Sightseeing Highlights:
Ganga and the Ghats
The holy Ganga, which legend has it emerges from the matted locks of Lord Shiva, is at her most loving, most forgiving, most sorrowful here. To see her different moods, gaze upon her in the stillness of the first light of dawn, the dying light of dusk, the silver light of the new moon. A 3km stretch of the riverside is lined by over a hundred ghats, some for bathing and some exclusively for cremation. Some of these have been commissioned by royals and merchant princes.
The Panchteerthis - the five most sacred ghats are the Assi, Dashashvamedh, Adi Keshava, Panchaganga and Manikarnika. The wide array of activities at the ghats offers visitors a deep insight into the spiritual cornerstone of the Hindu faith, and humanity in all its varied hues. Integral to the Kashi experience is the ritual dip in the Ganga, said to cleanse all mortals of sin and suffering, regardless of the filth and detritus floating in the river. The best way to enjoy the vignettes at the Ganga at Varanasi is to take a boat ride. Expect to pay about Rs 200 for a return trip from Dashashvamedh Ghat to Panchaganga Ghat. The earlier you go the better.
Mythologically Kashi is one great cremation ground - where people come to die to find liberation. The Manikarnika and Harishchandra ghats are amongst the most sacred. The Ganga aarti, held every evening and morning around 6.30 is a rousing performance at the Dashashvamedh Ghat.
The Raj Ghat, at the northern end is sited on the grounds of the original city. The author of the Ramcharitramanas, Tulsidas spent his last days at Tulsi Ghat. Lord Buddha himself is said to have bathed at Maha Nirvani Ghat. The pagoda-like temple at the Lalita Ghat was created by the Nepal royals. At the Manmandir Ghat we have a slice of Rajasthan in the delectable palace with its jharokas, built by Raja Man Singh of Amer in 1600. The observatory here was a contribution of his descendent Raja Jai Singh.
Temples of Varanasi:
Kashi Vishvanath Temple
After the ritual dip in the Ganga pilgrims jostle their way to one of India's holiest Hindu temples, accessed by a narrow, crowded lane, lined with mithai and puja ingredients shops. The original temple was destroyed in 1194 by Qutubudddin Aibak. A slew of iconoclasts (the rulers of Jaunpur, Sikander Lodi and Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb) continued to raze the shrine, which was rebuilt afresh with each destruction.
The new shrine was commissioned in the 18th century by Queen of Indore, Ahilyabai Holkar. Its twin gold spires were donated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab. The original sanctum is covered by the Jnana Vapi Mosque. Within the temple complex are shrines to Vishnu, Avimukta Vinayaka, Kala Bhairava and Virupaksha Gauri. The Shivratri Puja (Feb-Mar) is particularly moving at this holiest of Shiv temples. The Kartik Puja in mid-November, is also very elaborate and the bathing ghats are thronged by devotees from around the country.
Mata Annapoorna Temple
The temple dedicated to the Mother of the Three Worlds is illustrated by a mural showing the deity feeding Lord Shiva.
Kashi Vishalakshi Temple
This shrine is revered as one of the 51 sacred Shaktipeeths. Legend has it that this is where Shiva's wife Sati's aksha (eyes) fell during his enraged tandava (divine dance) following her death.
Sankatmochan Temple
Dedicated to Hanuman, and founded by Tulsidas, it is one of the most frequented temples after the Kashi Vishvanath and Annapoorna temples.
Jagganath Temple
Located near Assi Ghat this 17th century shrine is the focal point of the annual Rath Yatra (June/July) replicating the gargantuan ritual procession held in Puri, in Orissa, of Lord Jagannath.
Vishnu Charanapaduka
One of Varansi most revered spots, and close to the Manikarnika Ghat, it is believed to mark the place where Lord Vishnu himself meditated. Walk a little further to the Manikarnika Kund , the sacred pool in which an earring belonging to Shiva?s consort Parvati is said to have fallen.
Other Activities:
Shopping for brocades and Benaris silks is a time-honoured tradition in this ancient town, renowned the world over for its weaving skills. The original brocade silk saris cost a bomb, but it's better to go for the genuine article instead of picking up a look alike for a fraction of the cost of the original. Head for the popular Godoulia Market and its warren of twisty lanes for these treasures.
UP Handlooms is a safe bet for souvenirs and silks. Look for the famous hand-knotted carpets of Mirzapur if you feel like really splurging. Other must buys are copper and brassware items. In season remember to try Benaras' langda mangoes and don't leave town without sampling the legendary Benarasi paan. The main shopping hubs in the city are Vishwanath Gali, Godoulia, Gyanvapi, Chowk and Thatheri Baazar.
