, its own festivals, its own followers. On one night in the year, around Kartik, that changes. In a ceremony held late at night, the deities are symbolically brought face to face and exchange offerings: Shiva is offered the tulsi leaf sacred to Vishnu, and Vishnu the bilva leaf sacred to Shiva, and for a few hours the two traditions are, quite literally, united. It is called the Hari-Har Milan, the meeting of Hari and Har.
There is something deeply moving in it, especially in Kashi, the city of Shiva, welcoming Vishnu for a night. In a country whose faith is often described from outside as divided into sects, here is an ancient, living ceremony whose entire meaning is reconciliation - a reminder, enacted in lamplight at midnight on the ghats, that the divine is finally one. Pilgrims who attend describe it as the quietest and most intimate thing in a week of grand public spectacle.
It is optional, and it is late - well after the day's concerts have ended - so Experience My India takes you only if you wish, and leaves you to rest if you would rather save yourself for Dev Deepawali the next day. But for those who go, it is often the secret heart of the whole trip. Har Har Mahadev, Jai Gange.
Pro tip: Our local guides know these nuances intimately. They navigate crowds, time the darshan, handle protocols and share the stories textbooks miss.
Watch before you go
Watch the real Ganga Aarti, the Ram Mandir darshan flow and the ghat atmosphere, curated by our local experts so you arrive prepared.
Live aarti atmosphere
The evening ceremony at Dashashwamedh Ghat
Temple flow guide
The darshan process before you reach
Ganga boat experience
Sunrise rides over the holy river
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The festival is date-specific - the Ganga Mahotsav runs from Dev Uthani Ekadashi to Kartik Purnima, and in 2026 that window is roughly November 20 to 25; UP Tourism confirms the exact dates each year.
This package covers the whole festival week - five evenings of classical concerts, the Nauka Daud boat race and the crafts bazaar - culminating in Dev Deepawali, not just the one Dev Deepawali night.
Hotels and the Dev Deepawali boat sell out months ahead at premium rates - booking one to two months early is strongly advised.
On Dev Deepawali (Day 5) roads are heavily restricted - you board your pre-booked boat by around 4 PM and the evening runs about 5:30 to 9 PM, with the lit ghats stretching from Ravidas Ghat to Namo Ghat.
The Ganga Mahotsav concerts at Rajghat and Namo Ghat are largely open to the public - we position you well; premium seating, where offered, is arranged on request.
The Hari-Har Milan is a rare, optional midnight ritual the night before Kartik Purnima - we take you if you wish, or you rest for Dev Deepawali.
Kashi Vishwanath VIP or sugam darshan can be arranged to skip the queue; the Sarnath Archaeological Museum is closed on Fridays.
Carry a light shawl for the November river evenings, dress modestly for darshan, and keep valuables secure in the festival crowds.
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Experience My India's 6 Days Ganga Mahotsav with Dev Deepawali Package is the full festival week in Kashi - five evenings of elite classical music and dance on the ghats, the Nauka Daud boat race, a heritage crafts bazaar and the rare midnight Hari-Har Milan, all building to Dev Deepawali, when lakhs of diyas light the riverfront. Private AC car, hotel, a guide, a pre-booked boat and meals. Rated 4.9 out of 5 · 615+ reviews. In 2026 the festival runs about November 20-25 - WhatsApp +91-7302265809 to book. Har Har Mahadev · Jai Gange 🙏
30 min reply No hidden costs
Local guide, Experience My India
Born and raised in Varanasi, among its ghats, temples and pandits. I have been guiding pilgrims for more than 40 years, across Ayodhya, Kashi and Prayagraj, in Hindi, Telugu and Kannada. Experience My India was built on one belief: a well-planned yatra is a deeply felt one.
More about RajeevPlease review these policies before confirming your yatra.
Processing Time: Approved refunds will be processed within 7 to 10 working days via the original payment method. Force Majeure: If a tour is cancelled by Ayodhya Varanasi Guide due to unforeseen circumstances (extreme weather, government restrictions, or vehicle breakdown), a 100% refund or an alternative date will be offered. Unused Services: No refunds will be provided for any part of the sightseeing missed by the guest due to late arrival or personal choice during the tour.
We understand that travel plans can change. Our cancellation slabs are as follows: 48 Hours or More before the tour: Full Refund of the advance amount (minus a small 5% processing fee/bank charges). 24 to 48 Hours before the tour: 50% of the advance amount will be refunded. Less than 24 Hours or No Show: No refund will be provided as the vehicle and driver are already blocked for your service. Peak Dates: For bookings during major festivals like Holi, Janmashtami, or Radha Ashtami, all advance payments are Non-Refundable due to extreme demand.
To provide competitive local pricing while maintaining high service standards, we follow a split-payment structure: Advance Deposit: A 50% advance payment of the total package cost is required to process the booking. Balance Amount: The remaining balance must be paid to the coordinator or driver upon arrival or at the start of the tour. Mode of Payment: We accept UPI (Google Pay, PhonePe, Paytm), Bank Transfers, and Cash. Exclusions: Please note that E-Rickshaw charges (for narrow lanes near Banke Bihari Temple), Guide fees, and Temple donations are typically not included in the package and should be paid directly in cash.
We want to ensure your spot is secured so you don't miss the divine Darshan timings. Booking Confirmation: A booking is considered "Confirmed" only after the receipt of the initial advance payment. Voucher Issuance: Once the payment is verified, we will issue a Digital Confirmation Voucher via WhatsApp/Email containing your driver details, vehicle number, and reporting time. Reporting Time: For Same Day Tours, guests are expected to report at the designated pickup point (Hotel/Railway Station) at the scheduled time. A maximum waiting period of 30 minutes is allowed, after which the tour may be treated as a "No Show."
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