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The Ghats (River Front) in Vanarasi

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By day, the ghats can evoke mixed feelings. Some of them are dirty, all of them are daubed with advertisements offering everything from Sanskrit in seven days to silk saris on the cheap. But they are still monumental, still glorious because of the investment of faith. By night, they are magical. The darkness cloaks the crass commercialisation and their monumental splendour surfaces. The best way to view them is from the river. Start at the Dasaswamedh ghat which is one of the largest and which has therefore a number of boats on hire. (This puts you in a better bargaining position and bargaining is essential and expected.).
Varanasi Ghats are the major attractions of the temple city. Varanasi Ghats are the major attractions of the temple city. Thousands of devotees throng to these Ghats every in the morning to take a dip in the holy water and enjoy a spectacular view of sunrise. Though most of the Ghats are used for bathing, some of them are also used for cremations. The River Ganges is part and parcel of the sacred city. The riverbank is punctuated with huge pavilions made of series of concrete steps going down right into the water body of the river. These are called the Ghats, which are major tourist attractions in Varanasi. The most sacred Ghats in Varanasi are the Asi Ghat, Adi Keshava Ghat, Manikarnika Ghat, Panchaganga Ghat and Dashashwamedha Ghat. The Pancha Trirtha Yatra is performed by crossing these five Ghats.
Thousands of devotees throng to these Ghats every in the morning to take a dip in the holy water and enjoy a spectacular view of sunrise. Though most of the Ghats are used for bathing, some of them are also used for cremations. The River Ganges is part and parcel of the sacred city. The riverbank is punctuated with huge pavilions made of series of concrete steps going down right into the water body of the river. These are called the Ghats, which are major tourist attractions in Varanasi. The most sacred Ghats in Varanasi are the Asi Ghat, Adi Keshava Ghat, Manikarnika Ghat, Panchaganga Ghat and Dashashwamedha Ghat. The Pancha Trirtha Yatra is performed by crossing these five Ghats.

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The Ganga River in Vanarasi

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River Ganga or the Ganges is a major river of the Indian subcontinent and has a sacred entity. Known as Ganga Ma—Mother Ganges—the river is revered as a goddess whose purity cleanses the sins of the faithful and aids the dead on their path toward heaven. This deep-rooted truth is proved by the fact that people travel from distant places to immerse the ashes of their kin in the waters of the Ganga at Varanasi or other places located on the banks of this holy river. Some of these sacred places, located on the Ganga, are Varanasi, Haridwar and Prayag (Allahabad).
Devotees from all over the country used to come over here and take a bath (Stairways have been set up) on ghats before saying their daily prayers.

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Kaal Bhairav Temple in Vanarasi

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This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. This temple is situated in Visheswarganj, Bhairaon Nath. Lord Kaal Bhairava is also known as Kshetrapalaka, the guardian of the temple and also the guardian of travelers.. The vahana (vehicle) of Lord Kaal Bhairava is the dog. Feeding and taking care of dogs is another way of showing our devotion to Lord Kaal Bhairava.

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St Mary’s Church in Vanarasi

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It is situated in the cantonment area of Benaras (Varanasi). It has a low tower, spire and projecting portico. Instead of windows the church has louvered doors to the sides and hooded ventilation slots beneath the cornice.

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Kushi Nagar in Vanarasi

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It is about 51 kilometres from Gorakhpur lies Kushinagar, a place famous for the Mahaparinirvana (death) of Lord Buddha. The town, once a celebrated center of the Malla kingdom, has many of the stupas and viharas that date back to 230 BC-413 AD. One of the important sites to see here is the Mahaparinirvana Temple where one can find the famous reclining statue of Buddha which is 20-feet-long statue and is seated on a brick platform. Around the temple, one can find the ruins of as many as eight monasteries.

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Bharat Kala Bhavan in Vanarasi

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The Bharat Kala Bhavan was established in the year 1920 A.D. Bharat Kala Bhawan finds a place in its campus as a museum exhibiting the finest collection of Mughal miniature paintings and brocade textiles along with sculptures, contemporary art forms and bronze statues from 1st to 15th centuries. There is a figure in the main hall where one figure shows that a man is standing on one leg and lifting a mass of stone in one hand. Figure is said to be of Lord Krishna, lifting Mount Govardhana.

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Man Mandir in Vagarasi

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It has been built by creator of Jantar Mantar, hidden for decades under a coat of crude lime plaster. Which was one of the five that he built in his lifetime under the direction of his astrologer-minister, Jagannatha.

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Annapurna Temple in Vanarasi

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It was built in the 18th century by Peshwa Baji Rao I Situated in Vishwanath Lane, this temple has an idol of goddess Annapurna (the provider of food). The Goddess is believed to be the mother of all the three worlds, heaven, earth and hell and it is said that her devotees never suffer from starvation and want of food.

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New Vishwanath Temple in Vanarasi

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The original Vishwanath temple was destroyed by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb who used its columns to build the Gaynvapi Mosque, adjacent to it. This temple is situated in the premises of the university and has ‘Geeta’ engraved in its marble walls. It is also called the Birla temple as the famous industrialist family of India, the Birlas, constructed it. The most important characteristic of the new Vishwanath temple is that it is open to people from all castes and religions. This temple is the most sacred shrine in Varanasi which is dedicated to Lord Shiva.

