Benaras has been well known as the city of temples and ghats.

GHATS

The ghats lining on the western bank of the Ganges are Varanasi's main attraction. Of the ghats, some are used for bathing and the others for cremating bodies. The pilgrims come at the dawn of the day to perform puja to the rising sun; this is perhaps the best time to visit the ghats as the river covered in a magical light presents a fabulous view.

There are around 100 ghats in Varanasi, but Dasaswamedh Ghat is probably the most convenient starting point. The Assi Ghat is one of the five special ghats which pilgrims are supposed to bathe at in sequence during the ritual route called Panchatirthi Yatra. Their order goes Assi, Dasaswamedh, Adi Keshava, Panchganga and finally Manikarnika.

Much of the Tulsi Ghat has fallen down towards the river. The Bachraj Ghat is Jain and there are three riverbank Jain temples. Maharajas and princely rulers own several of these ghats, as the maharaja of Varanasi owns the very fine Shivala Ghat. The Dandi Ghat is the ghat of ascetics known as Dandi Panths and nearby is the very popular Hanuman Ghat.

The Harishchandra or Smashan Ghat is one of the oldest ghats and is a secondary burning ghat. The Kedar Ghat situated above it, is a shrine popular among Bengali's and south Indians. Raja Man Singh of Amber built Mansarowar Ghat and named after the Tibetan Lake at the foot of Mr. Kailash, Shiva's Himalayan home.Someswar or Lord of the Moon Ghat is believed to heal diseases. The Munshi Ghat is a very picturesque one, while Ahalya Bai's Ghat is named after the female Maratha ruler of Indore.

Dasaswamedh Ghat is one of the most important and busiest ghats. Its name indicates that Brahma sacrificed (medh) 10 (das) horses (aswa) here. There is the shrine of Sitala, goddess of smallpox.

Raja Man Singh's Man Mandir Ghat was built in 1600. The northern corner of the ghat has a fine stone balcony. Raja Jai Singh of Jaipur erected one of his unusual observatories on this ghat in 1710. The Nepalese Temple near the Meer Ghat has erotic sculptures. Next comes the Jalsain Ghat, where cremations take place. It adjoins Manikarnika Ghat, one of the most auspicious places where a Hindu can be cremated. Outcastes known as doms handle the bodies. Doms carry the bodies through the lanes of the old city to the holy Ganges on a bamboo stretcher swathed in cloth. Before cremating the corpse, it is doused in the Ganges. Huge piles of firewood are assembled along the top of the Ghat. Each log is carefully weighed to calculate the price of cremation. There is a tank known as the Manikarnika Well above the steps of the ghat. It is said that goddess Parvati dropped her earring here and Lord Shiva dug the tank to find it, filling the tank with his sweat. A stone slab, the Charanpaduka, bearing footprints of Vishnu is between the well and the ghat. The ghat also has a temple dedicated to Ganesha.

Dattatreya Ghat bears the footprint of the Brahmin saint of that name in a small temple nearby.Scindia Ghat was originally built in 1830 but was so huge and magnificent that it collapsed into the river and had to be rebuilt.Ram Ghat was built by the Raja of Jaipur. Five rivers are supposed to meet at Panchganga Ghat. Situated on the ghat is Aurangzeb's smaller mosque, known as the Alamgir Mosque which was built on the site of large Vishnu Temple that the Maratha chieftain Beni Madhav Rao Scindia had built. The Gai Ghat has a figure of a cow made of stone upon it. The Trilochan Ghat has two turrets emerging from the river and the water between them is believed to be holy in particular.Raj Ghat was the ferry pier until the road and Rail Bridge was built.

TEMPLES

Vishwanath Temple
The Vishwanath Temple, or Golden Temple, is the most sacred temple in Varanasi. The temple is dedicated to Shiva-lord of the universe. Ahalya Bai of Indore built the current temple in 1776 and the 800 kg of gold plating on the towers was provided by Maharaja Ranit Singh of Lahore some 50 years later. It is located in the narrow lanes of the old city. There has been a chain of Shiva temples in the vicinity for at least the past 1500 years which were destroyed by Muslim invaders, time after time. Aurangzeb as well continued this tradition and built his Great Mosque over as temple. Armed guards have been protecting the mosque after BJP declared the mosques at Varanasi and Mathura its next targets. Water from the Gyan Kupor Well (well of knowledge), next to Vishwanath Temple is believed to lead to a higher spiritual plane. People are prevented from doing so by both tradition and a strong security screen. It is believed that the well contains the Shiva lingam from the previous temple that was hidden to protect from Aurangzeb.

Durga Temple
The Durga Temple is a small temple commonly known as the Monkey Temple as many frisky monkeys have made it their home. This 18th century temple is located about 2 km south of the old city. It was built by a Bengali Maharani in north Indian Nagara style with a multi-tiered shikhara (spire). On festivals, there are often sacrifices of goats.

Tulsi Manas Temple
150 m south of the Durga temple is the modern marble shikhara-style Tulsi Manas Temple, built in 1964. The wall is carved with verses and scenes from Ram Charit Manas, the Hindi edition of Ramayana. Its author, poet Tulsi Das, lived here while he wrote it.

Benares Hindu University
Varanasi has been a centre of learning since long and the Benaras Hindu University built in 1917 is continuing the tradition even today. Eminent nationalist Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya founded it as a centre for education in Indian art, music, culture and philosophy, and for the study of Sanskrit. The University is spread over five sq. km and houses the Bharat Kala Bhavan that has a fine collection of miniature paintings and sculptures belonging to the 1st to 5th centuries and old photographs of Varanasi.

New Vishwanath Temple
The New Vishwanath Temple is about 30-minute walk from the university. It was planned by Pandit Malaviya and built by the Birla family of industrialists.

Sankat Mochan Temple
7kms away from Cantt.railway station is one of the oldest temples in the city, devoted to Lord Hanuman.

Bharat Mata Mandir
A novel temple dedicated to mother India which instead of the customary gods and goddesses, houses one of the perfect maps of India carved out of marble. The temple has the five elements ultimately merging with the Supreme - Brahma.

Annapurna Temple
Situated in the Vishwanath lane, this temple has an idol of goddess Annapurna [the goddess of food] Its said that the worship of Lord Vishwanath can't complete without the worship of Annapurna.

Nepali Temple
Made in Nepal style is devoted to Lord Shiva, it is assumed that the lingam there replicates the famous Pasupatisvara at Kathmandu.

Kardameshwar Temple
It is the oldest temple (10th century) with its originality, situated in Kandava near Chitaipur. A pond surrounds it. It is the first Padao of Panchkroshi Yatra it is devoted to Lord Shiva.

Mahamritunjay Temple
Devoted to Lord Shiva Mahamritunjay temple is very important to the life of Benaras. In this temple Shiva is worshipped in the form of Mritunjay [it is believed that by worshipping Shiva one can win over his death] There is a well in the temple it is believed that Dhanvantri, the father of Aaurvedic medical system poured all his medicines (jari-booty) in this well. So the water is so purify that many people daily come here to drink the water of this well.

Amethi Temple, Vishalakshi Temple, Jageshwar Mahadev Temple are some of the other temples.
There are some temples, which are twenty feet below the ground - Manikarnikeshwar Temple, Amriteshwar, and Neel Kantheshwar.

KASHI YATRA - check www.visitvaranasi.com/yatra2.html