Tell us when we stray
we often start talking about Varanasi, the city, whenever we have to concentrate on Varanasi Ghats. That too when there is so much to talk about Varanasi Ghats along the banks of Ganga.

One dip in Ganga here, it is said, purifies the soul. The ghats are witness to a variety of Hindu rituals taking place all through the day. The rituals are related with every event of life, right from birth to death.


It is called the eternal city because the history of Varanasi goes back to as far back as the history itself. The eternal city has an eternal companion to it - the ghats along the banks of river Ganga. The two, Varanasi and the ghats, are inseparable. They never give in as they host pilgrim after pilgrim from all parts of India since ancient times. It's the ghats that provide the platform while the devotees prepare themselves to worship the rising sun day after day. There are more than 100 ghats in Varanasi along the western banks of Ganga, each one of them being unique in more ways than one. Every Ghat has its own history and many of them find mention in some ancient Hindu scriptures as well. There are a number of temples as well on the ghats of Ganga.


Boat Cruise along the Ghats
The life starts buzzing at Varanasi at three in the morning and we'd ask you not to miss it. Take a morning boat ride to see all that the Varanasi Ghats have to offer. Be prepared for what you are going to see. For you are going to see innumerable devotees and devotion on mass scale with the people taking a holy dip in the river before worshiping the God. The Boat ride begins at the Dasaswamedha Ghat and ends at Manikarnika Ghat.

The prominent ghats of Varanasi are the following:

Dasaswamedha Ghat
This is one of the main ghats of Varanasi which has remained unchanged over the years, despite being thronged by the devotees over the years. This ghat still gives that unspoiled look, which has been there for ages.

Man Mandir Ghat
This ghat was built by the Maharaja of Jaipur who has left his imprint here also. He built an observatory here complete with ornamented window casings. There is a fine stone balcony on the northern part of the ghat. Another attraction here is the lingam of Sri Someshwar, the Lord of the moon.

Assi Ghat
This is the southern most ghat in the city which is situated on the conflux of the rivers Ganga and Assi. It is considered auspicious to bathe here before worshiping the huge lingam under a pipal tree. There is another small marble temple, just off the ghat, called Asisangameshwar.

Lalita Ghat
Lalita Ghat is situated just north to the famous Manikarnika ghat and is well known for its Ganga Keshav Temple of Lord Vishnu. Another temple which is famous here is a wooden Nepalese Temple having an image of Pashupateshwar, a reflection of Lord Shiva at Pashupatinath in Kathmandu.

Manikarnika Ghat
This is one of the oldest and sacred ghats of Varanasi where dead bodies are cremated. Here you can also see the Manikarnika Kund here which is said to have been created by Lord Vishnu at the time of creation itself.

There are some other worth seeing ghats as well such as Banarasgam, Panchganga, Dattatreya, Kedar, Scindia and Harishchandra Ghats.

Whenever you are in Varanasi, we expect you to never miss out on the morning and evening walks along with the usual boat rides. Every day you'd find something new that'll give you a different experience. The rituals and religious practices are what you notice most of the time you are present on one or the other ghats. This may be a simple ritual like a woman going around a pipal tree or a meditating sadhu on the banks of the river.

It's all available on the ghats when it comes to buying things required for worship. You can more often than not spot the guest houses, hotels and restaurants along the ghats. The tea shops are present everywhere. It's a whole new culture that has developed in the nearby areas of the Ghats. You can even see some small children playing at the ghats. Take a closer look and you'll find some really good hotels, restaurants, sadhus, cows and what not.

One thing is for sure, you'll enjoy every bit of your stay here.