Tilwara Ghat Aarti

About the aarti

Rivers in India are addressed rather than just used, and the aarti is how that is done. At Tilwara Ghat the ritual comes at dusk: lamps are lit and raised to the Narmada, bells sound, and chanting runs out across the water while the light goes off the river. Devotees set small lit diyas afloat, and for a few minutes the surface carries them downstream in a scatter of moving flames. It is a daily devotion rather than a show put on for visitors, and that is the thing that makes it worth attending.

For someone staying in Jabalpur it is one of the easiest and most rewarding evenings available, and it needs no ticket, no booking and no walking. You find a place on the steps before the light goes, you stay still, and you leave when it is over. Visitors are welcome to watch, and the only real requirement is that you behave as a guest at someone else's prayer. Timings follow sunset and local custom, so they are worth confirming on the day.

What happens

The lamps raised to the river

The heart of the ritual. Lit lamps are raised and circled towards the Narmada as the river is addressed directly in prayer.

Diyas on the water

Devotees float small lit lamps on the river. Watching them move off downstream in the near dark is what most visitors remember afterwards.

The sound

Bells, conch and chanting carry well over open water, and the sound is as much of the experience as anything you see.

The ghat at dusk

The steps fill quietly in the last of the light, with families, regulars and the occasional visitor settling in. Arriving early enough to watch that happen is part of it.

Planning your visit

Arrive before the light goes, take a place on the steps and treat the evening as prayer you are being allowed to attend.

• Confirm the evening timing locally, since it follows sunset and shifts through the year.
• Get there early enough to find a spot on the steps with a clear line to the water.
• Stay quiet, keep out of the path of those conducting the ritual and ask before photographing people.
• The steps are wet and poorly lit after dark, so wear shoes with grip and carry a small torch.

Best time to visit

Any clear evening works, and October to March is the pleasantest stretch to sit out on the bank. The aarti follows sunset, so the hour shifts through the year and is earlier in winter than in summer. The monsoon brings a high, loud river and slippery steps, and heavy rain can disrupt the ritual. Festival evenings on the Narmada draw much larger numbers, which makes for a bigger occasion and a harder place to stand.