Varanasi's principal attraction is the long string of ghats which are used mostly for bathing and some of them for cremation. The best time to visit the ghats is at dawn when the river is bathed in lights and pilgrims come to perform puja to the rising sun.
The Dasaswamedh Ghat is the most significant ghat here, and conveniently placed at the centre. The Manikarnika ghat is associated with Goddess Parvati, Lord Shiva's wife. The five ghats where pilgrims are supposed to bathe in order, and on the same day are Assi ghat, followed by Dasaswamedh, Barna Sangam, Panchganga, and finally, Manikarnika, in that order. Manikarnika and Harishchandra ghats, are the ghats used primarily for the cremation of the dead. Other main ghats include Kedar ghat, a shrine popular with Bengalis; Mansarovar ghat built by Man Singh of Amber; and PanchGanga Ghat where the five rivers are supposed to meet.