Ghats in Varanasi

Ahilya Ghat by the Ganges, Varanasi.

Ghats in Varanasi are riverfront steps leading to the banks of the River Ganges. The city has 87 ghats.[1] Most of the ghats are bathing and puja ceremony ghats, while a few are used exclusively as cremation sites.[2]

Most Varanasi ghats were built after 1700 AD, when the city was part of Maratha Empire.[3] The patrons of current ghats are Marathas, Shindes (Scindias), Holkars, Bhonsles, and Peshwes (Peshwas). Many ghats are associated with legends or mythologies while many ghats are privately owned. Morning boat ride on the Ganges across the ghats is a popular visitors attraction.

List of ghats

Chet Singh Ghat in Varanasi.
Kedar Ghat in Varanasi.
Jain Ghat in Varanasi
On The River Benares, 1883

The ghats as named and counted by the city of Varanasi are as follows:[4]

  1. Mata Anandamai Ghat
  2. Assi Ghat
  3. Ahilya Ghat
  4. Adi Keshava Ghat
  5. Ahilyabai Ghat
  6. Badri Nayarana Ghat
  7. Bajirao Ghat
  8. Bauli /Umaraogiri / Amroha Ghat
  9. Bhadaini Ghat
  10. Bhonsale Ghat
  11. Brahma Ghat
  12. Bundi Parakota Ghat
  13. Chaowki Ghat
  14. Chausatthi Ghat
  15. Cheta Singh Ghat
  16. Dandi Ghat
  17. Darabhanga Ghat
  18. Dashashwamedh Ghat
  19. Digpatia Ghat
  20. Durga Ghat
  21. Ganga Mahal Ghat (I)
  22. Ganga Mahal Ghat (II)
  23. Gaay Ghat
  24. Gauri Shankar Ghat
  25. Genesha Ghat
  26. Gola Ghat
  27. Gularia Ghat
  28. Hanuman Ghat
  29. Hanumanagardhi Ghat
  30. Harish Chandra Ghat
  31. Jain Ghat
  32. Jalasayi Ghat
  33. Janaki Ghat
  34. Jatara Ghat
  35. Karnataka State Ghat
  36. Kedar Ghat
  37. Khirkia Ghat
  38. Khori Ghat
  39. Lala Ghat
  40. Lali Ghat
  41. Lalita Ghat
  42. Mahanirvani Ghat
  43. Mana Mandira Ghat
  44. Manasarovara Ghat
  45. Mangala Gauri Ghat
  46. Manikarnika Ghat
  47. Mehta Ghat
  48. Meer Ghat
  49. Munshi Ghat
  50. Nandesavara Ghat
  51. Narada Ghat
  52. Naya Ghat
  53. Nepali Ghat
  54. Niranjani Ghat
  55. Nishad Ghat
  56. Old Hanumanana Ghat
  57. Pancaganga Ghat
  58. Panchkota
  59. Pandey Ghat
  60. Phuta Ghat
  61. Prabhu Ghat
  62. Prahalada Ghat
  63. Prayaga Ghat
  64. Raj Ghat built by Peshwa Amrutrao
  65. Raja Ghat / Lord Duffrin bridge / Malaviya Bridge
  66. Raja Gwalior Ghat
  67. Rajendra Prasad Ghat
  68. Ram Ghat
  69. Rana Mahala Ghat
  70. Rewan Ghat
  71. Sakka Ghat
  72. Sankatha Ghat
  73. Sant Ravidas Ghat[5]
  74. Sarvesvara Ghat
  75. Scindia Ghat
  76. Shivala Ghat
  77. Shitala Ghat
  78. Sitala Ghat
  79. Somesvara Ghat
  80. Telianala Ghat
  81. Trilochana Ghat
  82. Tripura Bhairavi Ghat
  83. Tulsi Ghat
  84. Vaccharaja Ghat
  85. Venimadhava Ghat
  86. Vijayanagaram Ghat
  87. Samne Ghat

Dashashwamedh Ghat

Ganges Aarti at Dashashwamedh Ghat, Varanasi

Dashashwamedh Ghat is located close to Vishwanath Temple, and is probably the most spectacular ghat. Two Hindu mythologies are associated with it: According to one, Lord Brahma created it to welcome Lord Shiva. According to another, Lord Brahma sacrificed ten horses, during Dasa-Ashwamedha yajna performed here. A group of priests daily perform in the evening at this ghat "Agni Pooja" (Worship to Fire) wherein a dedication is made to Lord Shiva, River Ganges, Surya (Sun), Agni (Fire), and the whole universe.

Manikarnika Ghat

Two legends are associated with Manikarnika Ghat. According to one, it is believed to be the place where Lord Vishnu dug a pit with his Chakra and filled it with his perspiration while performing various penances. While Lord Shiva was watching Lord Vishnu at that time, the latter's earring ("manikarnika") fell into the pit. According to the second legend, in order to keep Lord Shiva from moving around with his devotees, his consort Goddess Parvati hid her earrings, and asked him to find them, saying that they had been lost on the banks of the Ganges. Goddess Parvati's idea behind the fib was that Lord Shiva would then stay around, searching forever for the lost earrings. In this legend, whenever a body gets cremated at the Manikarnika Ghat, Lord Shiva asks the soul whether it has seen the earrings.

