The Rise of Kashi (800 - 600 BCE)

The site of the Dashashwamedh Ghat, on the banks of the Ganga in Banaras, is indelibly etched in the minds of those who have been there. Kings have come and gone, empires have risen and fallen, yet the faithful have thronged here for many centuries to walk down the stairs and bow their heads to God and the river.

It is said that it was here, at this very site, that the King of Kashi or, as some others believe Brahma, the creator himself, sacrificed ten horses in an Ashwamedha yajna, all at once. People believe that those who bathe in the river on this ghat are showered with blessings, and it all emanates from that sacrifice thousands of years ago.