Assi Ghat

Assi Ghat

Assi Ghat is the southernmost Ghat in all of Varanasi, and hence an optimal place to start the tour from. It is located where the River Ganga meets the River Asi. It also happens to be the site where Tulsidas passed over to the other side, as well as an immensely popular and populated place. Although the residents are dominantly students from out of town, the Ghat plays host to an average of 300 people every day, not counting festivals that is, when the number shoots up to 2500 per day. The maximum capacity of the Ghat is adequate for approximately 22,000 people. The months of Magh and Chaitya (January-April) see a particularly increased amount of visitors to this Ghat. One can also find a massive Shiva deity in the form of a lingum located under a huge peepal tree, as well as a few other important structures in very close vicinity, such as the Asisangameshwar Lingum, which is enshrined inside an exquisite marble temple of modest proportions near the Ghat, representing the Lord of the confluence of the two rivers.

Close to the Ghat are several shops that specialize in wooden toys, a speciality of Varanasi. One can find several shops here that cater to ones’ every need in this respect, most of them decades old, such as the Aggarwal Toy Emporium. There are also some particularly noteworthy bookstores to be found in the area, which offer books ranging from subjects of the esoteric to the touristic nature, often at marked down prices, such as the Harmony Bookstore, and Kashi Annapurna Book House, both well reputed and housing veritable collections. Some of the best restaurants are also located close to here, being as Assi Ghat is the most tourist friendly of all the Ghats, and some examples include the Pizzeria Vatika Cafe and the Kashi Chai Stall.