घाट
Eighty-four ghats stitch the city to the river for nearly seven kilometres — built by Maratha queens and Rajput astronomers, sanctified by poets and kings, alive every dawn with bathers, wrestlers and boatmen. These are the twelve to know first: walk them south to north and you will have read Banaras cover to cover.
The classic way to meet the ghats is the dawn boat ride from Assi to Panchganga — an hour of drifting past every facade as the sun lifts out of the far bank, with the bathing crowds, temple bells and woodsmoke arriving in that order. Our yatra tips cover fair boat prices and timing. On foot, the riverfront walkway connects nearly everything: south of Dashashwamedh the steps are calmer and local; north of it the lanes grow older and denser until they reach the fires of Manikarnika. Time your visit to Dev Deepawali and you'll see all eighty-four ghats wearing a million diyas at once.
