Munshi Ghat is one of the

Ghats Ghat, a term used in the Indian subcontinent, depending on the context could refer either to a range of stepped hills with valleys (ghati in Hindi), such as the Eastern Ghats and Western Ghats; or the series of steps leading down to a body of ...

Varanasi Varanasi (; ; also Banaras or Benares (; ), and Kashi.) is a city on the Ganges river in northern India that has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. * * * * The city has a syncretic t ...

Uttar Pradesh Uttar Pradesh (; , 'Northern Province') is a state in northern India. With over 200 million inhabitants, it is the most populated state in India as well as the most populous country subdivision in the world. It was established in 1950 ...

, India.

Significance

Built in the year 1812, Munshi Ghat is named after Sridhara Narayana Munshi, who was a finance minister in the estate of Nagpur. In 1915, the Brahmin king Kameshwar Singh Gautam Bahadur of Darbhanga (Bihar) purchased the ghat and extended it. The extension later became known as Darbhanga Ghat.

Darbhanga Ghat extension

The palace of Darbhanga Ghat is made of sandstone from

Chunar Chunar is a city located in Mirzapur district of Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is nearby Mirzapur city. The railway tracks passing through Chunar Junction railway station leads to major destinations of India, including Howrah, Delhi, T ...

, with beautiful porches and Greek pillars. This area has been of importance in the

Puranic Purana (; sa, , '; literally meaning "ancient, old"Merriam-Webster's Encyclopedia of Literature (1995 Edition), Article on Puranas, , page 915) is a vast genre of Indian literature about a wide range of topics, particularly about legends an ...

context, but has also gained importance for its grandeur and architectural style. In 1994 the Darbhanga palace was purchased by the Clarks Hotel Group, who named it the Brijrama Palace, and planned to transform it into five star hotel. They have already demolished almost half of the structure from the back; its back perimeter is being extended and its height raised in order to make suitable for the use of the planned hotel.

References

{{Varanasi Ghats in Varanasi