Category Indian Cities

Lalita Ghat: A confluence of devotion and culture

Lalita Ghat is one of Varanasi’s revered riverfronts, situated between Manikarnika and Dashashwamedh Ghats near the famed Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Named after Goddess Lalitha, this ghat is closely associated with Shakti worship and features the Lalita Gauri Temple, a shrine…

Visalakshi Devi – The wide-eyed goddess of Kashi

The Visalakshi Devi Temple is located close to Mir Ghat and the Nepali Temple, just a two-minute walk from the ghats along the Ganges in Varanasi. The name Visalakshi comes from Sanskrit, where viśāla means “wide” or “expansive” and akshi means “eyes.”…

The Healing Powers of Mrityunjay Mahadev Temple

The Mrityunjay Mahadev Temple in Varanasi is a revered shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva in his form as Mrityunjay, the conqueror of death. The name comes from the Sanskrit words mrityu (death) and jaya (victory), symbolizing Shiva’s power to shield…

Annapurna Devi: The Goddess who nourishes Varanasi

The Annapurna Devi Mandir, located near the sacred Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, is dedicated to Goddess Annapurna, the giver of food and nourishment. The name Annapurna comes from two Sanskrit words: anna (food or grain) and purna (complete or…

The Doms of Varanasi – Guardians of Eternal Flame

The Doms is a community whose presence is inseparable from Varanasi’s cremation ghats. For centuries, they have overseen cremations at Manikarnika and Harishchandra, the two principal burning ghats on the Ganga. Their work is ritually central: arranging wood, building pyres,…

Gyan Vapi: The “Well of Knowledge”

At the northern edge of the Kashi Vishwanath temple complex in Varanasi stands the Gyan Vapi Well, a structure that has long shaped the identity of the precinct. The name comes from the Sanskrit jñāna (knowledge) and vāpī (well or…