Varanasi City Visit

“Banares is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend...and looks twice as old as all of these put together”
-- Mark Twain

With the rays of the dawn shimmering across the Holy Ganges, the stepped banks, and revered shrines along the banks are bathed in a golden hue as soul stirring hymns and mantras pierce the morning calm, and every heart pulsates with the fragrance of incense filling the air..for holidayers to Varanasi, it is a physical journey to Lord Shiva’s earthly abode, a sacred destination where salvation of the soul is an irrefutable promise. Famed as one of the oldest living cities in the world, Varanasi, is glorified by myth and legend, and sanctified by religion. It is the place where Adi Shankaracharya taught, Hieun Tsang travelled and the Gahadavala dynasty thrived upto the 12th century. The holy city known as Banaras or Kashi, is a microcosm of Hinduism, a city of classical culture and modern faith. Caressing a rich tradition of art and craft, music and as a centre of learning, Varanasi is also famous for its silk weaving industry the Banarasi silk saree and silk brocades. Come, carve a distinct spiritual heart for yourself.

Visit Varanasi on Events & Festivals

The city of Varanasi has an elaborate cycle of festivals. However, the most important and spectacular-the only ones to involve processions and rituals outside the temples-are associated with the annual cycle. The times and dates vary and are determined by the temple authorities. The most interesting feature of the festivals is the processions that are carried out along the routes. Elephants and musicians lead the processions, especially those for the major festivals.
Chittirai Festival
The Chittirai festival celebrates the marriage of Meenakshi and Sundareshwara (Shiva). Held in the months of April/May, the festival is a grand affair. The festivities last for 12 continuous days. An elaborate wedding ceremony is organised in the Meenakshi temple, and later the deities are wheeled around the city in massive chariots, decorated elaborately. The resounding notes of the nadaswaram and the drums create a vibrant ambience.
Avanimoola Festival
Held in late August or early September, the Avanimoola festival marks the coronation of Sundareshwara (Shiva). The special feature of the festival is its series of plays based on the myths from the legend of the temple. The coronation of the deity and the procession of the images all form an integral part of this elaborate festival.
Teppam Festival or the Float Festival
Usually held during January/February in the Meenakshi Temple, Teppam festival or the float festival is one of the most important festivals of Varanasi. The last two days of the 12-day festival are specially marked as the King's Festival. It was believed to have been started by the Tirumala Nayak, and is celebrated annually to mark his birthday by Tamil reckoning.

The images of Meenakshi and Lord Sundareshwara are mounted on floats or rafts, and taken to the Mariamman Teppakkulam Tank. The illuminated rafts embellished with flowers are floated on the waters of the tank. The floats carry them back to the central shrine amidst chants and music.
Panguni Festival
The festive magic never ends in Varanasi. If Poornima cleanses, Maha Shivratri blesses. If Holika-Dahan is a celebration, Dhrupad Mela is a revelation…. One does not require making his itinerary according to the dates and months of the festivals. One can come and enjoy the festive season anytime of the year here.

Reasons Visiting Varanasi

Visiting Varanasi
Visit Varanasi, which is Called as city of Lord Shiva or city of Ghats or City of Cyclerikshaws or City of immigrant widows, Varanasi as its official name stands today or Kashi for Hindus or Benaras or Anandvan as it was known in ancient times. Varanasi is one of the oldest living cities in the world.

Mark Twain once said that "Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together". Norman Macleod describes Varanasi like this "Benaras is to Hindoos what Mecca is for Muslims and Jeruslem is for Jews. It is holy city of Hindustan. It is visible embodiment of religion."

For any Hindu visiting Varanasi three places are must for his itinerary this is what locals say. The places are Kashi Vishwanath Golden Temple, which is one of the 12 Jyotirlingas, Sankatmochan Hanuman Temple and Kalbhairav Temple. There are dozens of other places of tourist attraction. The most important is Kashi Vishwanath Golden Temple.

