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The river Ganga flows from north to south, and the city forms a circular shape from the Asi Ghat in the south up to the confluence of the Varuna river with the Ganga. Thousands of pilgrims come to bathe and worship in the river at the first light of dawn.
Most of the ancient temples and structures along the ghats have been destroyed. What remain are mainly 18th and 19th century buildings. A very important pilgrimage for the devout is the Panchatirtha Yatra, covering the five important ghats of Asi, Dashashwamedha, Adi Keshava, Panchganga and Manikarnika. The Panchkosi road, beginning from the Asi ghat and ending at the Manikarnika ghat denotes the sacred area of Kashi. A tour around this 58 kms route takes about 6 days on foot. Each of the important ghats have a lingam (phallic symbol of lord Shiva) which is venerated by the devout. |