Home of the Gauri Kedareshwar temple and one of Varanasi's most colourful ghats, popular with pilgrims from South India.
Kedar Ghat is one of the best-known ghats on the southern riverfront, easy to spot from a boat by its painted steps. Above it stands the Gauri Kedareshwar temple, dedicated to Lord Shiva and linked in tradition to Kedarnath in the Himalayas.
Devotees believe the Kedareshwar shrine came through the turbulent late 17th century untouched, and many treat it as one of the oldest living temples in Kashi. You will hear Tamil, Telugu and Kannada on these steps — the ghat has long been a spiritual base for pilgrims from South India, with a South Indian math close by.
Near the bottom of the steps is Gauri Kund, a little sacred pool dedicated to Goddess Parvati. Pilgrims take its water before climbing up to Kedareshwar — a ritual described in the old Kashi Khand texts.
Royal patrons from the south helped shape this stretch of the river — the adjoining ghat still carries the name of Vijayanagaram. Kedar Ghat's present stone steps date from a rebuilding in 1958.
Kedar Ghat is on the route of every sunrise ride from Assi Ghat and is a favourite subject for photographers.
Last updated: 8 October 2026 · All Varanasi guides
