About Varanasi

Varanasi also known as Banaras / Kashi is a city that people following Hinduism believe the holiest city. Hindus have a faith that breathing their last in the city or disposing of the cremated remains in the river here will bring them salvation. This is due to the fact that people believe the river Ganges has the power of wiping one’s sins. Hence attracting people across the globe to visit the city once in a lifetime. The city is located on the shores of the river Ganges or Ganga. The city also holds a record of the oldest inhabited cities across the world.

The City Of Temples

The city is home for famous temples in India and thus earning the title “The city of temples”. Few of the famous temples are, Kashi Vishwanath Temple of Lord Shiva, Sankata Mochan Hanuman Temple of Lord Hanuman and Durga Temple of Godesses Durga. The other temples where you can pay a visit are Mrityunjaya temple, Kalabhairava temple, Vishalakshi temple. There is also provision to offer your prayer to the river Ganges through Mangala Arati near Vishwanath temple.

The Kashi Vishwanath Temple is counted one among the 12 traditional Jyotirlinga (The radiant sign of the almighty Shiva). There are 12 such traditional Jyotirlinga shrines present in India and they are Somnath in Gujarat, Mallikarjuna at Srisailam – Andhra Pradesh, Mahakaleswar at Ujjain – Madhya Pradesh, Omkareshwar in Madhya Pradesh, Kedarnath in Uttrakhand, Bhimashankar at Pune – Maharashtra, Tryambakeshwar at Nashik – Maharashtra, Vaidyanath Temple in Deoghar District of Jharkhand, Aundha Nagnath at Aundha in Hingoli District – Maharashtra, Rameshwar at Rameshwaram – Tamil Nadu, Grushneshwar at Ellora near Aurangabad – Maharashtra.

The city has seen great saints such as Gauthama Buddha, Mahavir, Shankaracharya and many more. The place also believed to have played a major role in the creation and development of Buddhism, it is said that Buddhism is founded here in Varanasi by Buddha. The Mahabodhi temple as a mark of the tree that Gauthama Buddha chose for meditation and under which he got enlighten is located near the city.

The city is popular for the production of silk fabrics. The Banarasi sarees have made their own standard in its respective field. The city is also famous for its perfumes, paan and sculpture works. Apart from this, the city is also upholding the values of spiritualism, philosophy and mystics since thousands of years. The richness in the culture of the city has got the it another title “Cultural Capital of India”. The city has always contributed well in the field of education. The Banaras Hindu University (BHU) is known as the largest university in Asia.

The city has produced great personalities who have achieved heights in various fields. The big names include Pandith Ravi Shankar, a famous sitar player, Ustad Bismillah Khan, a renowned shehnai player.

There are hundreds of ghats present in the city, most among them are used for cremation. The famous ghats include the names of Kali ghat, Manikarnika ghat, the Scindia ghat, the Dashashwamedh ghat, the Man Mandir ghat etc.