Top 5 Ghats to Visit in Varanasi Submitted by TravellingLads.com Photos by @thelenscharmer
Introduction Varanasi, the name comes from the two rivers “Varuna” and
“Asi” which merge in the Ganges on the North and South borders of the city. Varuna river is named after the God of Water and is a major tributary to Ganga. There are 87 ghats at Varanasi which are steps leading to the banks of the Ganga. Some of these ghats are privately owned and some are named after mythologies. Here’s a list of top 5 ghats to visit in Varanasi.
1. Dasaswamedh Ghat
The biggest ghat of Varanasi, Dashashwamedh Ghat is famous for its grand Ganga Aarti. It is also near Vishwanath Temple and get more tourist visits. According to mythology, it was created by Lord Brahma to welcome Lord Shiva.
2. Assi Ghat
Assi Ghat, the name comes from being the 80th ghat of Varanasi. It’s quite famous for being a place to stay for long-term foreign students and tourists. There are lot of cafes and restaurants near the place. Assi Ghat also hosts Ganga aarti similar to Dasaswamedh Ghat and is less crowded.
3. Darabhanga Ghat
This Ghat was named Munshi Ghat after the finance minister in the estate of Nagpur who also built it. Later it was changed to Darabhanga by the Brahmin King who bought this ghat and developed the palatial building with beautiful porches and Greek Pillars. The building is now owned by Clarks Hotel Groups, who named it to Brajrama Palace and later demolished some parts of it.
4. Harishcharndra Ghat
One of the oldest ghats, named after King Harish Chandra from the mythologies. This Ghat is used as a crematorium. King Harish Chandra was also said to have worked at crematorium. It is said that if a person dies in Varanasi and is cremated at this ghat and the other ghat used for creamation which is Manikarnika Ghat, they get salvation and are released from the cycle of reincarnation.
5. Scindia
There is a partially submerged Shiva temple lying near the borders of this Ghat. The temple was submerged due to the result of excessive weight of the ghats’ construction, about 150 years ago. There are several shrines located within the tight maze of alleys of Siddhi kshetra above the Scindia Ghat. According to mythology, Agni, the Hindu God of Fire, was born here.
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