Gleaming diyas, chiming bells and hymns enthrall soul at Varanasi's Ghats
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Gleaming diyas, chiming bells and hymns enthrall soul at Varanasi's Ghats

The holy city never sleeps and the ghats are full of life with the clamor of visitors

Gleaming diyas, chiming bells and hymns enthrall soul at Varanasi's Ghats

Varanasi is considered to be one of the most sacred places on earth where devotion reaches its utmost highest  and one may experience that  how strong is the bond between the divine spirit and this mortal world. Varanasi is famously known as Kashi and existing since the unknown epoch of time. It is not only divine but it is full of eye-catching beauties that will take your heart away. The expressive city is full of grandeur and attracted not only the admirers but the royals as well. Sanctimonious amongst all rivers – Ganga is flowing through Varanasi making it one of the most remarkable one. Worshipping Ganga and taking a plunge into the river is considered as vital amongst all spirituals rituals. So the riverfront steps or the Ghats stand as historical architecture in this pious city of Lord Vishwanath. Thousands of devotees and visitors from different corners of the country reach here just to take a holy bathe.

Numerous royal families were very much attached to this ancient city and most of them tried to build up ghats for the pilgrim who actually come to take saintly bath in the Ganges. Widely known as the oldest living city in the world, Kashi or Varanasi has 84 historic Ghats. Gleaming diyas and shinning chimes will take you to such higher level that is simply beyond imagination.

Few Legendary River steps or Ghats that we may talk about:

Dasashwamedh  Ghat: 
This legendary ghat is perhaps the most attractive one in the whole city because it is located very near to the Sri Kashi Vishwanath shrine and devotees keep on coming to this ghat continuously. As per the mythological tales, Lord Brahma sacrificed his ten horses here and since then this ghat was named as Dasashwamedh Ghat. Later on in the year 1740 AD, Bajirao Peshwa I had reconstructed this ghat and again it was rebuilt by rani Ahilyabai Holkar, queen of Indore in 1774. Most interestingly, this ghat host  the famous Gnaga Aarti every evening and the pious ritual continues for more than an hour and Visitors from all over the country as well as foreign travelers throng at Dasashwamedh  Ghat  just  to have a glimpse of that.

Assi Ghat: 
Assi Ghat is another auspicious ghat where Ganges meets river Assi. This is an ancient ghat which is already being mentioned in various mythological scriptures like Matsya Purana.  Legends say that after killing demons called Shumbha-Nishumbha, Goddess Durga threw her sword and that sword fell on earth with full force that created a stream of a river, which became Assi River. It is also assumed that Tulsi Das wrote the epic Ramcharitmanas sitting on this place only. This Ghat holds historic and mythological values and this is spiritually revered.

Also read: Uncover the Hidden Gems of Maharashtra's Hill Stations

Manikarnika Ghat 
Manikarnika Ghat is one of the oldest ghats of Varanasi. Legends say that when Mata Sati sacrificed herself and set her body ablaze after his father Raja Daksh tried to humiliate her husband Lord Shiva in a Yagya practiced by Daksh, Shiva was mad in grief and started destroying this world, Lord Vishnu came as the rescuer and he cut down Mata Sati’s body into 51 pieces with his Sudarshan Chakra. Those parts fell on earth Lord Shiva established Shakti Peeth wherever Sati's body had fallen. Mata Sati's ear ornament fell at Manikarnika Ghat and that is why this place is sanctified. This ghat is basically used for cremation and it is believed that if someone’s mortal body gets cremated here then the deceased achieve salvation or liberation.

Scindia Ghat

Scindhia Ghat is another prominent ghat of the holy city. This is the birth place of Agni, the God of Fire. There is a holy  Shiva temple stands just  beside the ghat and it is almost  submerged in Ganga and is believed to be so heavy that it caused the ghat to collapse into the river. It is believed that the temple is sinking continuously since then and it will soon be submerged in water. Some of Varanasi's most revered shrines are located above Scindia ghat in an area known as Siddha Kshetra. It is also a local belief that people who pray at this ghat get blessed with a son. The ghat was built by a Scindia woman in 1850 and thus came to be known as Scindia Ghat. 

Chet Singh Ghat 

Chet Singh Ghat is one of the most majestic ghats in Varanasi that attracts most of the tourists. It was constructed by Maharaja Chet Singh in the 18th century. The ghat and its surrounding areas played as the backdrop for the fierce battle between Maharaja Chet Singh and Warren Hastings, the first governor-general of India. This ghat depicts the saga of a brave heart Indian king Chet Singh. This grand Ghat then fell into the hands of the British after Chet Singh's defeat. The British then lost the ghat to Maharaja Prabhu Narayan Singh in the latter half of the 19th century. Taking holy dip is not allowed here as the river's flow is very sharp.