🏛️ Culture

Manikarnika Ghat

Varanasi, India

About Manikarnika Ghat

Varanasi's principal cremation ghat, where cremations take place day and night, as dying and being cremated here is believed to bring liberation. Visitors may watch quietly from a respectful distance, but photographing cremations isn't allowed. Beware of self-appointed 'guides' asking for money for wood — it's a well-known scam.

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📍Manikarnika Ghat, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221001, India

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✓ Comfortable to visit on your own.
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More Culture in Varanasi

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Dashashwamedh Ghat

Varanasi's main and busiest ghat, close to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Every evening at sunset, priests perform the Ganga Aarti with large brass lamps, bells and chanting, watched by crowds on the steps and from boats on the river. Arrive at least 30 minutes early for a spot on the steps, or watch from a boat for a less crowded view.

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Kashi Vishwanath Temple

One of the holiest Hindu temples, dedicated to Shiva as one of the twelve jyotirlingas, with gold-plated spires. Since 2021 the Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor has linked it directly to the ghats. Security is strict: phones, bags and cameras usually have to go in lockers, and queues can be long. Dress modestly; foreign visitors can enter.

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Assi Ghat

The southernmost of the main ghats, where the small Assi river meets the Ganges, with a more relaxed, residential feel than the central ghats. It's home to the Subah-e-Banaras sunrise programme and a smaller evening aarti, surrounded by cafés, guesthouses and bookshops. From here you can walk north along the ghats to Dashashwamedh in under an hour.

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