LANDSCAPE OF GHATS

A study through the Ghats of Varanasi.

ABSTRACT-

India is a diverse nation comprising of a multi layered social structure with multiple religions and
ideologies. But they all seem to converge in the river Ganges. For almost 5000 years, Hindus have
believed that if they die here and their ashes are scattered in the Ganges, their souls will be liberated
from the cycle of birth, death and reincarnation. Sacred landscapes in India play a pivotal role in the
celebration of religious traditions and the mythological stories associated with them. A pilgrimage is an
act of journeying to the sacred landscapes primarily for religious reasons and spiritual benefits but is not
limited to them.

Varanasi is the mosaic of Indian culture with respect to representing the diversity and distinctiveness of
the regional cultures of India through the superimposition in the passage of time. Stretching along the
western edge of the sacred Ganges, the city of Varanasi is Hinduism’s spiritual capital. The riverfront and
the long uninterrupted stretch of 84 ghats is the façade of the architectural zone being proposed for
inscription in the world heritage list of UNESCO. People traditionally use these ghats for Hindu religious
rituals, socio-cultural performances and as recreational promenade.

A landscape is what adorns the land, air and water. Besides, what is natural and man-made, the
landscape also includes people and the precipitates of experience within them. The ambience, or
character of these landscapes depend both on the nature of their components and attributes and on
relationships among elements- how they are ordered or organized. Moreover, the processes whereby
this organization occurs and landscapes arise are important in understanding of the landscape of ghats.

SCOPE:

This dissertation demonstrates the architectural, religious and socio-cultural aspects of the landscape of
Varanasi; making it an important ‘place’ in the world, with an end note of issues on these sites, which
need to be addressed.

OBJECTIVES:

Landscape of ghats needs to be analysed in terms of:

 When did they emerge

 What they are
 What their components are
 What processes were used to translate their underlying scheme into landscape forms
 How they can be conceptualized
 How the actions of individuals add up
 1. INTRODUCTION:

I am Vishwanatha, the Lord.

Kashi is the Light of Liberation.
The waves of the River of Heaven are the wine of immortality.
What can these three not provide?

The above lines are from Kashi Khanda, one of the parts of the ancient Skanda Purana which glorifies
the confluence of the three components namely, Ganges, Varanasi and the Vishwanath Temple. This
ancient text constitutes the part of the basic myth that provides exclusivity of all the three components
to such an extent that they stand high and sacred among the minds of Hindus in India.

Varanasi is named after the two rivers that flows through the city into the Ganges, Varuna and Assi. The
city lies in the Eastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh and is inhabited by the people of various
religions and regions who live alongside the magnanimous ghats, reflecting the incredible character of
the place. People here, even after more than two decades of economic liberalization and cultural
adulteration, have the capability to crossover the jingoism of the urban life.

1.1 LANDSCAPE OF GHATS

Landscape is not simple what we see but a way of seeing; we see it with our eye but interpret it with our
mind and ascribe values to landscape for intangible- spiritual reasons. The past lives in art and memory,
but it is not static: it shifts and changes as the present throws its shadow backwards. The landscape also
changes, but far more slowly; it is a living link between what we were and what we have become- a
continuity between the shifting phases of our life.

A pilgrimage is like a text that can be read by journeying on its physical geography (Haberman et al.
1994). Pilgrimage can be defined in many ways, and it is difficult to define it in a single universally
accepted notion. One important definition of pilgrimage is as a journey to a sacred place as an act of
religious devotion (Sykes et al. 1982). Pilgrimage and landscape share a deep connection. A pilgrimage
happens by journeying in the outdoor environment. The type of destinations varies but traveling is an
essential element of the entire process. Landscape defines the designed and natural elements of the
outdoor environment. Hence, it is difficult to think of pilgrimage without reflecting on the landscape.

The cultural landscape of the ghats evolved in a spatio-temporal order created from self organized
systems of worship and pilgrimage. However, as the landscape becomes increasingly stressed from
intensive use and ground and water pollution, its irreplaceable heritage is being lost. The dilapidation of
the urban edge due to ill-maintenance, private encroachment, pollution in the Ganga, and increasing
pressures of use caused by three million visitors every year is stretching its carrying capacity and putting
heritage at risk. Varanasi ghats fit the category of an ‘organically evolved landscape’ as well as ‘an
associative cultural landscape’ in the cultural landscape criteria. Urban infrastructure (sanitation, solid
waste management and water supply) has been upgraded under the Jawaharlal Nehru National Urban
Renewal Mission (JNNURM) and measures have been taken to reduce the river pollution under the
Ganga Action Plan launched by the Government of India.
 1.2 VARANASI

Most the present architectural buildings of Varanasi were constructed during the 17th century. What
brings hoards of people to this place is the anonymous collection of buildings in a row and the ghats
which are stepped traces on the banks of the Ganga river that weave a religious spell. There are 84 ghats
along the crescent-shaped 6.8 km bank of the Ganga river, accessed through narrow alleys, each is a
result of a unique story and purpose that led to the emergence of a riverfront that consists of series of
steps, platforms and pavilions leading to the river Ganga. The river Ganga at Kashi reflects the entire
panorama of life and death. The 6.5 km long riverfront of the Ganga, along the eastern edge of the city,
possesses a unique history, with a view of magnificient architectural row of lofty buildings and holy sites.

The steps of the ghats lead to narrow lanes like labyrinths, which are tightly packed with houses, shops
and temples. Layers of time and traditions are superimposed one upon the other but the essence of the
life has maintained its continuity. That is how the city is known as the ‘cultural capital of India’ or
microcosmic India.