“Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together,” said Mark Twain – American novelist of ‘The Adventures of Tom Sawyer’ fame. Popularly known as Benaras and situated at the banks of river Ganga, Varanasi is believed to be the oldest living city in the world. A sacred place for Hindu religion, it is rooted in history, mythology and spirituality. Here’s a peep into the land that evokes much curiosity and inspires travellers from across the world to savour its myriad cultural flavours. By Pallavi Shankar
Abode of Gods: The sacred city is the abode of Lord Shiva and Parvati – the power couple of Hindu mythology. And different schools of spiritual philosophies co-exist here.
The appeal of ghats: Varanasi is home to 87 ghats where ‘Ganga aartis’ are conducted every day. The most popular is the Dashashwamedh Ghat where crucial festivals are celebrated on a huge scale. Other notable ghat is Assi Ghat; these places attract tourists from world over.
City of temples: There are around 23,000 temples in Varanasi; popular ones are Kashi Vishwanath Temple of Shiva, Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple and the Durga Temple. Varanasi, a melting pot of cultures, is also home to 15 big mosques.
Land of learning: British socialist Annie Besant chose Varanasi as the home for her ‘Theosophical Society’. Social reformer Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya also instituted the famous ‘Benares Hindu University’ in the city.
Ramayana was penned here: Ancient scholar Tulsi Das wrote the epic ‘Ram Charit Manas’ or ‘Ramayana’ on the banks of Ganga in Benares. Another ancient poet who lived and wrote in this city was Kabir. Popular Hindi novelist Munshi Prem Chand, too, penned some of his major works in this spiritual place.
Music maestros abound: Varanasi is called the ‘cultural capital’ as many exponents of dance and music are from this city. Sitar maestro Ravi Shankar and shehnai genius Ustad Bismillah Khan lived a major part of their lives in Benares. Classical singer Girija Devi learnt music here.
Global appeal of Banarasi: This weave in which buti patterns are made by zari threads is a craft unique to the city’s karigars. Banarasi has evolved from traditional wedding saris to chic western wear and has found a place of pride in the collection of Indian and international designers like Sabyasachi, Chanel and Vera Wang.
What you learnt...
1. Varanasi has 23,000 temples. 2. Pandit Madan Mohan. Malviya instituted the BHU 3. Sitar maestro Ravi Shankar lived in this city 4. Louis Vuitton used banarasi in its collection 5. Annie Besant started the Theosophical Society here.
Belief and mythology
According to Hindu mythology, Varanasi is the city of salvation – meaning freedom from the cycle of birth and death. And people from different parts of the country and even outside come here to take a dip in the holy Ganges, as there is a belief that doing so washes away all sins.
Buddha’s capital city
Varanasi was the capital of Kasi kingdom in ancient India whose crown prince was Gautam Buddha. The city was also the country’s textile centre.
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