DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.614#0146
108 BENAKES, PAST AND PRESENT.
joining ghat. These three, with the Ganges and Saras-
wati, complete the numher of Panchanada, to the satis-
faction even of the deities themselves, who condescend
to hathe on the spot during their residence in Kashi." 1
Only one of these streains, namely, the Ganges, is
visible; hut the remaining four are supposed, by the
credulous, to be somewhere under ground. The ghat
is broad and deep, and exceedingly strong. Its stairs
and turrets are all of stone, and, from their great
number, afford accommodation to a multitude of wor-
shippers and bathers. The turrets are low and hollow,
and are employed as temples or shrines. Each one
contains several deities, which are, mostly, emblems of
S'iva. An ordinary observer would be in ignorance of
the fact that these are filled with idols, and would
scarcely imagine that he was walking upon the top of
a long succession of shrines, and over the heads of
hundreds of gods. He would have to descend several
steps, before discovering the sacrilege which he was
ignorantly committing; but, having done so, he would
at once perceive that the turrets are open towards
the river, and are, therefore, very convenient for
devotional purposes. The platform above the ghat,
along which runs a narrow, though excellent, road, is
below the steep bank of the river. Prom the platform
a number of stairs thread their way up the bank,
uniting the ghat with this quarter of the city. The
same remark is, for the most part, applicable to the
other ghats. They are all connected together by a
road, which is, in some places, paved, and in the hot
1 Prinsep's "Views of Benares—Second Series.
joining ghat. These three, with the Ganges and Saras-
wati, complete the numher of Panchanada, to the satis-
faction even of the deities themselves, who condescend
to hathe on the spot during their residence in Kashi." 1
Only one of these streains, namely, the Ganges, is
visible; hut the remaining four are supposed, by the
credulous, to be somewhere under ground. The ghat
is broad and deep, and exceedingly strong. Its stairs
and turrets are all of stone, and, from their great
number, afford accommodation to a multitude of wor-
shippers and bathers. The turrets are low and hollow,
and are employed as temples or shrines. Each one
contains several deities, which are, mostly, emblems of
S'iva. An ordinary observer would be in ignorance of
the fact that these are filled with idols, and would
scarcely imagine that he was walking upon the top of
a long succession of shrines, and over the heads of
hundreds of gods. He would have to descend several
steps, before discovering the sacrilege which he was
ignorantly committing; but, having done so, he would
at once perceive that the turrets are open towards
the river, and are, therefore, very convenient for
devotional purposes. The platform above the ghat,
along which runs a narrow, though excellent, road, is
below the steep bank of the river. Prom the platform
a number of stairs thread their way up the bank,
uniting the ghat with this quarter of the city. The
same remark is, for the most part, applicable to the
other ghats. They are all connected together by a
road, which is, in some places, paved, and in the hot
1 Prinsep's "Views of Benares—Second Series.