The ancient Kedar Ghat is one of the most important ghats in Varanasi and among the five special ghats that pilgrims are required to bathe in as part of the Panchatirthi Yatra.
The ghat
The ancient Kedar Ghat is one of the most important ghats in Varanasi and among the five special ghats that pilgrims are required to bathe in as part of the Panchatirthi Yatra.
The ghat is believed to be very closely related to the holy city of Kedarnath in the Himalayas, which is home to one of the most sacred Shiva temples, the Kedareshwara. Shiva is worshipped there by the name of Kedarnath, or Lord of Kedar Khand, the historical name of the region.
At the top of the Kedar Ghat is the Kedareshwara Temple, which houses the famous Kedareshwara Linga that is believed to have appeared after a devotee of Shiva had begged the god for the chance to visit his shrine in Kedarnath. Instead of taking the devotee to the original temple, Shiva brought his image to him by making a linga emerge out of a plate of rice and lentils. A monastery was also attached to the temple in the latter part of the sixteenth century.
The Kedar Ghat is an extremely vibrant bathing spot, and is especially popular with devot