Dashashwamedh Ghat: Varanasi Travel Guide (4.6★)

What this ghat actually is

Dashashwamedh Ghat sits at the river end of Dashashwamedh Ghat Road, a five-minute walk from Godowlia crossing. Hindu tradition holds that Brahma sacrificed ten horses here, which gives the ghat its name: “dasha” (ten) “ashwa” (horse) “medh” (sacrifice). It’s the widest, busiest of Varanasi’s roughly 88 ghats, a broad stone staircase running down to the Ganges. Priests, boatmen, flower-sellers and pilgrims occupy it from before sunrise to well past midnight, every day, all year.

Dawn ritual, evening fire

Two very different scenes happen here on the same steps. Before sunrise, pandits sit under bamboo umbrellas performing puja while bathers wade into the river; boatmen wait to row visitors out for a sunrise view of the ghats lit gold. Book a boat directly at the water’s edge and agree the price before stepping in.

After dark, the Ganga Aarti takes over. Seven young priests on a raised platform swing brass multi-tiered oil lamps in unison to drums and bells, facing the river, watched from the steps and from boats anchored just offshore. It runs nightly, roughly 45 minutes, timed to sunset so the start shifts slightly through the year.

• Sunrise boat rides: arrive by 5:30-6am for a quiet river
• Ganga Aarti: arrive 30-45 minutes early for a steps seat
• Boat-based Aarti viewing: costs more but skips the crowd crush

Beating the evening crush

This is one of Varanasi’s most visited sights, not a quiet corner, and weekend evenings between 4pm and 10pm are the peak. If you want breathing room, come for the morning rituals instead, when the crowd is thinner and the light is better for photos anyway.

For the Aarti itself, arriving early is the only real trick: the platform seating and front steps fill fast, and latecomers end up watching over shoulders. Alternatively, hire a boat an hour before the ceremony starts and watch from the water, which also means an easy exit before the crowd disperses.

Priests will offer to perform a puja or tie a thread for a “donation”: agreeing a figure upfront, or declining outright, avoids the haggling that follows if you don’t.

Getting oriented and moving on

Godowlia is the nearest landmark and rickshaw drop-off point; from there it’s a narrow, shop-lined lane on foot to the ghat, since vehicles can’t get closer. The ghat connects along the riverfront to Manikarnika Ghat, Varanasi’s main cremation ghat, a 10-15 minute walk north along the steps, and to Kedar Ghat to the south.

Keep shoes and cash handy; the steps get wet and vendors along the lane rarely take cards. Sunscreen or a scarf helps at midday, when the stone reflects heat with no shade over most of the staircase.