Varanasi Guide
The Ghats of Varanasi
Varanasi ghats explained: Dashashwamedh for the evening Ganga Aarti, Assi for sunrise, Manikarnika's cremation ground, and the quieter ghats between them by boat or on foot.
Varanasi's riverfront is a run of more than eighty ghats: flights of stone steps leading down to the Ganga along its western bank, from Assi Ghat in the south to Raj Ghat in the north. Each has its own temples, patrons and rhythm. Most are for bathing and prayer, two are cremation grounds, and some are simply where the neighbourhood comes to sit by the water.
The best way to see them is from the river. A boat at first light passes bathers, priests at their morning rites, washing spread out to dry and the palaces that Rajput and Maratha rulers built along the bank. In the evening attention shifts to Dashashwamedh Ghat for the Ganga Aarti, which many visitors watch from a boat as well.
On foot, a walkway joins the ghats for most of their length, so it's easy to walk from one to the next. Be respectful at Manikarnika, where cremations go on around the clock: photographing them is not permitted, and your guide will show you where to stand.
9 Sights
The Ghats of Varanasi, One By One
Open any of them for its history, what to look for and how it fits into a day.
Good To Know
Visiting The Ghats of Varanasi
How many ghats are there in Varanasi?
- More than eighty, most of them along one continuous stretch of the western bank between Assi Ghat and Raj Ghat. A sunrise boat ride passes the best known in an hour or so.
Which ghat is best for the Ganga Aarti?
- Dashashwamedh Ghat holds the city's main evening aarti. Assi Ghat has a smaller ceremony at dawn, Subah-e-Banaras, which is far less crowded.
What is the best time to see the ghats?
- Sunrise, from a boat, when the light is soft and the steps are busiest with bathers and prayers. Come back in the evening for the aarti.
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