Tulsi Ghat, Hindu riverside steps in Varanasi, India

Tulsi Ghat is a long flight of stone steps running along the eastern bank of the Ganges in Varanasi, leading directly down to the river. The steps are arranged across several levels, with wide stone platforms where people can sit, stand, or descend to the water to bathe and perform rituals.

The ghat is named after the poet Tulsidas, who wrote the Ramcharitmanas here in the 16th century, sitting on these very steps above the river. That act of composition turned a simple riverside landing into a place of devotion that has drawn pilgrims ever since.

The ghat takes its name from the poet Tulsidas, and this connection draws a steady flow of pilgrims who treat the site as sacred ground. You can watch people offering flowers to the river, lighting small oil lamps, and sitting quietly at the water's edge in personal prayer.

The ghat can be reached on foot through the narrow lanes of the old city or by hiring a boat from the river, which gives a clear view of the steps from the water. Footwear with a good grip is worth wearing, as the stone steps near the waterline tend to stay wet throughout the day.

In December 2011 a manuscript of the Ramcharitmanas written by Tulsidas was stolen from the Hanuman temple at the ghat. The Awadhi-language copy had been kept in the temple since 1701, after being discovered in 1623.