Tourism rises, livelihoods remain uneven as Varanasi’s ghats undergo change

As darkness descends on Shivala Ghat in Varanasi, motorboats carrying tourists glide across the Ganga, their lights reflecting on the water. On the riverbank, a stage is set as hundreds gather for a cultural performance, with the ghats drawing large crowds late into the evening.

Locals say the scene reflects how Varanasi has changed over the last decade, marked by cleaner ghats, increasing tourist footfall and new employment opportunities. Many residents say these developments have made the city more accessible to visitors while improving certain civic conditions.

Ram Lakhan Mallah, a 27-year-old boatman who ferries passengers between Guleria Ghat and Bhonsle Ghat, credits Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who has represented Varanasi as a Member of Parliament since 2014, for these changes.

“Now more tourists are coming. And the boatmen are also getting more work. Employment has also increased. The ghats are also much cleaner than before as the municipal corporation employees now work in three shifts to clean the ghats,” Mallah told PTI.

He added that the peak tourist season, which runs from November to February, has brought higher demand for boat rides.

Varanasi has 88 ghats along the banks of the Ganga. Prominent and historically significant ghats include Assi Ghat, Dashashwamedh Ghat, Manikarnika Ghat, Panchganga Ghat and Rajendra Prasad Ghat. While most ghats are used for bathing, worship and religious rituals, Manikarnika and Harishchandra ghats are dedicated exclusively to cremation.

At Dashashwamedh Ghat, large crowds gather daily for the Ganga Aarti, where lamps illuminate the river and offerings float with the current. A short distance away, Manikarnika Ghat presents a stark contrast, with multiple funeral pyres burning simultaneously, reflecting the city’s close association with life, devotion and death.

Riddhi Srivastava, a 55-year-old tourist from Mumbai, said the cleanliness arrangements have improved compared to previous years.

“Even the water of Ganga is also much cleaner than before,” she told PTI.

The 88 ghats in Varanasi stretch for nearly six kilometres along the river. According to figures released by the Uttar Pradesh government, 54.89 lakh tourists visited Kashi in 2014. By September 2025, the number had risen to 14,69,75,155. Between 2014 and September 2025, more than 45.44 crore Indian and foreign tourists visited the streets and ghats of Kashi.

The government has stated that tourist footfall in Varanasi in 2025 crossed 14.69 crore, more than 25 times the number recorded in 2014.

Anoop Singh, a 50-year-old taxi driver, said infrastructure projects such as wider roads and the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor have contributed to increased tourism and higher earnings for drivers.

“Now there are fewer traffic jams in the city, and the police system is vigilant 24/7. If any incident occurs, the police arrive at the spot within five to seven minutes,” Singh told PTI.

Srivastava echoed these views, saying the improved security arrangements have made the ghats safer, particularly for women.

“Women and girls can now walk around the ghats even at three in the morning without any fear or danger,” she said.

Ujjwal Biswas, 32, who has been selling spiced lemon tea at Shivala Ghat for the past nine years, said he has witnessed significant changes.

“Since Modi ji came, the river has become cleaner. Earlier, people used to dump post-mortem bodies along the ghats, and unclaimed corpses would wash ashore. The water of the Varuna River used to stink.

But now, you won’t even find a single flower lying on the Ganga Ghat. The Ganga has also become clean,” Biswas told PTI.

He added that higher tourist footfall has increased his daily earnings.

However, not all residents view the changes positively. Some locals said redevelopment has disrupted livelihoods and altered the city’s traditional character.

Happy, a taxi driver, said demolition drives carried out “in the name of development” have affected long-established markets.

“People are losing their livelihoods. Shops that had been in families for generations in Dal Mandi, Nai Sadak, and several other areas have been demolished. People are angry,” he said, referring to the ongoing road-widening work in Dal Mandi, one of the city’s oldest neighbourhoods.

Boatman Mallah, while acknowledging improvements in cleanliness and tourism, said his income remains limited.

He said that despite working for around 12 hours a day, he earns approximately Rs 12,000 a month.

Mallah explained that contracts for operating boats are awarded ghat-wise, and only boat owners receive these contracts.

“All the boatmen are poor. We operate rented boats that belong to the boat owners who have the ghat contracts,” he said.

Mallah said his goal is to save enough money to buy his own boat, but added that his current earnings make that unlikely in the near future.

(With inputs from PTI)