Ganges Prayers

The Ghats

There are around 100 ghats in Varanasi. These ghats start bustling with activity from dawn and the noisy activities continue till the end of the evening prayers. A visit to the ghats in the early morning is a wonderful experience. The sadhus and locals taking a dip in the holy Ganges and the collective chanting of ancient vedic mantras give a spiritual feel to the entire atmosphere. As the day progresses, more and more people come to the ghats to bathe or to pray. The Chatris, or sunshades are a characteristic feature of the ghats, and little scenes involving priest offering prayers on behalf of their clients, or little kids playing, or young men cracking jokes happen beneath these Chatris.

Dasashwamedh Ghat –

This is the main ghat of Varanasi. it is the scene of constant human activity all through the day. The most beautiful moment in this ghat can be seen during the evening prayers. The priests stand with ornate lamps and move in synchronized patterns to the constant chanting of mantras. A large number of people attend the evening prayers everyday. This scene hasn’t changed much over a period of thousands of years. Only, now the loudspeakers spread the chants to a larger area.