गंगा महल घाट

Ganga Mahal Ghat, located just north of Assi Ghat in Varanasi, is a place of quiet presence and layered history. The ghat was built by the Raja of Banaras, Prabhu Narayan Singh in 1830 who also constructed a huge palace on the ghat, that eventually came to be known as the Ganga Mahal.

The Radha-Krishna temple of Nagar Shaili is located within the Mahal, and it is here that festivals and celebrations commemorating Krishna Janmashtmi, Ramnavmi, Ganesh Chaturthi, Shivratri, and other major festivals are held. The lower floors of this palace house leading Banaras designer Hemang Agrawal’s design studio, while the upper floors are home to Karlstad University’s ‘Indo-Swedish Study Centre.’

A Krishna Leela is also held here, during which Brahmins are given alms and meals. Aside from it, the 18th-century Lakhsminarayan Temple is also located here. Near this Ghat, people from Gujarat and Maharashtra live. The Ganga Mahal Ghat never fails to pique the interest of first-time visitors to Varanasi’s sacred city. What else can one do but admire the magnificent stone brown edifice that soars into the blue skies, its fortress-like facade looking down benevolently on the Ganges and the lovely boats.