The Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple draws a lot of attention from pilgrims and tourists visiting the holy city of Varanasi in India. The temple was built extremely close to the Ganges River and has developed a nine-degree slant. By contrast, the Leaning Tower of Pisa in Italy tilts just four degrees. Though a few sources initially stated that the height of this temple is 74 meters comparing it with the height of the Leaning Tower of Pisa is 57 m high. But after research, facts mention that the elevation of this Temple is 74 meters and not the height. The height is approximately 13-14 meters. It is located between Manikarnika Ghat and Scindhia Ghat of Benaras town. Most of the time, it remains underwater and is very close to the Ganges river. However, during monsoons, no rituals are performed in this temple. Voice of prayers and worships are not heard in the rainy season. One cannot see and hear bells ringing. Some people also believe that it is a cursed temple and offering prayers can cause something bad in their house. The Temple is also known as Kashi Karvat (Kashi is the ancient name for Varanasi and karat means leaning in Hindi). No one knows, exactly, why the temple has developed such a severe lean. Like so many buildings and monuments in India, legend and history do not match up when it comes to Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple. The lean could be the result of a structural problem, or because it was built on silt, or because of a curse.