Visit Varanasi India

Varanasi is the oldest city of the world and an sacred Hindu pilgrimage center in India, tourists visits Varanasi from all over the world in search of spirituality & truth and to understand the culture, custom & tradition of India. For centuries, Varanasi is famous for spiritualism, mysticism, Indian philosophy and Hinduism. All these are reflected in numerous sects, temples, Ashrams and Ghats. Varanasi is associated not only with Hinduism but also with Buddhism and Jainism. Besides numerous temples, Varanasi also boasts of Buddhist Stupas and Jain temples. Varanasi is also a mirror of the age-old Indian civilization.
Visit the archaeological museum at Sarnath which has numerous remains of the past and that including the National emblem of India, the Ashoka pillar.Since Varanasi is mainly associated with Hinduism, temples form the main attraction. The Ganga Ghats (river fronts) are the main center of religious activities and rituals and also form one of the main attractions of Varanasi. The Alamgir Mosque, blend of the Hindu and Mughal styles of the architecture, is another important attraction of Varanasi. Some of the most important temples of Varanasi are Durga temple, Vishwanath temple, Sankat Mochan temple, Tulsi Manas temple and the Bharat Mata temple.

The Bharat Mata Temple houses a huge relief map of the whole of Indian subcontinent and Tibetan plateau. Other attractions of Varanasi are the Benaras Hindu University (BHU), the Archaeological Museum, Sarnath, Bharat Kala Bhavan and the Buddhist Stupas and temples at Sarnath.

Visiting Varanasi Ghats

Tonsured heads, chillum-smoking sadhus, the chanting of mantras and cremation grounds where the fire never dies down. This is Varanasi - the holiest of Indian cities. Also known as Kashi or the "city of light", the abode of Lord Shiva where, according to Hindu religious legends, the first rays of light fell after creation. Here the Hindu world converges to partake in an endless cycle of birth, death. life and salvation.
Attracting over a million pilgrims every year, the city lives and breathes traditional Hindu religion and culture. What Varanasi offers is life itself, in myriad hues like the changing face of its ghats (river landings) with shifting rays of light. The numerous ghats along the Ganga, the narrow alleys
and streets with a mixture of rickshaws, cycles, autorickshaws, pedestrians and even cattle and the religious shrines all form a bizarre circus. The devout come to die here, but it is also an amazingly lively place. Famed for its religious fervour as much as its thugs (tricksters), Varanasi is also the place that has evoked some of the most creative processes in philosophy- religion, the arts and craftsmanship.

Getting there
Varanasi is connected by air with major cities like Delhi, Agra, Khajuraho, Calcutta, Mumbai, Lucknow and Bhubaneshwar. The Babatpur airport, at a distance of 22 kms from the city, is linked by a shuttle bus service that takes passengers up to the Cantonment; alternatively, you can hire a taxi.

Varanasi’s main railway station is the junction station near the cantonment area. It is about 3 kms away from the old city centre and can be accessed on autorickshaws or cycle rickshaws. The other major rail station is at Mughal Sarai, 16 kms from Varanasi. Some of the major trains connecting to Calcutta, Guwahati and other places stop only at Mughal Sarai. Buses and taxis ply regularly between Mughal Sarai and Varanasi.
In addition, buses connect the city to Gorakhpur, Gaya, Allahabad, Lucknow, Delhi, Khajuraho and to Nepal. Most buses terminate a short distance from the junction station, and some at the cantonment bus station.

Getting Around
Varanasi has a local (though overcrowded) bus network. Cycles and motorcycles are available for hire near Hotel Hindustan International at Maldahiya. The best way to move around the city is to hire the fixed fare autorickshaws or cycle rickshaws. They are not allowed inside the old city lanes, but will drop you at Dashashwamedha Ghat or to Godaulia in the centre of the city. Fares should be negotiated beforehand, cycle-rickshaws costing about Rs. 100 for a day.
Unmetered taxis are also available. Private, chauffeur-driven cars can be rented from travel agents and hotels. One of the best ways of viewing the ghats of Varanasi and getting into the spirit of the city is to take an early morning boat ride. Boats are available at the Dashashwamedha Ghat; a ferry crossing to the eastern side of the Ganga costs about Rs 3 per person.

