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| HOME > India > Central Uttar Pradesh > Varanasi > Ghats | ||||
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Varanasi Ghats Dasasvamedha
Ghat It is said that Lord Brahma performed a Ten Horse Sacrifice here for king Divodasa. Das means ‘ten,’ aswa means ‘horse,’ and medha means ‘sacrifice.’ It is said that bathing here gives the same merits as received by doing the ‘ten horse sacrifice’ that were performed here. On
certain auspicious days up to 30,000 pilgrims may take bath here. Right
next to this ghat there is the Shitala Temple, which is dedicated to
the goddess that protects against smallpox. Manikarnika Kund is right next to the Manikarnika Ghat and is surrounded by an iron railing. In October or November, there is a good chance the kund will be covered by dirt, because when the Ganges floods during the rainy season (June-Sept), dirt from the Ganges covers up the kund. I was told that the kund is dug out each year in November. The well is said to come from a source separate from the Ganges, an underground river that comes directly from Gaumukh, which is the source of the Ganges. It is said that this well was dug by Lord Vishnu with his disc (chakra) and filled by water as his first act of creation. There is an image of Lord Vishnu in the northern wall of the kund. Offerings of milk, sandalwood, sweets, and bilva flowers, which are sacred to Siva, are thrown in the well. Lord Vishnu’s footprints are located at Chakra-Pushkarini, which is between Manikarnika Kund and the river. This is said to be the holiest spot in Varanasi. Manikarnika Ghat is considered the holiest of all the ghats. There is a major cremation ground right next to this ghat at Jalasayin Ghat. Normally the cremation ground is outside of town, as it is polluted. Here the burning ghat is in the middle of the city, because death in Varanasi is considered a great blessing. It is said to be bad luck to mourn or cry for the dead. The cremation ground is under the supervision of the Doms, an untouchable caste, who have been doing it for a very long time. They sell the wood, tend the ever-burning sacred fire from which each pyre is lit, and tend individual pyres. You can view the burning ghats from a boat or from a tower next to the burning place. At any given time there may be half a dozen bodies burning here. The bodies are first placed in the Ganges before being burned. There
is an interesting Durga Temple by the ghat with good
sculptures on it. There is no photography allowed at the burning ghat,
and this is very strictly enforced. Kings Harishchandra was famous for never refusing a guest and never telling a lie. He was a worshiper of Brahma. Indra told Brahma that he believed that Harishchandra’s devotion was not as strong as he made it appear to be. So in order to prove that it was, Brahma disguised himself as a Brahmin priest and asked the king for his entire kingdom. Harishchandra gave it. In order to give the priest payment (daksin) for performing some rituals the king became a worker at the crematorium at this ghat. His wife was sold to a seller of flowers. When his son died of a snakebite his wife brought him to the burning ghat where her husband was working. Because she had no money to pay the cremation fee, she ripped her sari in half to pay the fee. Brahma
then restored the son back to life and gave the king back his kingdom.
He also told Harishchandra that this ghat would be especially sacred
and that it would be named after him. At
this ghat is the large Alamgir Mosque built by Aurangzeb
in the 17th century, after he destroyed the major Bindu Madhava
Temple that used to be here. The present Deity of Bindu Madhava
is in a small temple by the mosque. It is located just above the Pancha-ganga
Ghat. If you are taking a boat by yourself, you can have the boat stop
here and walk up to the temple. Lolarka Kunda is a bathing tank dedicated to the Sun. There is the Lolarka Mela Fair in Aug/Sept. Women come and bathe in this tank to get a son. Next is Lala Misra Ghat, and then comes Tulasi Ghat, which is named after Tulasi Das. It used to be called Lolarka Ghat. Tulasi Das translated the Ramayana into Hindi and died in Varanasi in 1623. At Bachraj Ghat there are three Jain temples on the riverbank. Dandi Ghat is the ghat of the Dandi Panths holy men. At Hanuman Ghat there is a temple dedicated to Hanuman. Hanuman Ghat is where Vallabha Acarya, who was a Vaishnava saint who spread the glories of Sri Krishna, is said to have been born in the 16th century. Harishchandra Ghat, also called Smashan (Masan) Ghat, is a major burning ghat using electric ovens. At Kedar Ghat there is a well half-way up the ghat called Gauri Kund, which is named after Lord Siva’s wife, which is said to have healing properties. At this ghat is the Kedareswara Siva-linga Temple. Manasarovar Ghat is named after the holy lake which is found at the foot of Mt Kailash in Tibet. Man Singh of Jaipur built it. At Chaumsathi Ghat is the temple dedicated to the Chaumsathi (64) Yoginis, which has deities of Durga and Kali. At Someswara Ghat there is a temple of the moon, and every kind of disease is supposed to be healed here. Munshi Ghat is an interesting ghat to look at. Ahalya Bai Ghat is named after the Maratha queen of Indore. Next comes Dasaswamedha Ghat. Maharajah Man Singh of Jaipur built Man Mandir Ghat in 1600. Man Mandir Ghat has an Observatory built by Raja Sawai Jai Singh in 1710, the founder of the city of Jaipur. The observatory is made up of stone instruments and is very small compared to the ones in Jaipur or Delhi. It is a little hard to find. Located near this ghat is a Siva-linga temple where the linga is immersed in water. The house of the Dom Raja, who is in charge of the cremation grounds, is nearby and has tigers painted on it. Dom Raja is a hereditary title. At
Mir Ghat there is the Vishalakshi
(“Wide-eyed Goddess”) Temple. This temple is a shakti pitha
and is said to mark the place where a part of the body of Sati, the
wife of Lord Siva, fell. Further north is Jalasayin Ghat, where bodies are cremated. Directly next to this ghat is Manikarnika Ghat, which is one of the most holy ghats. At the very big Scindia Ghat, there is a partially submerged Siva temple. Agni, the god of fire, is said to have been born near this ghat. At Dattatreya Ghat, there are the footprints of a sadhu of the same name. At Rama and Laksman Ghat there is a Rama and Laksman Temple. The king of Jaipur built it. Next is Panchganga Ghat. Gai Ghat has a cow made of stone on it. Next is Trilochan Ghat, where there is located the Siva temple of Tri (“three”) Lochana (“eye”), who has three eyes. Also in this temple is Varanasi Devi, the city-goddess of Varanasi. The important Raj Ghat (also called Adi Keshava Ghat) is the northern most ghat. Located here is the Adi Keshava Vishnu Temple, which is located where the Varuna River flows into the Ganges. Lord Vishnu is said to have first put his feet here when he came to Varanasi. If you know of a informationthat is not correct or if you would like to help update our listings, please e-mail us at:
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