Varanasi: Ghats on the Ganges and Temples

Varanasi offers several distinct starting points for planning your trip: the ghats on the Ganges, temples with religious and architectural features, and nearby Sarnath with its Buddhist temples. You can then decide whether you are particularly interested in the riverfront, architectural history or religious architecture. Sarnath is a separate place, about 13 km from Varanasi.

The Ghats on the Ganges

Varanasi has 88 ghats, steps leading down to the Ganges. The number may change over time. Here, the term refers to a specific feature of the riverbank: steps that reach down to the river. This gives the connection to the Ganges a physical form rather than leaving it as a general description of the place. For trip planning, the ghats are a focus in their own right, alongside the temples. If you are particularly interested in the relationship between the city and the riverfront, they can be your first point of reference; architectural history and religious architecture offer other perspectives.

History and Temple Architecture

The history of the ghats offers another point of reference: most were rebuilt after 1700, when Varanasi was part of the Maratha Empire. This connects the riverfront structures to a specific historical period. At the same time, this applies to most ghats, not every single one without exception. If you are interested in historical context, this adds a time reference to the description of the steps on the Ganges.

The names and architectural styles of the temples offer different points of reference. The Saint Ravidas Temple in Kashi is also known as the “Second Golden Temple of Kashi.” At the Durga Temple, the Shikhara describes its distinctive form: a tall, multi-tiered tower resembling a mountain peak. This means that Varanasi has both a temple with a well-known alternative name and a structure with a distinctive tower form. If you are organising your trip by theme, you can identify the Saint Ravidas Temple by its name and the Durga Temple by its architecture.

Sarnath as a Separate Focus

Nearby Sarnath is a separate destination for Buddhist temples. It is about 13 km from Varanasi; this is an approximate distance. Sarnath has Buddhist temples associated with various Buddhist traditions and countries of origin. The most important Buddha temple there is the Mulagandhakuti Vihara Temple. Sarnath thus adds a Buddhist focus to your trip planning, distinct from the ghats and temples mentioned in Varanasi. If you are interested in Buddhist sites, you can include Sarnath as a separate destination rather than treating it as one of the city’s attractions.

Choose the Right Focus for Your Accommodation Search

The different themes can help you tailor your search for a holiday apartment to your travel interests. If you would also like to include Buddhist temples, add nearby Sarnath to your plans as a separate destination. This keeps the choice of focus for your trip clear: riverfront and temples shape your selection in Varanasi, while Sarnath offers an additional cultural dimension. Which places you choose to combine depends on which of these themes appeal to you most.

Discover more destinations: Shivdaspur.

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