Chet Singh Ghat, (Varanasi)

Chet Singh Ghat stands apart with its massive, fortress-like stone walls and jagged battlements that loom directly over the Ganges. Built in the late eighteenth century by the local ruler Chet Singh, this structure served as his primary residence and defensive stronghold. In seventeen eighty-one, British forces under Warren Hastings besieged the fort to capture the ruler. Chet Singh escaped the blockade by lowering himself down the river wall on a rope made of tied turbans, fleeing into the night by boat.