When to Go
The best season to visit Varanasi and its temples is between October and March. Some of the major festivals and cultural events also take place in this period.

The Ghats and Temples of Varanasi The city of Varanasi revolves around its over one hundred Ghats (river landings). They inculcate the ethos of this ancient city, changing faces with the varying light throughout the day. The river Ganga flows from north to south, and the city forms a circular shape from the Asi Ghat in the south up to the confluence of the Varuna river with the Ganga. Thousands of pilgrims come to bathe and worship in the river at the first light of dawn.
Most of the ancient temples and structures along the ghats have been destroyed. What remain are mainly 18th and 19th century buildings. A very important pilgrimage for the devout is the Panchatirtha Yatra, covering the 5 important ghats of Asi, Dashashwamedha, Adi Keshava, Panchganga and Manikarnika. The Panchkosi road, beginning from the Asi ghat and ending at the Manikarnika ghat denotes the sacred area of Kashi. A tour around this 58 kms route takes about 6 days on foot. Each of the important ghats have a lingam (phallic symbol of lord Shiva) which is venerated by the devout.
The Asi River meets the Ganga at Asi Ghat. There is a lingam under a peepal tree and a marble temple of Asisangameshwara (lord of the confluence of Asi). An ancient tank dedicated to sun worship, the Lolarka Kund (pool) lies 15 metres below the ground and is approached by a steep flight of steps. The Tulsi ghat, dedicated to the 16th century poet saint Tulsidas is crumbling. Further north is the Harishchandra ghat, one of the two important cremation grounds in Varanasi. Named after the king Harishchandra, it is considered the most sacred cremation ground.
The Kedar ghat has links with the Kedarnath shrine located in the upper reaches of the Himalayas. The dhobi ghat is a washerman’s area, while the Chausathi (64) ghat has a shrine dedicated to Chausath Yoginis, the multiple manifestations of the female force Durga.
The Dashashwamedha ghat is the busiest bathing ghat in Varanasi. The ancient king Divodasa was said to have performed the Dashashwamedha Yajnya (ten horse sacrifice) here. This pleased Brahma, the creator, so much that he established the Brahmeshwara lingam. Boats can be hired at this ghat for a tour of the riverfront. It is also the most popular site for Hindus to perform ancestor worship rituals, and the entire ghat is lined with umbrella covered stalls where Brahmin priests undertake pujas (worship).
The Man Mandir ghat, built in 1600 by Maharaja Man Singh of Amer, has a very interesting observatory. Built in 1710 by the kings of Jaipur, it is similar to the ones in Jaipur and Delhi. There are numerous instruments used for astronomical calculations and is open to visitors from 09:30 am till 05:30 pm. The Dom Raja’s house is next door, with painted tigers flanking the terrace. Doms are the untouchables, who handle the corpses at cremation grounds. Though the Doms belong to a lower caste, their services are invaluable for the dead to be released from their physical bonds and so the leader of the doms is given the title of `Raja’ or king.