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Sankat Mochan Temple inVanarasi

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Sankat Mochan temple is one of the sacred temples of Varanasi. It is located in the southern part of Varanasi, near the Banaras Hindu University. The ‘Sankat Mochan’ (deliverer from troubles) temple belongs to Lord Hanuman (the monkey God), an incarnation of Vishnu.
The best time to visit this temple is in the early evening.

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Tulsi Manas Temple in Vanarasi

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Tulsi Manas temple is one of the most famous temples of Varanasi. It is also an important tourist attraction of the holy city. It was built in white marble in the year 1964, and it stands about 150 m south of Durga Temple. The walls of the Tulsi Manas temple are engraved with verses and scenes from the Ramcharitammanasa, the Hindi version of the Ramayana.

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Durga Temple in Vanarasi

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The Durga Temple, commonly known as the Monkey Temple because of the presence of the large numbers of monkeys, was built in the 18th century by a Bengali Maharani and is stained red with ochre. This small temple, dedicated to Goddess Durga, consort of Shiva, is built in the north Indian Nagara style, with a multicoloured shikhara or umbrella. Thousands of Hindu devotees visit the Durga temple during Navratri and other auspicious occasions. Here Durga is represented as the embodiment of Shakti or female power, clad in red and riding a tiger and fully armed with Shiva’s trident, Vishnu’s discus and a sword. Non-Hindus are admitted to the courtyard but not the inner sanctum.

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Bharat Mata Temple in Vanarasi

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This temple lies about 3 kilometres west of Godaulia, outside the old city. The Bharat Mata temple at Varanasi is the only temple dedicated to Mother India. It is located in the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth campus. Here, instead of gods and goddesses, one finds a huge relief map in marble of the whole of Indian subcontinent and Tibetan plateau. The Bharat Mata temple was built by Babu Shiv Prasad Gupt and inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1936. The statute of Bharat Mata is built in marble and is a model of undivided India, depicting the mountains, plains and oceans.

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Archaeological Museum in Vanarasi

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The museum also has the figures and the sculptures from the Mauryan, Kushana and Gupta periods discovered during the excavations at Sarnath. It is Located in Sarnath at about 10 km from Varanasi, the Archaeological Museum houses the capital from the Ashok pillar, the symbol of which has been adopted as the state emblem of the modern India. One can have a look at the earliest Buddha image found at Sarnath and many images of Hindu Gods dating from the 9th to 12th centuries.

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Jantar Mantar in Vanarasi

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Jantar mantar has been built by maharaja Jai singh of Jaipur in the year 1737. The Jantar Mantar at Varanasi was built in line started from Delhi, Mathura, Ujjain, jaipur. The Varanasi observatory has all the instruments which were required to record the motion, speed and properties of various stars and planets and other cosmic objects.

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Banaras Hindu University in Vanarasi

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BHU is one of the oldest and largest educational institutions in northern India which was built in 1917. The university was founded by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya as a centre for the study of Indian art, culture, music and Sanskrit. The Banaras Hindu University played an important role in the Indian independence movement. Over a period of time, it has developed into one of the greatest centers of learning in India. The BHU has produced many great freedom fighters and Nation builders.

Among the famous non-Indian families associated with BHU is the royal family of Nepal. Most of the Nepalese royal family members including King Birendra have graduated from BHU. The Banaras Hindu University consists of about 15000 students, coming from to all streams of life, castes, religions and races. It has about 2000 teachers and nearly 5000 non-teaching staff. Another important feature of the BHU is the number of foreign students. A large number of students come from the U.S.A., Europe, Asia, Middle East, Africa, etc.

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Alamgir Mosque in Vanarasi

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It is also known as Beni Madhav Ka Darera. This mosque was constructed by Aurangazeb. The Alamgir Mosque is a blend of the Hindu and Mughal styles of the architecture. A famous bathing point, Panjaganga Ghat lies below it.

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Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Vanarasi

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One of the most holy temples for Hindus, and amongst the twelve Jyotirlingas of India, The Kashi Vishwanath Deity is amongst the oldest shrines in India. The temple is said to be existing from the times when earth was created. Unlike many other temples in Varanasi, this temple is open to all irrespective of caste or creed. The Temple in the present shape was built way back in 1780 by Late Maharani Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore with about 800 kg of gold plating on the towers, which gives the temple its colloquial name, Golden Temple. In the year 1785 a Naubatkhana was built up in front of the Temple by the then Collector Mohd. Ibrahim Khan at the instance of Governor General Warren Hastings. In 1839, two domes of the Temple were covered by gold donated by Punjab Kesari Maharaja Ranjeet Singh. Third dome but was remained uncovered, Ministry of cultures & Religious affairs of U.P. Govt. took keen interest for gold plating of third dome of Temple. It is in the heart of this city that there stands in its fullest majesty the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in which is enshrined the Jyotirlinga of Shiva, Vishweshwara or Vishwanatha.

The temple not only attracts the visitors of India but the foreign visitors too. This Temple has been visited by all great saints- Adi Shankaracharya, Ramkrishna Paramhansa, Swami Vivekanand, Goswami Tulsidas, Maharshi Dayanand Saraswati, Gurunanak and several other spiritual personalities.

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