Ahilyabai Ghat

Kashi, known for narrow lanes, centuries-old buildings, scenic aarti on the river Ganga, holy temples, and for everything spiritual, is one of the oldest living cities of the world. The city has a great significance in Hindu mythology, religion and culture. Kashi is the oldest name of the city. Then, people came to know the city by the name Banaras and, now, renamed to Varanasi. Alongside these names, various phrases are used for the city like ‘a city of temples’, ‘the holiest city of India’, ‘the oldest city of India’, ‘the city of learning’, ‘the city of lights’, ‘the religious capital of India’, ‘the oldest living city of the planet’, and also as ‘the sacred city’. These phrases imply that the holy city of Varanasi is center of Hindu religion and culture. Hindu pilgrims keep coming here in large numbers to visit holy temples, perform auspicious rites and also pay a tribute to the river Ganga. Ganga is the holiest river of the Hindu religion and a lot of rituals of various types are conducted at the footsteps on its banks. These footsteps at the river side are called the ghats and have special significance in Hindu culture.