Varanasi: Ganga Aarti was conducted by seven acharyas (senior priests) at the beautifully decorated Lalita Ghat of Kashi Vishwanath Dham on the inaugural day of Chaitra Navratri on Thursday evening. A large gathering occupied the ghat steps hours before the well-choreographed evening aarti commenced amidst Vedic hymns and prayers.The ritual was added to the routine on the lines of daily Ganga Aartis performed at Dashaswamedh, Sheetla (old Dashaswamedh), Assi and Namo Ghats. Kashi Vishwanath temple also hosted cultural events while nine ‘kalash’ (urns) were installed by nine women achievers, including folk singer Malini Awasthi.Ganga flows northward to touch the feet of Lord Vishwanath in Kashi and, now goddess Ganga will be worshipped with daily Aarti at the doorstep of the deity’s courtyard daily,” said Vishwa Bhushan Mishra, Kashi Vishwanath temple chief executive officer, adding it was decided to begin this ritual on the first day of Chaitra Navratri, also considered beginning of the new Hindu calendar year. Goddess Lalita is named after one of the nine forms of Durga, said the CEO, adding she reflected the Tripurasundari form, the supreme goddess in Tantra Sadhana. The temple trust started Ganga Aarti at Namo Ghat on the birthday of Prime Minister and Varanasi MP Narendra Modi on Sept 17, 2025. Ganga Aarti at different ghats of Ganga has emerged as one of the major attractions for devotees from across the globe over the past three decades and maximum crowd is witnessed at Dashaswamedh Ghat. In the evening, the ghats get overcrowded and finding space to watch this mesmerising ritual from close becomes difficult.Aartis at Assi and Namo Ghats divided the crowd, but could still not reduce crowd load from Dashaswamedh Ghat.
