General Information

Varanasi is believed to have been created when this universe itself was created .According to historical records,it is a city contemporary with Niniveh and Thebes and therefore today the oldest city in world .It is mentioned in Hindu sculptures dating back 3000 years .Most of the ancient temples were , however ,destroyed by invaders and some rebuilt by Rani Ahilayabai of Indore and rulers of the Maratha empire.

The name, Varanasi, is derived from its situation on the banks of the River Ganges at the confluence of the rivers Varuna and Assi. It is better
known by ancient name, Kashi.

It is the mist important place of pilgrimage for Hindus, and the sight of the devout praying, standing waist-deep in water, is moving Varanasi has been a seat of learning from time immemorial.It was at nearby Sarnath that the Buddha preached his first sermon that the Buddha preached his first sermon and set in motion the Wheel of Law.

What to see

THE GHATS
Life in Varanasi revolves around its 7 km long sweep of about 100 bathing ghats which skirts the west bank of the Ganges Many of them were built by the rulers of places as far away as Mysore and Udaipur, among others .You should not miss taking a boat ride among the ghats at dawn for a view of the one of the most spectacular scenes of devotion ever .You could start from the central Dasawamedh Ghat go upriver to Asi Ghat and proceed downstream to Panchaganya.

You will see devotees thronging the water’s edges. Offering ritual puja to the Sun God and chanting the ‘Gayatri Mantra’ .Young men limber up with before making the dare-devil dives from temple spire .Women bathe as their saris billow in the water .Brahmins priests hold court on plinths beneath palm umbrellas and give sermons. Pavement barbers have heads and overnight stubbles, dhobis slape clothes mightly on jutting rocks smoothened with years of beating and yogis sit frozen in contorted positions.Wrestlings is a favorite pastime inVaranasi and crowed cheer, as combatants gleaming with oil, tussel in a soil pit. You will also see the constant burning at the Harikarmika and the Harishcaandra ghats.

Downstream from Asi Ghat is Tulsi Ghat, which honour Tulsi Das, who reanimated Ramayana into Hindu and died in 1623 .Janki Ghat is the site of the electric crematorium .Bachra Ghat is used Jain and has three Jain Temples .Besides it is the Shivala or Kali Ghat, the most royal ghat still used by the descendents of the Maharaja of Banaras and distinguished by its huge Shiva Lingam. Hanuman Ghat attracts hordes of devotees from all over India .Dandi Ghat is used by ascetics, fakirs and yogis .Past Harischandra’s smoking pyres is the Kedar Ghat with its temples.

Someshwar Ghat is said to have magical healing powers. Ahaiya Ghat was built by Ahalya Bai, queen of Indoor during the 18th century. Beyond the Dasaswamedh Ghat is Man Mandir Ghat, which has one of the five observatories built by Jai Singh II of Jaipur .This one was constructed in 1710 Mir Ghat leads to a Nepalese temples which is decorated with erotic paintings ,and further inland is the golden-spired Vashwanath temple ,Varanasi’s holiest shrine.Jasain .near Harikarmika, is another burning ghat .At the northern end is Dattaraya ghat , named after a Brahmin saint .Panchaganga ghat ,where five of India’s holy rivers are said to confluence .Tirlochan ghat is marked by its dual turrets and Raj Ghat is the final destination of pilgrims.

VISHWANATH TEMPLE
Hindus believe that Shiva actually lives here .And so this is one of the country’s most important temples. Pilgrims from across India throng here for a visit after having “washed off” their sins built in 1600 but was destroyed by Aurangzeb’s orthodox iconoclast .He then built his Gyanrapi Mosque at the site.

The Maratha queen of Indore, Ahalya Bhai, reconstructed the present shrine next door in 1776 .The solid gold plating of the spires were a gift from Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the founder of the first Sikh kingdom in 1835 .

DURGA TEMPLE
To the south is the red-ochre Durga temple built in the north Indian Nagara style by the 18th century Bengali Maharani .It is dedicated to Durga, a fierce form of Shiva wife Parvati .The temple is renowned for its resident tribe of monkeys. Close by is the Tulsi Manas temple, a new pristine marble-structure with the Hindu epic Ramayana inscribed and the walls.

BANARAS HINDU UNIVERSITY
More than 20,000 students attend the University, two-thirds of them living on campus in pleasant, tree-shaded building, founded by Madan Mohan Malviya, a freedom fighter and barrister turned educationalist. On campus is the remarkable Bharatiya Kala Bhawan which has fascinating medieval miniatures some on palm leaves .Also on campus is a Shiva temple, which is made of beautiful white marble, rears its lofty heads into the sky. A rhinoceros fountain spouts water from its head.

Excursions

SARNATH
In some way Buddhism is said to have started at Sarnath, 8 km north of Varanasi. Here the enlightened Buddha gave his famous first sermon an enormous brick and stone stupa, 100 ft high built by Ashoka in 3rd century marks the spot of the lecture.

Sarnath probably derived its name from one of Buddha’s titles, Saranganath, lord of the Deer. It became a monastic centre, gaining official patronage as the capital of the Buddhism under Ashoka (269-232 BC) The Chinese Buddhist pilgrims, Fahsian and Hsuan Tsiang, who visited India in the fifth and seventh centuries, both recorded impression of their stay .The latter of Senath’s vast monastery with 1,500 monks the
Ashokan pillars, lakes, gardens and magnificient giant stupas.

Over the centuries, Buddhijsm waned but much of Sarnath, fabled grandeur still remain. He huge swastika – covered Dhamakh Stupa dates back to 500 AD In recent years, a deer park has been added, replacing the one that existed on the site when the monastery in the existence an excellent archaeological museum has also been set up. Its prizes exhibit is the four faced lion capital which originally crowned the Ashoka pillars and is now the emblem of India’s government .It’s a treasure house of culptures from the Maurya, Kushan and Gupta period, well as Hindu images from the 9th to the 12th centuries.

RAMNAGAR FORT
An 18 Th century fort, 16 km across the rivers from Varanasi, Ramnagar is still the residence of the former royalty of Banaras .Part of his ancestral home is now a well organized museum with liveried guards and treasures giving a whiff of the former glory. Gem-encrusted weapon, mothballs howdahs palanquins, astrological clocks, ostrich eggs and vintage cars .Rare stuff!

Standard Sightseeing Tours
Half day, sightseeing tour of the city visiting the Bharat Mata Temple with a big relief map of India in marble , Durga Temples ,Tulsi Manas Mandir ,Banaras Hindu University which has an Art Galley and Mosque of Moghul Emperor Aurangabad built on the site of an ancient Hindu Temple .

Early morning boat excursion on the holy river Ganges to see the Bathing ghats and Cremation site .Watching people bathing and worship at the Ghats is one of the most extraordinary experiences of a visit to India.

Half day tour of Sarnath, the buried Buddhist city where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon. Sarnath was a renowned school of learning from 6th century B.C to 12th century A.D Visit the ruins, the stupa, the Buddhist temple and the Museum (Museum closed on Friday).