The Mir Ghat has a shrine to Vishalakshi (the wide-eyed goddess). It is one of the 52 pithas (pilgrimages) where the body parts of Shakti landed after a distraught Shiva performed his dance of destruction or tandava. The Lalita Ghat is well known for its Nepali style temple with an idol of Pashupateshwara. This ghat also has a temple dedicated to the river Ganga.
The Manikarnika Ghat is the other cremation ground, which is more popularly used by the people. Since Shiva is said to have resided in Varanasi, the entire holy area is considered Mahashmashana (great cremation ground). It is said that the funeral fires never die at the Manikarnika ghat. The Manikarnika kund (tank) is said to predate the arrival of the Ganga, which came down to earth to purify humans.
The Scindhia Ghat was built in such grand style that parts of it collapsed and went under the river. The Alamgir mosque, popularly known as Beni-madhav-ka-dera dominates the Panchganga Ghat. The mosque stands on the ruins of the Bindu Madhava temple, dedicated to Vishnu, which was destroyed by Aurangzeb. The Adi Keshava ghat on the outskirts of the city is the point where the river Varuna meets the Ganga. The ghat is completely submerged during rains. This is the original site of the city, where Vishnu is believed to have landed as an emissary of lord Shiva.
The old city, from Dashashwamedha Ghat and Godaulia in the south to the Manikarnika Ghat in the North is known as the Vishwanatha Khanda. It is a maze of narrow lanes and by-lanes, the focal point of which is the Vishwanath temple, with one of India’s most important lingams or Shaivite shrines. The original temple is said to have been over 1000 years old. The temple is closed to non-Hindus, but can be viewed from shops across the road. The Gyan Vapi tank enclosed in a hall is said to contain the original shivalingam. Pilgrims offer prayers here before embarking on the Panchatirtha.
Next to the Vishwanath temple is the Annapurna temple, built in the 18th century by Peshwa Baji Rao I. The idol of Annapurna Bhavani (the provider of food), a benevolent form of Shakti, is made in solid gold and carries a cooking pot. There is also a striking silver-faced image of Shani (Saturn) within the temple. Shani is feared for his destructive powers and is propitiated to prevent any ill befalling the devout.
The Bharat Mata temple north-west of Godaulia is a modern shrine, inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi. It has a huge relief map of the Indian sub-continent showing all its rivers, mountains and pilgrimages. The 19th century Durga temple, 4 kms from Godaulia, is also popularly known as the ‘monkey temple’ because of an overwhelming presence of the primates. The idol of Durga, a manifestation of Shakti, is dressed in red and rides a tiger with the trident, the discus and a sword in her hands. The temple courtyard has a forked stake for sacrificing goats, and non-Hindus are allowed only up to this point.
The Tulsi Manas temple, though, is open to all communities. Its white marble walls have the verses of Tulsidas’ Ramcharitmanas inscribed on them.
Accommodation and other facilities Varanasi offers a wide choice of upper-bracket hotels around the cantonment area and budget hotels in the old city. There also mid range hotels available here. In short, there are hotels to suit all budgets.

Varanasi, A land of Temples

The Temple City Mythologically, the oldest city on earth, Varanasi, is the most sacred place for Hindus. The city is also called as Benaras and Kashi. The city has countless number of temples, spread across the city. The holy temples of Varanasi are amongst the most visited temples in India. Situated on the banks of holy river Ganges, Varanasi temples add to the religious value to Ganges. The older part of city is still refered as Kashi and it is said that the first ray of light fell on Kashi, when the earth was created. There are many ancient as well as new temples which are worth a visit.

Kashi Vishwanath:

The most sacred temple of Varanasi, Vishwanath temple is devoted to lord Shiva. The temple is near Dashashwamedh ghat, in the heart of old Varanasi. The construction of the temple was destroyed by Aurangzeb in 18th century, to construct a mosque. Though the new building is not as elaborate as the temples of South India and Orissa, the sense of devotion in the temple is very strong. The temple is one of the holiest temples for a Hindu.

Durga Temple

The Durga temple at Durgakund, is a beautiful temple. The temple is built next to a lake called Durgakund lake. The temple is very famous among the locals.

Sankat Mochan Mandir

The most sought after temple of Lord Hanuman. What Vishwanath Temple is to lord Shiva, Sankatmochan Temple is to lord Hanuman. The vast campus of temple is filled with devotees on Tuesdays and Saturdays. Tulsi Manas TempleAlso called as Birla temple, it was built by the Industrialist Birla Family. The temple is next to the Durga Temple. Built in white marble, the temple is very big and is spread in huge area, covered with green parks and lawns.

