On the night of Dev Deepawali, roughly five miles of Varanasi riverfront is lit at once. Where you stand — or sit, or sail — decides almost everything about what you actually see. Here is every option for Tuesday, 24 November 2026, and who each one genuinely suits.

From the main ghats

Dashashwamedh, Rajendra Prasad and Assi hold the largest synchronised aarti ceremonies of the year, and they are free to attend. That is their appeal and their problem in the same sentence: everyone knows it.

If this is your plan, arrive several hours before sunset, expect to hold your spot, and accept that the view in front of you will be shoulders. It rewards patience and a tolerance for crowds, and it gives you the festival at full volume — the sound, the incense, the press of a city doing something together.

Suits: solo travellers, photographers willing to camp out, anyone who wants the festival raw and does not mind standing.

From a shared boat

Most visitors who want to be on the water book a seat on a shared boat leaving from one of the main ghats. You get the sightline — which is the single biggest upgrade over the steps — and you move past more of the riverfront than you could ever walk in an evening.

The trade is that boarding points are as crowded as the ghats themselves, departure times slip, and the trip is usually just the ride. You are on the river for an hour or two, then back in the crowd.

Suits: first-time visitors who want the view without a full-day commitment.

From a private or premium boat

At the top of the boat market, private hire buys you control: your own timing, your own seating, and only the people you chose to bring. The boats are larger and steadier, which matters more than it sounds when a river is busy.

Boarding, though, is usually still from the same public ghats as everyone else. You have bought a better seat, not a better start to the evening.

Suits: families and small groups who want the water to themselves.

From the eastern bank, at Ramnagar Fort

The fourth option is the one most visitors never consider: cross the river.

Ramnagar Fort stands on the eastern bank, directly opposite the main ghats, and has its own private ghat. Boarding there means no queue for a place on the steps and no scramble at a public jetty — and once you are on the water, you are looking back at all 84 ghats from the outside, which is the only vantage point that takes in the whole line of light at once.

Akashganga builds the evening around that: a guided tour of the fort and its museum, an artisan session with local craft families, live classical music and Kathak, a four-hour cruise past the illuminated riverfront, and a Banarasi-themed dinner back inside the walls.

Suits: anyone who would rather spend the day inside a piece of Kashi's history than queuing for a view of it.

So which is best?

Honestly: if you have one evening, no budget and a high tolerance for crowds, the public ghats are a genuine experience and cost nothing. If you want to see the festival rather than the back of someone's head, get on the water. And if the day matters as much as the night, start on the eastern bank.

What none of them can give you is a second attempt. Dev Deepawali happens once a year, and 2026 falls on a Tuesday.

Akashganga 2026 runs Tuesday, 24 November, at Ramnagar Fort, Varanasi. Reserve your seats →

FAQ

Which ghat is best for Dev Deepawali in Varanasi?

Dashashwamedh, Rajendra Prasad and Assi hold the largest aarti ceremonies and are free to attend, but they are also the most crowded — arriving several hours before sunset is essential. For an unobstructed view of the whole riverfront, the water is better than any single ghat.

Is it better to watch Dev Deepawali from a boat or from the ghats?

A boat gives you a clear sightline and takes you past far more of the riverfront than you could walk. The ghats give you the atmosphere at full volume. Boats cost money and need booking well ahead; the ghats cost nothing but demand hours of waiting.

Can you see all 84 ghats in one evening?

Not on foot. From the water you can pass the full line of illuminated ghats in a single cruise, which is why boat trips are the usual choice for seeing the festival end to end.

Where does the Akashganga cruise board from?

From Ramnagar Fort's own private ghat on the eastern bank of the Ganges, opposite Varanasi's main ghats — away from the public boarding points and their crowds.