The sacred geography of the Indic world — every site mapped, dated, storied, and cited.
Manikarnika Ghat, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh · 25.3119°, 83.0160°
Varanasi's celebrated leaning temple, standing at the foot of Manikarnika Ghat with a tilt of about nine degrees and its sanctum flooded for much of the year. Revenue records date it to 1825-30, though its patron is disputed between a servant of Raja Man Singh, the Amethi royal house, Baija Bai of Gwalior and Ratna Bai, a servant of Ahilya Bai of Indore.
What follows is the temple’s own traditional account, transmitted through liturgy and local memory. It is recorded here as tradition, not as attested history.
One account holds that Ahilya Bai cursed the temple to lean because her servant Ratna Bai had named it after herself.
coordinates: wikipedia-2026-08-28 · sources retrieved 2026-08-26 · dynasty page: 19th century (patron disputed)
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