The iconic scene of Varanasi's Old City by the banks of the Ganges River, with its numerous ghats. Stone steps in the ghats lead down to the banks of the Ganges River. Most of the ghats are bathing ghats, but two of these are used as cremation sites. The many ghats and multitude of shrines and temples built tier-on-tier above the water's edge give the river-front of Varanasi's Old City a unique atmospheric all of its own.