Assi Ghat is the southernmost ghat in Varanasi. It is one of the biggest ghats of Varanasi and most popular one. To most visitors to Varanasi, it is known for being a place where long-term foreign students, researchers, and tourists live. Assi Ghat is one of the ghats often visited for recreation and during festivals. On typical days about 300 people visit every hour in the mornings, and on festival days 2500 people arrive per hour. Most of the people visiting the ghat on usual days are students from the nearby Banaras Hindu University. The ghat accommodates about 22,500 people at once during festivals like Shivratri.[3] During iconic Dev Deepawali festival, more than 600,000 tourists visit the ghat. There are a lot of activities for tourists to engage in at the ghat. Visitors can go for boat rides, go up in a hot-air balloon for an aerial view of Assi ghat, enjoy the daily talent show in the evening or eat at one of the many restaurants and cafes in the area.
