Varanasi scam

Beware of the scam at the burning ghat!

As soon as you approach the burning ghat some people come up to you and offer to show you the ghat from the special ';tourist platform';.They sometimes lie that tourists are not allowed to stay at the ghat. They give you a brief tour about the burning ghat. Then they say how there is a hospice ta the back and how they work as volunteers there and help poor people with no relatives to be burnt after death. Then they say how the wood cost 150 Rs for a kg an at the end they insist on you giving a donation of at least per 1 kg of wood per person (300Rs). And get really pushy and aggressive if you refuse to give. We became the victims of this scam to start with by giving 150 Rs but then we asked locals and found out that it is 100% scam and everyone know about these burning ghat scammers. Later on we went back and confronted them in the presence of other tourists. They got really angry and started to call me evel woman and tried to get rid of me asap. It was clear they can not object my accusations.

1. it cost about 300-500 Rs for a body to be burnt at the ghat and not the astronomical figures they mention.

2. Whatever they tell you people can walk pass the ghat with no obstacles and can stand anywhere.

If they start being pushy - you can a choice of either saying you donated to the hospice already or just being hard and tell them off and say you are not going to donate a penny.

Remember - most they say about themselves - are lies!!!

Varanasi scam

i think this is the general practice whereever you go to visit places in india. You got to be careful and know how to avoid them.