Varanasi

Varanasi

The city of Shiva, is one of the holiest Hindu cities in India. Hindu pilgrams come wash away all their sins in the Ganges. Varanasi was previously called Benares and Kashi (City of Life) and has always been an auspicious place to die, since expiring here offers moksha – liberation from the cycle of birth and death. The city is in the beating heart of the Hindu universe, a crossing place between the physical and spiritual worlds, and the Ganges is viewed as a river of salvation, an everlasting, ever flowing symbol of hope to past, present, and future generations. The magical and sometimes overwhelming city is where the most intimate rituals of life and death take place in public on the city’s famous ghats. Varanasi has been a centre of learning and civilization for over 3000 years, and claims to be one of the oldest cities in the world. Mark Twain wrote that ‘Benares is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together.’ Its history dates back to 1400 BCE, but it was around 8th Century CE that Varanasi rose in prominence when Shankaracharya,a reformer of Hinduism, established Shiva worship as the principal sect. The Muslim Afghans destroyed Varanasi around 1300 CE, after laying waste to nearby Sarnath, but the fanatical Mughal emperor Aurangzeb was the most destructive, looting and destroying almost all of the temples. The old city of Varanasi may look antique, but few buildings are more than a couple hundred years old.

Ghats

Varanasi’s principal attraction is the long string of ghats that line the western bank of the Ganges. Most are used for bathing, but there are several ‘burning ghats’ where bodies are cremated in public. Around 80 ghats border the river. The ghats extend from Assi Ghat, s near the university, northwards to Raj Ghat, near the road and rail bridge. It’s a unique, world class ‘people-watching’ walk as you mingle with the fascinating mixture of people who come to the Ganges not only for a ritual bath but also to wash clothes, do Yoga, offer blessings, sell flowers, get a shave, improve their karma by giving to beggers, or simply loiter.

"With Mr. Singh, our local guide, we gathered together our flower offering and cremations remains to make our own offering to the river Ganges. With the sun rising, I think Grandmother Isle would have been happy to know both the mother Ganges and Surya, the sun god, recieved her."

Benares Hindu University

Varanasi has long been a centre of learning and that continues today at the large and well-regarded Benares Hindu University, which was established in 1917. Founded by nationalist Pandi Malaviya as a centre for education, Indian art, music, culture, philosophy, and Sankrit, it now offers courses in just about every single subject and has 14,000 students including 2,000 foreigners. The New Vishwanath Temple, unlike most temples in Varanasi, is open to all, irrespective of caste or religion.