According to ancient texts, the owner of Manikarnika Ghat bought King Harishchandra as a slave and made him work on the Manikarnika at Harishchandra Ghat. Hindu cremations customarily take place here, though a majority of dead bodies are taken for cremation to the Manikarnik Ghat. According to other sources that Manikarnik Ghat is named after Jhansi ki Rani Laxmibhai.

Scindia Ghat

Early morning meditation on a Ghat on the Ganges, Varanasi

Scindia Ghat also known as Shinde Ghat borders Manikarnika to the north, with its Shiva temple lying partially submerged in the river as a result of excessive weight of the ghat’s construction about 150 years ago. Above the ghat, several of Kashi’s most influential shrines are located within the tight maze of alleys of Siddha Kshetra (Field of Fulfillment). According to tradition, Agni, the Hindu God of Fire was born here. Hindu devotees propitiate at this place Vireshwara, the Lord of all heroes, for a son.

Maan-Mandir Ghat

Mana-Mandir Ghat: Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur built this Ghat in 1770, as well as the Jantar Mantar equipped with ornate window casings along with those at Delhi, Jaipur, Ujjain, and Mathura. There is a fine stone balcony in the northern part of the ghat. Devotees pay homage here to the lingam of Someswar, the Lord of the Moon.

Lalita Ghat

Varanasi Ghat at sunrise.

Lalita Ghat: The late King of Nepal built this Ghat in the northern region of Varanasi. It is the site of the Ganges Keshav Temple, a wooden temple built in typical Kathmandu style,The temple has an image of Pashupateshwar, a manifestation of Lord Shiva. Local festivals including musical parties and games regularly take place at the beautiful Assi Ghat which is at the end of the continuous line of ghats. It is a favorite site of painters and photographers. It is here at the Assi Ghat that Swami Pranabananda, the founder of Bharat Sevasharam Sangh,attained 'Siddhi' (fulfilment/success) in his 'Tapasya' (endeavor) for Lord Shiva, under the auspices of Guru Gambhirananda of Gorakhpur.

Bachraj Ghat

Bachraj Ghat

The Jain Ghat or Bachraj Ghat is a Jain Ghat and has three Jain Temples located on the banks of the River. It is believed that the Jain Maharajas used to own these ghats.Bachraj Ghat has three Jain temples near the river's banks and one them is a very ancient temple of Tirthankara Suparswanath.

Other

Man Singh of Amber built Maan-Sarowar Ghat. Maharaja of Darbhanga built Darbhanga Ghat. Tulsidas wrote Rāmacaritamānasa at Tulsi Ghat.

The headquarters of the Sri Kashi Math Samsthan, a spiritual school followed by the Konkani speaking Goud Saraswat Brahmins, is located in Brahma Ghat.

Cremation on ghats

Cremations in progress at Manikarnika Ghat, Varanasi.

In Hindu traditions, cremation is one of the rites of passage and the Ghats of Varanasi are considered one of the auspicious locations for this ritual.[6] At the time of the cremation or "last rites", a "Puja" (prayer) is performed. Hymns and mantras are recited during cremation to mark the ritual. The Manikarnika and Harishchandra Ghats are dedicated to the cremation ritual. Annually, less than 2 in 1000 people who die in India, or 25,000 to 30,000 bodies are cremated on various Varanasi Ghats; about an average of 80 per day. This practice has become controversial for the pollution it causes to the river.[7] In 1980s, the Government of India funded a Clean Ganges initiative, to address cremation and other sources of pollution along the Ghats of Varanasi. In many cases, the cremation is done elsewhere and only the ashes are dispersed into the river near these Ghats.[8]

Pollution of ghats

Untreated sewage is a pervasive source of river pollution in India. City municipal waste and untreated sewage is the largest source of pollution of Ganges river near the Ghats of Varanasi.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ Pollution clogs India’s sacred Ganges river
  2. ↑ Rob Bowden (2003), The Ganges, ISBN 978-0739860700, Heinemann
  3. ↑ Diana Eck, Banaras: CITY OF LIGHT, ISBN 978-0691020235, Princeton University Press
  4. ↑ "Ghats of Ganga at Varanasi". Department of Culture, Varanasi. Retrieved 20 December 2010.
  5. ↑ "A spacious Guru Ravidass Ghat has been built at the place.".
  6. ↑ Diana Eck, Banaras - City of Light, ISBN 978-0231114479, Columbia University Press
  7. ↑ S. Agarwal, Water pollution, ISBN 978-8176488327, APH Publishing
  8. ↑ Flood, Gavin: Rites of Passage, in: Bowen, Paul (1998). Themes and issues in Hinduism. Cassell, London. ISBN 0-304-33851-6. pp. 270.
  9. ↑ O. Singh, Frontiers in Environmental Geography, ISBN 978-8170224624, pp 246-256
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