Hello there,
I am back in the ancient city of Benaras. This city has a long history and now considered as a holly hotspot. This city is known for its silk work, sweets and the river Ganga. The Ganga houses more than 80 ghats in Benaras (Varanasi in English) and here I am presenting few of them starting from the southernmost end.
Last year I covered the northern stretch of ghats that starts from Dashaswamedh ghat. And this year I am covering the southern stretch.
The blog for the northern stretch is available at this link Dashaswamedh Ghat - Northern Stretch
Before I start, let me tell you what is a 'Ghat' and why it is so famous. A ghat is a constructed place near the shoreline of a river. In India, we worship rivers, and ghats are commonly seen, they become places where people gather to worship and perform their practices or customs.
These ghats were built over centuries and were constructed by famous rulers and merchants of that time. For a rough figure consider the construction year range from 70 AD - 2000 AD. Although there are new ghats tot they do not have much significance at the moment.
Also each ghat has its history. I researched their history and presented a few important details about them as well for a better view.
I have seen many vlog blogs of @pravesh0 bhai. And I find it an interesting way of sharing the speciality of a particular region. That influenced me to capture the moments and share them with you all.
I started with the Assi ghat and I aimed to meet at the Dashaswamedh ghat. With the ongoing renovation of many ghats, the path will be obstructed many times yet I want to go as long as I can.
It was a sunny day and to travel in such a temperature is not easy. The region near the ghats is humid and sometimes too hot to walk barefoot in such a season.
I reached the Assi ghat, the Southern end of the ghat chain.
The dry grass patches are the area where a temporary tent city gets built every year after the monsoon.
Foreign tourists are now seen frequently. It feels like Benaras is now an international hotspot.
This is the platform where worshipping takes place. Usually with a fire lamp.
On the banks of the Ganges, shipbuilding is a prominent occupation.
The first ghat is the Ganga mahal ghat. It is designed like a fort. It is built as a temporary staying place for kings.
The wide view of the fort and its adjacent boat depot.
The second fort is Rewa Ghat. Rewa is also a place in Madhya Pradesh state. This fort-like structure must be built for the then-kings.
Tulsi ghat has a history as well. I found the stone which had the details of this fort owner.
Built by king Baldeo Das Birla in 1941. The king was an entrepreneur according to Wikipedia.
There was a beautiful boat located a little far from me.
It reminds me of old-era boats.
As each ghat is pretty wide, I had to use wide angles to capture the entirety of it.
This is me, I had to carry a winter jacket. It’s winter season but due to the clear sky, it is really hot during day time. Plus I had a heavy bag on me filled with clothes and a power bank.
I was sweating heavily but the breezes were helping me by keeping me cool.
This was the boat I was talking about. A closer view.
A few water towers were being built to keep the river clean.
Petty sellers have opened a few shops on ghats to supply water and packaged snacks. They sell at a printed price or sometimes at a lower than the printed price.
This water build was not operational at the moment. In summer the river shrinks and not much waste is there to clean out.
Also widening project is going on. They are widening the shoreline to accommodate more tourists.
Then comes Bhadaini ghat. As per the name, I believe this ghat is dedicated to a goddess.
Old Mughal and Rajasthan style of architecture is prevalent on the ghats.
Then comes Janki Ghat. The stairs were beautifully painted.
A shipbuilding work is going on. I am unsure about the timber that is used in that boat.
Mata Anandamayai ghat comes next. The construction isn’t based on any architectural theme like we saw above.
Below is the picture of Mother Anandmayai. The ghat is dedicated to the mother. She was assumed as the reincarnation of the goddess Durga.
Image source - Wikipedia
The hull of the boat is being built here. This is a massive boat as inland waterways are functional during the monsoon rainy season. This can be used to carry the goods to Bangladesh.
The painting on the wall is fascinating. It depicts Kali maa (Goddess Mother Kali) on the left, in the middle we see lord Shiva and on the right aghori i.e. devotees of Shiva and Shakti.
Then comes Jain ghat. It is dedicated to the Jain community which is a minority community in India. And only present in India.
Next, we see another boat in construction, here the hull is complete. I believe the next thing is the deck.
Nishadraj ghat. Dedicated to Nishad Kevat who helped lord Rama cross the river.
Wide view of the river Ganga popularly known as Mother Ganga.
Here comes the Panchkot ghat. A fort dedicated to the Panchkot dynasty of West Bengal. This shows that many dynasties built their temporary fort to visit the Ganga and Benaras.
A Red Fort-themed fort. Red Fort is located in New Delhi.
Then comes Chet Singh ghat. It is dedicated to King Chet Singh of Benaras.
Image source - Wikipedia
The ghats continued for 2 kilometres. It is tough to see them all in a day. There are 80 ghats in total. Every ghat has its own story. And I am yet to cover the newly built ghats.
Walked along the riverfront.
I ran out of water so I took a break and had some water. I lost a good amount of salt and water as sweat during the walk.
The next ghat is Mahanirvani ghat. A small painting can be seen. It depicts the event from Ramayan.
A small canal was built and supplied with fresh water for the birds. The stairs were designed as well.
Shivala ghat is dedicated to lord Shiva. A beautiful big tree is in the middle and people rest in its shadow.
A recently built suryadevi haveli. It is a small hotel-king-themed stay option to give you the essence of old times
The sun was pretty bright and it was hard for me to keep my eyes open while taking the selfie. The river was adding more to the shininess.
Golaria Ghat is a restaurant serving local dishes.
The safe zone of the river is marked with orange floating dividers to keep the bathers safe from the deep pots near the shoreline.
I was close to the last ghat of the southern stretch. I was very tired as well. Adjusting the camera angle and maintaining the privacy of the people getting in the picture was exhausting.
Hanuman ghat is the next ghat in the line dedicated to lord hanuman. It was built in the 17th century. Every ghat belongs to a certain period and together represents the timeline from ancient to modern India.
The stone reads that this ghat belongs to the Lord Rama and was later renamed as Hanuman ghat by the great learner, author, and poet Tulsidas.
I finally reached the end of the southernmost stretch. The next ghat is a cremation ground for the Hindu religion. It is known as the gateway to heaven. I avoided taking pictures from here to respect the privacy and people on the cremation ground.
I took a short corridor to get to the nearest road.
From the road, I took the travel back to my staying place. Finally home sweet home moment, after a long amazing and tiring day.
Note:
- All the contents are mine unless otherwise stated.
- Banner created using Canva
- Dividers credits to @cryptosharan
Wow, that looks amazing! I really want to return to India - I wanted to visit Varanasi, but when I was in Rajasthan when the pandemic started and I had to cut my trip short
Btw, would love yo see your next travel posts on @travelfeed!
Thank you. It is amazing and from corona time, it is now more beautiful, decorated and has a lot of accommodation too. I will keep in mind about travelfeed, I was actually finding this site to post but couldn't find in time.
Mja hi aa gya bhai post dekhkr, shayad iss saal plan ban jae yahan bhi jaane ka.
!LUV
!PIZZA
Ganga Mahal, designed in the form of fort, is spacious and beautiful with it's old and fascinating architecture.
That big golden boat is ,no doubt, a reminder of old era.
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