Photograph of the Gai Ghat on the River Ganges, Varanasi from the Kitchener of Khartoum Collection: 'Views of Benares. Presented by the Maharaja of Benares' by Madhao Rao, c.1905. In the 12th century the ghat marked the southern entrance to Varanasi and still retains the Patana Darvaja, a symbolic relic of that period. The name of the ghat is derived from the huge stone image on it of a Gai (Cow), which is considered to be holy and revered in Hinduism. Varanasi, founded in the sixth century BC is one of the seven sacred cities of the Hindus and is known as a tirtha, or 'crossing place' which allows the devotee access to the divine and where gods and goddesses can come down to earth.
