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.
A Hanuman idol said to have been used by Tulsidas for his daily worship is kept at the ghat to this day. Visitors who know about it often make a point of seeking it out, treating the object as an extension of the poet's presence at the site.
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