Ganga Ghats

From the snowpeaks of its source in Himalaya to its mouth in the Bay of Bengal, covering a course of about 2525 km, the Ganga river flows from south to north in a crescent form only in Varanasi. The 6.5 km (4 miles) long riverfront of river Ganga, the eastern edge of the city, possesses a unique history, specific vision of magnificent architectural row of lofty buildings and holy sites. Says Sherring (1868,p.9): "For picturesqueness and grandeur, no sight in all the world can well surpass that of Benares as from the river Ganges". There are 84 Ghats (stairways to the riverbank), forming a symbolic chain of holy sites.In archetypal terms each ghats represents 100,000 of the organic species(yonis) as described in Hindu mythologies.Thus by taking holy dips in the Ganga at all the ghats the individual soul can get purified in all the 8,400,000 species.

Among the 84 ghats the 5 described as more merit giver and sacred, called Panchatirthis, are - Asi,Dashashwamedh, Manikarnika, Panchaganga and Adi Keshava. Taking holy dip at these five ghats provides merit of bathing at all the ghats.These five ghats symbolise microcosmic body of Vishnu, respectively as head, chest, navel, thighs and the feet. Thus the area along the ghats is eulogised as Vishnu's body.

Assi Ghat :Assi Ghat, today known as Assi Ghat marks the Southern Ghat of the City Varanasi. The palatial buildings were under the patronage of Marathas during the 18^th and 19^th centuries. The great Saint Goswami Tulsidas composed the famous epic “Ramacharitmanas” at this ghat his soul departed for heavenly abode. The temple of Asi Sangameshwar marked with a marble plaque establishes the Puranic heritage of the site. Worship of Sanghmeshwar Mahadev after a holy dip in the sacred river Ganga is an integral part of Panchkoshi Yatra (Pilgrimage of Varanasi).

Dashashwamedh Ghat : Dashashwamedh Ghat is one of the Panchatirthis, five most sacred ghats of Varanasi. Located in the heart of the city, Dashashwamedh Ghat is divided into two parts in between exists Prayag ghat. Myth logically Lord Brahma performed ten horses Yagya here and named it Dashashwamedh i.e. Dus Ashva Medh – ten horse yagya. This ghat is presumed to be the first historically recorded site associated with the horse sacrifice performed by the Bhara Shiv Nagas King in around 3^rd Century CE. Balaji Bajirao built the present form of this ghat in 1748 and later in Ca.1775 Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore. There are temples of Dashashwamedheshwar, Dashadheshwar and Mother Ganga.Since 1992, on this sacred ghat every morning and evening, with an objective to promote world peace, prosperity, social harmony, and an awareness for environmental protection Divine Ganga Aarti is organised by Ganga Seva Nidhi. Pilgrims, tourists and people partake in this mesmerizing religious and cultural event daily.

Manikarnika Ghat : Manikarnika the central points of the ghats – the very pivot of the religious life of Benaras. Manikarnika Ghat, famous for cremation has two parts – the Southern for cremation and the down stream for the other sacred activities. Start walking from the southern part, one sees the temple of Tarakeshvara , the form of Lord Shiva giving liberation (Taraka). There is the holy spot of Charanapaduka,a slab of marble representing the footprints of Lord Vishnu , and is assumed as the holiest spot in this sacred city.

Panchganga Ghat : One of the Panchatirthis, five most sacred Ghats of Varanasi. The name Panchganga is the symbol of the confluence of five rivers at this ghat, i.e. the Ganga, the Yamuna, the Saraswati and the two rivulets the Dhutpapa and the Kiran.

Panchganga Snan, a holy dip in Panchganga and lighting of Aakash-Deep (a ritual offering oil lamps to ancestors to enlighten their journey to heaven) during Karttika month and Dev-Dipavali Mahotsav on the day of Karttika Purnima are living examples of enriched cultural and religious tradition of India.

There are monastries of Ramanand the Guru of Sufi saint Kabir, Tailang Swami, Satyabhama and Vallabhacharya Ji. The Alamgir mosque in this area is a converted form of 11^th century Lord Vishnu temple which was demolished and transformed into the mosque in 1673 by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. The original temple of Lord Vishnu , a black marble idol is kept in nearby house of Laxman Bela, now known as Bindu Madhav temple. The idols of Lord Vishnu, Garun and Lord Hanuman are also there.

Adikeshav Ghat: Adikeshav ghat is at the confluence of river Varuna and Ganga. This ghat was the place where Lord Vishnu first placed his holy feet in the territory of Lord Shiva. The temple close to the Varuna confluence consists of the images of Lord Adikeshav, Sangameshvara, Brameshvara and Keshavaditya.