The Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple, also known as the Kashi Karvat Temple, is one of Varanasi's most arresting visual surprises. The small Shiva temple leans dramatically at nine degrees from vertical — visibly crooked to the naked eye — and has partly submerged into the earth beside the Ganges. During the monsoon, when the river rises, it floods entirely.
The lean is believed to be the result of subsidence over centuries, with the riverbank soil shifting beneath the foundations. The effect is heightened by the temple's position right at the water's edge, visible from passing boats. It is a working shrine and is most atmospheric at dawn when priests perform puja inside its tilted interior.
The temple is best seen from a boat on the Ganges, where its angle relative to the surrounding architecture becomes most apparent. It sits between Scindia Ghat and Manikarnika Ghat.