This unique ghat is now poor imitation of its past

VARANASI: Against the backdrop of magnificent building with exquisite, ornately carved window carvings giving Rajasthani touch and the unique observatory giving reflections of the Sun on the banks of the Ganga, one may be disappointed to see the present condition of Man Mandir Ghat, one of the prominent ghats of the city which lies close to the Dasaswamedh Ghat.
When TOI visited the ghat, the condition of stepped embankments along with stairs and stone platforms was pathetic, showing signs of wear and tear at many places. A number of devotees were found taking a dip in the Ganga along the stepped embankments, where craters and crevices had appeared. The filthy conditions of the area could be also gauged from the fact that the bathing place had turned into a dumping site of garbage, including plastic bags and leftovers.
"It is the devotion and faith in the spirituality and holiness of the Ganga that pulls people to this place. We know that unhygienic conditions prevail here, but most of us take a dip in sacrosanct faith. Sometimes, we also try to clean the litter scattered along the bathing space on the embankments," said Vijay Tiwari, one of the locals who visited the ghat everyday.
While a series of rotten flowers, garlands, plastic bags, broken clay cups and bowls were found to be thrown at the place, the broken stairs with uprooted stone slabs on the platforms presented a pathetic look to the ghat. Besides, a series of ruptured steps and craters appearing along the corner of stairs and some parts of the cemented stairs were found to be uprooted from their place. The debris of old structures was also found to be accumulated there along with broken pieces of old wooden boats scattered along the platforms.
"This ghat only looks beautiful from the top with magnificent buildings and observatory providing a pleasant sight. But, when one comes down the stairs, the ghat becomes a pale shadow of its past. The cemented structures, including stairs and platforms, have started to crumble and due to lack of maintenance and care, the beautiful ghat is gradually losing its sheen and beauty," added Ramjivan Sahni, one of the boatmen of the area, who preferred collecting passengers from neighbouring Dasaswamedh Ghat.
It may be mentioned here that the ghat sports the only observatory built by Savi Jai Singh-II of Rajasthan. There are four main astronomical instruments and renovation was done in 1850s and again in 1912 under the patronage of the King of Jaipur. The observatory is one of the protected sites under the Archaeological Society of India (ASI).