Every pilgrim who visits Benares must, on his arrival, bathe in this holy pool, and, at the same time, make a small offering.

Several Brahmins are always present to receive these gifts.

They are in no way distinguished by their dress from the bulk of the better classes, but the colour of their skin is clearer, and many of them have very noble features.
Fifty paces from this pool, on the banks of the Ganges, stands a remarkably handsome Hindoo temple, with three towers.
Unfortunately, the ground sunk in a few years since, and the towers were thrown out of their proper position: one inclines to the right and the other to the left; the third is almost sunk into the Ganges.
Among the thousand of other temples, there is here and there one which is worth the trouble of a cursory inspection, but I would not advise any one to go much out of their way on their account.

The place for burning the dead is very near the holy pool.

When we went there, they were just roasting a corpse--the mode of burning cannot be described by any other name, the fire was so small, and the corpse projected over on all sides.
Among the other buildings, the Mosque Aurang Zeb is most worthy of the notice of travellers.