Bharat Mata MandirThe Bharat Mata Mandir, is unusual in the terms of presiding deity. The temple does not have idols of any god, but a large relief map of India, carved out of Marble. The temple was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi, and lies 3 Km from Kashi, or the old Varanasi.Nepali TempleThe King of Nepal had built this temple on Lalita ghat in Nepali style. The Nepali temple is also called the 'Kathwala temple'. The temple has some magnificent woodwork. The workers who carved this temple out were brought from Nepal. The wood used in the temple is also found in Nepal. The speciality of this wood is that it is resistant to termites.

How to Reach Varanasi

Varanasi has its own airport which is 22 Kms from the city. The Babatpur airport connects Varanasi with all the major cities in India and recently there has been a proposal to initiate UP Air which will connect the city with other places in the state. Varanasi has the Cant railway station as its main station. This is a major railway junction and connects the city with major places in India. The nearby Mughal Sarai railway Junction is one of the major railway junction in the region with almost all the trains from the East, North East and some trains for South and Western region crossing the station. Varanasi is on the national highway number 2 from Calcutta to Delhi. Thus, the place is well connected by roads to all the corners of the nation. Varanasi provides some good market for many items. People come here for the temples in big number and major inflow of visitors is handled by the bus services from Varanasi to other places in state and outside it.

Visiting Varanasi in India

Varanasi in India is one of the most famous and sacred place in India. There are many mythological stories are related with the Varanasi. Visiting varanasi not only provides the tourists a spiritual satisfaction but also provides a chance to understand the most dynamic and ancient culture of India. The present paper examines the attractiveness of Varanasi as a tourist destination from the perspective of foreign tourists considering several important dimensions simultaneously. These are demographic characteristics of tourists, their expectation on touristic attributes of the destination as also satisfaction with the same and finally holistic impressions of the destination. A factor analysis carried out on 24 touristic attributes pertaining to the expectation of visitors gives rise to seven meaningful constructs. Results of step-wise multiple regression analysis between the perceived attractiveness and the above seven constructs reveal the importance of each of these seven constructs in explaining the perceived attractiveness of the destination. Holistic impressions of visitingVaranasi reveal that it is a city embodying the essence of Indian spiritualism and mysticism with Ganges and Ghats forming the heart of the city.

The the distant past of Varanasi is veiled in immortal time. An `eternal' city, it abounds with a rich and effervescent past. Varanasi has been the religious capital of Hinduism since times immemorial. It is one of the foremost tirthas.
Varanasi, as the legend goes was created by Shiva, the cosmic Lord. It figures prominently in the epic Mahabharat. Written records of the Skanda Purana and the Mahabharta mention its existence as long as 3000 years ago. Varanasi or Banaras is one of the oldest cities of India. This city has found place in the Buddhist scriptures as well the epic of Mahabharata. In Pali language Varanasi was called Banarasi hence it got the name 'Banaras'. Varanasi is also called 'Kashi' or the city of spiritual light. Kashi is the place where Shiva and Parvati stood when the "time started ticking". This ancient city of India is located on holiest river of India-Ganga. This relation is unique and has attracted thousands of pilgrims. One theory also goes that Varanasi is located on the land between the river Varuna and Assi hence the name Varanasi. For every visitor Varanasi has different experiences to offer. The shimmering red and golden water of the Ganges when rays of dawn falls on them, the high banks, the temples, the Ashrams, the pavilions all are an experience in themselves. Chanting of Mantras, the hymns along with the fragrance of incense in fills the air with mysticism which entrails every person. The refreshing dip in the Ganges with the splashing of water along the ghats- in Varanasi discovery and experience takes to the ultimate bliss. Not only for its temples, Ghats and Ganges Banaras has produced many exponents of art, music, literature and crafts. The Banarasi silk sarees and brocades are cherished as collector's items across the world.
Know the Climate by travelling to Varanasi:
Varanasi has a extreme type of climate. Located besides the Ganges Varanasi can be difficult place to visit during the summers. Summers are very hot and temperatures shoot upto 46 degrees and winter can be cold with mercury dipping down to 5 degrees. This place can be a really bad during the rainy seasons and is advisable not to visit Varanasi during monsoons. The best season to visit Varanasi during September to March..