Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh)

Varanasi, or Benaras as it was earlier called, sacred to the Hindus has many names: Kashika, or 'the shining one' referring to the light of Shiva. Avimukta, meaning 'never forsaken', refers to the city that Shiva never deserted. Anandavana, the 'forest of bliss', and Rudravasa, the place where Shiva (Rudra) resides. This city has held many a true sceptic captive, despite the atmosphere being dirty and crowded, badly planned and chaotic.

The holy river of the Hindus, the Ganga traces a great arc through Varanasi, perfectly aligning the river bank with the rising sun. A dip in the Ganga is considered to be a rite of purification, with the power to purge all sins. The ultimate pilgrimage Varanasi, or Kashi or Benaras as is believed to be the place that provides man the answers to the penultimate quest for salvation and enlightenment.

Wake up early and hire a boat, watch the sun rise over the famous ghats and close your eyes before you open them again to let the sight stay with you. For a city that is considered ancient, there is no temple, no monument older than 3 centuries ago. Credit for this shame goes to the destructive Emperor Aurangzeb and the carnage he wrought here. But for all of that, the city gazes at you calmly and waits for you to realize the answers to all your questions and at Varanasi, this seems completely possible.

Population: Approx 1.2 million

Climate: Varanasi ensures that its pilgrims have a hard time at least by way of the weather. Hot and humid summers make you swelter at 45°C. the monsoons offer some respite but not much at 37°C. Winters are the best, with temperatures at 30°C.

Best time to visit: Other then the peak of summer from May to June and the monsoons from July to August, plan a trip anytime.

Places of Interest

The Ghats
Many a story has been told of the Ghats of Varanasi. Quite an amazing experience as you either walk along or brave the waters. This is the real Varanasi, with its godmen in saffron, the echoes of the shlokas, bathing pilgrims with prayers on their chilled and stuttering lips, the shoreline with flames lapping up towards the sky where the dead are sent to heaven - a thousand sights and smells assault and overwhelm you. The more famous of the Ghats are the Dasashwamedha, Manikarnika, Assi, Panch Ganga and Harishchandra Ghats.

Vishwanath Temple
With the only constraint being that only Hindus are allowed inside the temple, the Vishwanath Temple was built in 1777, by Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore. Aurangzeb's destruction of the temple and the rebuilding of it on the same site gives its history value and the temple has been the principal Shiva Temple in Varanasi for more than a thousand years. Known as the 'Golden Temple', because of the 800 kgs of gold, which adorns its shikharas, the roof was gold-plated by the blessing of Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1835. In the inner sanctum, the shivling is enshrined atop a golden altar.

Bharat Mata Temple
Dedicated to India, this temple was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi. Inside, there is a marble relief map of India and other related memorabilia. The symmetry of design and scale of the map catches your attention.

Gyan Kup
Said to date back to well before the birth of the Ganges, Gyan Kup literally translates into the 'Well of Knowledge and Wisdom'. The kup is conveniently situated next to the main temple and the water from the well is believed to "indicate the highest spiritual illumination".

Gyanvapi Mosque
In an act that was typical of its eccentric and destructive builder Aurangzeb, this great mosque was built with materials salvaged from plundered Hindu temples. The monument is an architectural wonder, with minarets, which are 71 m in height. It is only the rear portions of the mosque that give away its Hindu origins.

Benares Hindu University
The BHU, as it is popularly known, was founded in 1917 by well-known nationalist Pt Malviya. The largest residential university in India, it houses an excellent Sanskrit School as also a museum within its campus, the Bharat Kala Bhavan Museum. The Museum has an amazing collection of old manuscripts, ancient sculptures and paintings.

Ramnagar Fort and Museum
The ancestral home of the former Maharaja of Varanasi, this 17th century fort-palace was built by Maharaj Balwant Singh and is situated across the river to the south of the city. The fort has a temple and a museum within the grounds, the temple being dedicated to Veda Vyasa, the author of the Mahabharata, who stayed briefly at the Ramnagar Fort. An interesting array of ornate palanquins, gold-plated howdahs and weapons are some of the artifacts on display.

Excursion

Sarnath
Sarnath lies 10 kilometres north east of Varanasi. It was here that Buddha preached his message of Buddhists worldwide look upon India as the land of the Buddha and a visit to this country means a pilgrimage to those places sacred to the memory of the Enlightened One.

After the Buddha attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya he came to Sarnath. The Emperor Ashoka, who spread Lord Buddha’s message of love and compassion throughout his vast empire, visited Sarnath around 234 BC, and erected a stupa here. Several Buddhist structures were raised at Sarnath between the 3rd century BC and the 11th century AD, and today it presents the most expansive ruins amongst places on the Buddhist trail. The ruins, the museum and temple are all within walking distance.

Allahabad
Allahabad is situated at a distance of about 135 km west of Varanasi and 238 km from the state capital Lucknow. Allahabad is among the largest cities in Uttar Pradesh. Hindu mythology has it that for the Prakrishta Yaina, Lord Brahma, the creator God of the Trinity, chose a land on earth, on which the three rivers would flow in to a quiet confluence. Brahma also referred to it as `Tirth Raj’ or the `king of all pilgrimage centres’. Recorded evidence also exists in the revered scriptures – the Vedas and the grand epics, the Ramayana and the Mahabharata, as also in the Puranas – of this holy place formerly called Prayag. Allahabad stands at the confluence of two of India’s holiest rivers, the Ganga and the Yamuna. Sangam, as the confluence is called, is the venue of many sacred fairs and rituals, and attracts thousands of pilgrims throughout the year. This number swells to millions during the world-famous Kumbh Mela. A third mythical Saraswati river, believed to flow underground towards the Sangam, gives the confluence its other name 'Triveni'.

Emperor Akbar founded this city in 1575 and called it by name of `Illahabas’, which has now become modern Allahabad. The monarch realized its strategic importance as a waterway landmark in North India and also built a magnificent fort on the banks of the holy Sangam.

Kushinagar
About 51 kilometres from Gorakhpur lies Kushinagar, Kushinagar, one of the principal centre of Buddhist pilgrimage, is the place where Lord Buddha left his corporeal self and attained Mahaparinirvana. The credit for bringing this ancient site to light goes to General A. Cunningham and A.C.I. Carlyl, who, after excavating the site in 1861, established its antiquity for the first time. Later, between 1904 and 1912, several excavations conducted by the Archaeological Survey of India at Kushinagar confirmed its identity.

The monuments of Kushinagar are situated in three distinct groups comprising the main site of the Nirvana Temple, the central stupa and surrounding monasteries, the Mathakuar shrine to the southwest, and the Ramabhar Stupa a kilometer to the east.

How to get there

By Air: Indian Airlines and Jet Airways connect Varanasi to Agra, Delhi, Khajuraho, Lucknow and Mumbai. There are also regular flights connecting Varanasi with Kathmandu.

By Rail: Varanasi is well connected by trains from Delhi, Agra as well as Kolkata.