Chausatthi Ghat

Chausatthi Ghat is one of the quieter, more contemplative riverfronts in the great sweep of ghats that line the Ganga at Varanasi, tucked just south of the ever-busy Dashashwamedh Ghat between Rana Mahal Ghat and Darbhanga Ghat in the Bangali Tola neighbourhood.

• Its name comes from the Chausatthi Devi temple that crowns the flight of steps at the top of the ghat, dedicated to the sixty-four Yoginis (Chausatthi is the Banarasi form of chaunsath, meaning sixty-four), the ancient group of demi-goddesses revered in Tantric and Shakta tradition.
• The compact shrine shelters images of Kali, Durga, Shiva, Kartikeya, Ganesha and folk goddesses; of the original sixty-four Yogini idols only a handful survive, and two of them, the elephant-headed Gajanana and the peacock-headed Mayuri, are still venerated near the sanctum.
• The ghat carries layers of history from two royal houses far from Kashi.
• It was first built in the early sixteenth century by King Pratapaditya of Bengal, and a small memorial to him still stands beside a peepal tree at the top of the steps, a spot held in quiet reverence by Bengali pilgrims.
• Over the centuries the riverfront fell into disrepair and was rebuilt in 1670 by the ruler of Udaipur, while the lower reach was later developed by Raja Digpatiya of Bengal, who raised a palace here in the early nineteenth century, which is why the lower portion is sometimes called Digpatiya Ghat.
• The masonry was strengthened and made permanent (pucca) in the twentieth century.
• The ghat is also remembered as the abode of the great Advaita Vedanta scholar Madhusudan Saraswati, author of the Advaita Siddhi and a celebrated commentary on the Bhagavad Gita, which lends the place a scholarly, devotional aura.
• Today Chausatthi Ghat is best experienced on foot in the soft light of dawn, when boats drift past on the Ganga and pilgrims descend the steps to bathe.
• It makes a peaceful pause on a riverside walk from Dashashwamedh, and during Ashwin Navratri and in the dark fortnight of Chaitra (March to April) crowds of devotees climb to the Chausatthi Devi temple to worship.
• Photographers love the honey-coloured stone, the layered palace facades and the uninterrupted river views.
• Vegetarian travellers are wonderfully placed here, for the lanes behind the ghat spill into Godowlia and Bangali Tola, the pure-vegetarian heart of old Kashi.
• A short walk brings you to legendary sweet-and-snack houses such as Kashi Chat Bhandar in Godowlia for tamatar chaat and palak patta chaat, Ram Bhandar in Thatheri Bazar (established 1887) for its famous kachori-sabzi and jalebi, and Rajbandhu in Kachori Gali for hot kachoris. All are strictly vegetarian.
• One honest caution: Varanasi is famous for thandai, and some riverside stalls serve a bhang (cannabis) version.
• Always ask specifically for plain thandai or plain lassi so you are served a family-friendly, intoxicant-free drink.