500px Photo ID: 130892773 - Photographed at Assi Ghat, Varanasi

Prakhar Tripathi / 500px

Assi Ghat

Top choice in Varanasi


The furthest south of the main ghats and one of the biggest, Assi Ghat is particularly important as the River Assi meets the Ganges near here and pilgrims come to worship a Shiva lingam (phallic image of Shiva) beneath a peepul tree. Evenings are particularly lively, as the ghat’s vast concreted area fills up with hawkers and entertainers during a small fire ceremony. It also features music and yoga at sunrise. It’s a popular starting point for boat trips.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Varanasi attractions

1. Tulsi Ghat

0.08 MILES

Named after a 16th-century Hindu poet, Tulsi Ghat has fallen down towards the river, but in the month of Kartika (October/November) a festival devoted to…

3. Durga Temple

0.39 MILES

This temple, dedicated to the goddess Durga, was built in the 18th century by a Bengali maharani and is stained red with ochre. It's also known as the …

4. Shivala Ghat

0.39 MILES

A small Shiva temple and a 19th-century mansion built by Nepali royalty sit back from Shivala Ghat, built by the local maharaja of Benares.

5. Tulsi Manas Temple

0.42 MILES

The walls of this modern, marble, sikhara-style temple are engraved with verses and scenes from the Ram Charit Manas, the Hindi version of the Ramayana.

6. Dandi Ghat

0.46 MILES

The Dandi Ghat is used by austere ascetics known as Dandi Panths.

7. Hanuman Ghat

0.55 MILES

Popular with Rama devotees (Hanuman was Rama's stalwart ally in his quest to rescue Sita from the demon Ravana).

8. Harishchandra Ghat

0.62 MILES

Harishchandra Ghat is a cremation ghat – smaller and secondary in importance to Manikarnika, but one of the oldest ghats in Varanasi.