Varanasi · Month comparison

March vs February

February ranks #1 overall vs March at #5. Maha Shivaratri pilgrim crush in late Feb/early Mar — Varanasi's most intense religious event.

Varanasi March — colour-stained Holi celebrants on the ghats

March

#5 of 12 months

Best match

Holi festival turns the ghats fluorescent — riotous, joyous, the trip's most photographed day.

  • ↑Holi (full moon) — coloured powders across the ghats and old city
  • ↑Still dry, days warm but not yet brutal
Varanasi February — Maha Shivaratri pilgrims with marigold garlands

February

#1 of 12 months

Best match

Maha Shivaratri pilgrim crush in late Feb/early Mar — Varanasi's most intense religious event.

  • ↑Maha Shivaratri all-night Shiva worship around Vishwanath Temple
  • ↑Comfortable 27°C / 12°C, lowest humidity
FactorMarchFebruary
Weather score
7
9
Value score
8
8
Crowd score
6
4
Events score
8
9
Atmosphere
9
10
Avg high temp33°C27°C
Monthly rain12mm18mm
Daily sunshine9hrs8.6hrs

March trade-offs

  • ↓Hostels charge premium for Holi week, book a month out
  • ↓Late month sees first heat spikes above 35°C

February trade-offs

  • ↓Pilgrim numbers can quadruple in the festival week
  • ↓Old City lanes get dangerously packed during processions
See all 12 months for Varanasi →March in detail →February in detail →
Scores compare months within Varanasi. Climate data: Open Meteo ERA5 30-year normals (1991–2020). Methodology →