चेत सिंह घाट

Chet Singh Ghat, nestled along the sacred banks of the Ganga, is more than a bathing place or a scenic curve — it is a doorway into history, echoing with stories of bravery, betrayal, and resilience. Named after Raja Chet Singh, the valiant ruler of Benares in the late 18th century, this ghat once stood at the heart of a dramatic confrontation that would mark a turning point in the city's story.

The ghat is famous for the 1781 battle between Maharaja Chet Singh and the British Governor-General Warren Hastings. This conflict stemmed from Chet Singh's refusal to comply with Hastings' demands, leading to a fierce battle at the fort. What began as a royal ghat for ritual and repose became the stage for defiance when Governor-General Warren Hastings sought to tighten British control over Benares. Chet Singh, refusing to yield

sovereignty, fought back. The battle that followed, right here on these steps and within the fort above, turned sacred ground into a battlefield. Though overpowered and captured, the king’s stand lives on in legend — a symbol of indigenous pride against colonial ambition. The original name of the ghat was Shivala Ghat, but it was renamed to Chet Singh Ghat to commemorate the Maharaja's memory and the revolt against the British.

Both the ghat and its accompanying fort were constructed by Raja Balwant Singh with the advice of his engineer Baijnath Mishra. His son, Chet Singh, lost the battle with the British and abandoned the fort. Thereafter, this entire property remained with the British for about 125 years. It was only in 1895 that Chet Singh’s descendant, the then Maharaja of Banaras, Prabhunarayan Singh, got back the property of Shivala ghat, and this portion of the original Shivala ghat is now called Chet Singh ghat.

Above the ghat, the Chet Singh Fort still rises — wounded but watching, its ramparts cracked, its gateways quiet. The cannon holes remain, etched in stone like open memories. But time, like the Ganga, has softened the scars. Today, monks chant here, pilgrims bathe in calm waters, and children play beneath walls once shaken by war