Gaay Ghat of Varanasi – A neat and modern ghat with a surprising twist

During my exploration of Varanasi I saw this spectacular ghat were everything was neat and in order. During the morning time there will be devotees worshipping the massive Shivling and the Nandi right on the banks. The daytime was a hub of Pooja Rituals and Holy Dip. There is a significant portion of devotees performing their various rituals with the help of priests. Now at the time of writing the article, I do not have a dedicated video of Gaay Ghat on my YouTube Channel but there are a few videos of the Ghat Walk which covers this ghat too. Sharing links of these videos.

About Gaay Ghat

This ghat is named after the Hindi and Sanskrit word for Cow. Revered as the holiest of all, a cow provides for nourishment. Locals say that this particular spot on the banks of Ganga was the place where cows were fed and worshipped.

Gaay Ghat is easily accessible from the main road running from Namo Ghat to Maidagin Chauraha where the car parking lot is there. In fact it is very close to the road. That means you can reach here by an autorickshaw or E-rickshaw easily. Two wheeler is the best option because the roads here are narrow and there is no parking for the four wheelers.

Personally I feel the best way to reach this ghat is by walking from the nearby ghats like Namo Ghat or Panchganga Ghat where there is a massive car parking. From there it is a 20 min walk to Gaay Ghat. There are a lot of temples and places to explore around Gaay Ghat but the most important event held there daily is the evening Ganga Aarti.

Officially Gaay Ghat is 75th in the list of ghats from Ghat No 1 to Ghat No 84. It is open 24 hours though late night post 11 pm there is nothing happening here.

Ganga Aarti at Gaay Ghat is performed by student priests.

Should you visit this ghat or not?

For most tourists and pilgrims who come to Varanasi if there is a guided tour or pre programmed visit then there is hardly a chance you will get time to come to this ghat. It is not only offbeat but there is nothing spectacular and insta craze about it.

You will definitely come across it if you are on a ghat walk. Remember Ghat Walk is only possible after Chaat Puja when all the ghat are cleared of the mud which had accumulate during the flooding of the monsoon. So that would be last week of October to first week of June.

The best part about this ghat is of course the evening Ganga Aarti. It is performed immediately after sunset and student priests perform it. There is hardly any crowd. But the aarti itself is spectacular and performed with lot of care and in the traditional manner. Since I had time on my hands, it was possible for me to visit this ghat during the evening aarti.