Centre of Learning and Culture:
A trip to the Banaras Hindu University campus, established in 1916 by philanthropist Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, is a must if only to see the fabulous collection of over 1,00,000 artifacts dating back to the 1st century BC till the 12th century on display at the Bharat Kala Bhavan Museum. The city has deep associations with noted writers such as Munshi Prem Chand.
The patron deity of music and dance is Lord Shiva and Benaras, a great centre of music is the hometown of world-renowned instrumentalists such as late Ustad Bismillah Khan, Pandit Ravi Shankar and vocalist Girija Devi. The city is the perpetuator of the Banarasi Thumri, Dadra, and Tarana streams of music.
Excursions:
Sarnath (10 km)
Sacred to Buddhists around the world, this serene Buddhist enclave is where Lord Buddha turned the 12 wheels of Dhamma. Archaeologists have found remains dating to 260 BC. Visit the brick-work Chaukhandi Stupa built by Goverdhan, son of Raja Todarmal in 1588 to commemorate Mughal emperor Humayun's visit here, and the Tibetan Temple before heading for the Archaeological Museum which houses the Ashokan Pillar in the central hall.
Also here is a fabulous 2.87m Bodhisattva of the Mathura School. The galleries have on display a range of sculptures. In the Archaeological and Excavation Area is the Dhameka Stupa (built by Emperor Ashoka in 249 BC to commemorate his pilgrimage here) marking the place that Buddha is said to have delivered his legendary first sermon.
Tourism Info:
Uttar Pradesh Tourism
Parade Kothi, Cantonment
Varanasi
Tel: 0542-2206638
Government of India Tourism Office
15-B, The Mall, Varanasi
Telefax: 0542-2501784
City of Light - Kashi - holiest city of the Hindu faith and Lord Shiva's chosen permanent home on earth. It is here that the holy Ganga flows in reverential equanimity accepting the detritus of humanity in all its myriad forms, its prayers, its sins, its tears, its dead -for that final merging with the benevolence of the gods and liberation from earth. Older than the western cities of Babylon and Nineveh, Kashi's beginnings were at the dawn of creation.
Hindu scriptures tell us that Kashi is the centre of the universe. It is here that the mighty Lord Shiva reigns supreme in his earthly home...In every stone is Shiva, tell you the throng of devotees pushing deeper in the crowd for a brief glimpse of the first and most sacred of Jyotirlingas in its tiny temple, before moving on. Shiva is worshipped here as Lord Vishwanath. In the city of light brightened by the effulgence of his beauty devotees seek the blessings of the beloved god who is said to whisper the mantra of salvation to the dying. Another legend has it he is still looking for the earring of Parvati his consort, lost here at Varanasi in the vicinity of Manikarnika Ghat, and asks each dying person if he has seen the lost jewel.
Destroyed and rebuilt time and again, with a 2,500 year recorded history, the legendary Kashi is a state of mind. Not its ghats, nor the the flowing Ganga awash with the dirt and filth poured into it as lavishly as the tears of sorrowing widows and grieving families who come to burn their dead ...nor its museums, nor its famous university. It is Kashi where the likes of the Buddha and Hiuen Tsang, Tulsidas and Akbar, Adi Shankaracharya and Chaitanya Mahaprabhu once walked - where some seek moksha and some the answers to the riddle of life and death. The Great Cremation Ground or Mahashmashana, as it is also called, is where Lord Yama, the God of Death is faced fearlessly, for to die in Kashi is to find liberation.
A principal commercial hub along the northern trade routes Kashi's rise continued till the 12th century. The capital of the Gahadavala Kingdom of the time it was annihilated by the armies of Mohammad Ghori in 1194. A subsequent invasion in 1197 demolished what remained of the Kashi as was then known.
A city that the Jataka Tales reveal was a powerful force from the times of the Mahabharata has a modern avatar that bears the stamp of Maratha rule in the 18th century. The Holkars, Peshwas and Scindias have left behind a legacy of temples and ghats and little wonder then that aura of piety and sacred splendour attracted the royals of other kingdoms to leave their mark on the city's visage-a city which according to Mark Twain, who came here in 1826, was "older than legend, older than tradition... older than all these put together"
Varanasi, the Benaras of yesteryears is located in the middle Ganga valley of the northern plains, in eastern Uttar Pradesh, along the left bank of the Ganga River. Life here centres on the sacred Ganga, its bathing ghats, the antique temples and the teeming bazaars of the city. The city a spiritual fount head for Indian mysticism is an important pilgrimage point for the Buddhist and the Jain community too. A short distance from town is the archaeological site of ancient Buddhism at Sarnath. Benaras is also an ancient centre for learning (it is home to one of India's most renowned educational institutes the Benaras Hindu University) and Indian classical music and dance and continues to attract students from home and abroad. |
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