Namo Ghat

At the quieter northern edge of Varanasi, where the Ganga swings in a great crescent past the point at which the little Varuna river joins it, stands Namo Ghat — the holy city's newest and most modern riverfront.

• Until a few years ago this was Khidkiya Ghat, a modest, crumbling 'window ghat' whose name captured the way it framed a sweeping view of the ghats curving downstream.
• A large-scale redevelopment, whose foundation stone was laid in 2019, transformed it into a spacious, landscaped promenade that was formally inaugurated on 15 November 2024.
• Spread across roughly 21,000 square metres, it is designed to eventually stretch some 1.71 km between Bhaisasur (Raj) Ghat and Adi Keshav Ghat, making it one of the longest continuous stretches of riverfront in Kashi.
• The ghat takes its popular name from three monumental sculptures of hands folded in the namaste greeting.
• Two of them rise about 25 feet, turned toward the rising sun in salutation to Surya, while a smaller 15-foot pair bows toward the river itself.
• Rendered in weathered metal, they have become one of Varanasi's most photographed modern landmarks and give the whole space a welcoming, contemporary character quite unlike the ancient stone steps further south.
• Beyond the statues you will find wall murals depicting Kashi's heritage, wide gently graded ramps and steps that make the riverbank genuinely accessible to elderly and wheelchair-using visitors, proper lighting, seating platforms and open plazas built for calm, uncrowded evenings.
• Namo Ghat is also unusually connected — reachable by road, river and (in later phases) air — and hosts India's first floating CNG station, part of a push to run the Ganga's boats on cleaner fuel.
• For the vegetarian traveller, Varanasi is one of the easiest cities in India, and Namo Ghat sits within a wholly satvik food culture.
• The ghat's own visitor plaza has a cafeteria and food court serving pure-vegetarian fare — chaat, South Indian tiffin, pav bhaji, sandwiches, shakes and cold drinks — with RO drinking water and clean toilets on site, so families can spend an unhurried morning here without worry.
• A short ride into the old city opens up Banaras's legendary meat-free street food: tangy tamatar chaat and crisp aloo tikki at Kashi Chat Bhandar, thick clay-cup lassi at Ksheer Sagar, and hot kachori-sabzi breakfasts in the lanes near Godowlia.
• No alcohol, meat, fish or egg intrudes on any of it — this is a devout, temple-town palate through and through.
• Come at first light to watch the sun climb over the far bank and gild the folded hands, or in the early evening when the promenade is softly lit and a gentle, less-crowded aarti atmosphere settles over the water.
• A short boat ride from here gives a panoramic sweep of the ghats, and the calm, orderly layout makes Namo Ghat an especially good introduction to the Ganga for first-time visitors, families and anyone who finds the crush of the central ghats overwhelming.