Ghat (Hindi:[gʱaːʈ]), a term used in theIndian subcontinent, to refer to the series of steps leading down to a body of water orwharf, such as a bathing or cremation place along the banks of ariver orpond, theGhats in Varanasi,Dhobi Ghat or theAapravasi Ghat.[1][2]
The origin of the English 'ghat' isSanskrit:घट्ट,ghaṭṭa and is normally translated as ghaṭ, quay, landing or bathing place, as well as, steps by a river-side.[3] The word 'ghat' has also been derived from Dravidian etymons such asTelugukaṭṭa andgaṭṭu (dam and embankment) derived fromkaṭṭu meaning "to tie".[4]
These are bathing wharves on a river.[5]The numerous significant ghats along theGanges are theVaranasi ghats (the city ofVaranasi has 88 ghats) and generically the "ghats of the Ganges". Most of these were constructed under the patronage of variousMaratha rulers such asAhilyabai Holkar (Queen of theMalwa Kingdom from 1767 to 1795) in the 18th century.[6]
InMadhya Pradesh in centralIndia, there are further significant ghats along theNarmada River. People who live on the steps are also called ghats.
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Ghats such as these are useful for both mundane purposes (such as cleaning) and religious rites (i.e. ritual bathing or ablutions); there are also specific "shmashana" or "cremation" ghats where bodies are cremated waterside, allowing ashes to be washed away by rivers. Notable examples includeNigambodh Ghat andRaj Ghat inDelhi, situated on the Yamuna River. Raj Ghat, in particular, was the cremation site forMohandas Karamchand Gandhi and numerous political leaders after him, and theManikarnika Ghat at Varanasi on theGanges.[7]
"Ghat" and "Ghata" is also asuffix used in several place names across thesubcontinent. This is an incomplete list:
The word is also used in some places outside the Indian subcontinent. For example, inGeorge Town, Penang,Malaysia, the label "Ghaut" is used to identify the extensions of those streets which formerly ended in ghats before the reclamation of the quayside (e.g., Church St Ghaut, inMalayGat Lebuh Gereja, is the name of the extension of Church St beyond where the street used to descend to the water via a ghat). Both inPenang andSingapore, there are areas namedDhoby Ghaut (dhobi meaning "launderer" or "laundry", depending on whether it refers to a person or a business).
Aapravasi Ghat orThe Immigration Depot is a building complex located inPort Louis on theIndian Ocean island ofMauritius, the first Britishcolony to receive indentured, or contracted, labour workforce from India.[8] From 1849 to 1923, half a million Indianindentured labourers passed through the Immigration Depot, to be transported toplantations throughout theBritish Empire. Thelarge-scale migration of the laborers left an indelible mark on the societies of many former British colonies, with Indians constituting asubstantial proportion of their national populations.[9] In Mauritius alone, 68 percent of the current total population is ofIndian ancestry. The Immigration Depot has thus become an important reference point in thehistory andcultural identity of Mauritius.[10][11]
