About: Being one of the oldest cities of the world, and the cultural capital of India, the holy city of ‘Varanasi’ (also known as ‘Kashi’ and ‘Banaras’) is located on left bank of the Ganges at the confluence of two rivers: river Varuna (a minor tributary of the Ganges) and river Assi (a rivulet that borders the city of Varanasi at the south). It is one of the most revered pilgrimage destinations of the Hindus, the reason why they label their visit as Kashi/ Vishwanath darshan. The word ‘Kashi’ is derived from the word ‘Kas’ which means to shine. Varanasi is famous for the ghats along the banks of river Ganga. Pilgrims throng these Ghats to take a holy dip and rid themselves of sins. Every ghat has a specific use depending on the rituals performed. While the famous Dashashwamedh ghat and Dr.Rajendra Prasad ghat are well known for their spectacular Aarti’s, performed every dawn and dusk, there are ghats like Harishchandra and Manikarnika ghats which serve as Varanasi’r main crematorium by the river side. The latter burning ghat is named after Ravan’s chitah which is believed to burn forever and surprisingly this burning ghat works n burns twenty-four hours a day all round the year irrespective of the weather n season.
The Ghats : The best way to have a wider view of all the ghats along the stretch of about 7 km on the river bank is to take a boat ride available from the Harishchandra ghat. You can have a glimpse of all the ghats, nearing 64 in count, each of them is identified with a particular activity amongst all- some are exclusively for holy bath purposes, some are for bathing the buffaloes n cows, some for dhobi’s and a few are burning ghats. The boat ride in the evening is one of the main attractions of the visitors out there. With the ebb your boat comes to a hault in the dusk near the Dashawhamedh ghat where the well choreographed Ganga aarti is conducted for paying tribute to Ganga Maiyya. In the evening after Ganga Aarti, thousands of lighted earthen lamps are found floating in the waters of the holy Ganges and the floating lamps give a divine look to the river at nightfall. Simultaneously on the adjacent, the northern extension of the Dashawhamedh ghat called Rajendra Prasad ghat, another aarti is conducted which is less popular due to the presence of sadhus’ n certain unscrupulous men in the dirty steps in the evening. The Tulsi ghat, Assi ghat, Manmandir ghat, Munshi ghat, Meer ghat, Prayag ghat, Scindhia ghat, Kedar ghat, Ahilya ghat among others are among the less relevant ones.
The Kashi Vishwanath darshan is the main motive of the visit of the pilgrims n tourists to Varanasi. In order to reach the temple , one has to traverse at least 1km on road by walking through the alleys, narrow enough to make you walk back if a king sized ox comes on your way!! There are several gates through which one can enter into the temple premises. For the reader’s reference, I would suggest to keep your slippers, coins, wallet, mobile phones, cameras etc. in the lockers available on rent in the sweet n puja thali shops. We prefer Jaipur Murti Bhandar located just opposite to Gate no.4 for entering into the temple premises. They provide the necessary assistance for the darshan.
Where to stay: In Varanasi you get to choose from innumerable number of hotels that has cropped up like wild mushrooms. One has to choose from mainly two categories of hotels: one- which are located on the ghats of Varanasi like Alka( on Meer ghat), Palace on Steps (on Assi ghat) etc. which will make you walk through the famous banarasi gallis’ with frequent interventions of the famous cows n oxen on your way paved with bricks and solidified dung here and there. Two- those hotels which will provide services equivalent to a 3 star standard international hotel but are located at around 12-14 km off the centre at Gowdowlia like Radisson, Taj Gateway etc. near the cantonment. If you want to experience the local culture n food of Varanasi you should stay somewhere near Gowdowlia which is a chowk like place, a junction up to which cars, cycle rickshaws are allowed and beyond which one n all have to walk if they want to visit the temple of Vishwanath or any of the ghats. In that case Hotel Atithi Satkaar can be a good option for it’s centrally located with all the standard luxury amenities. Apart from these you always have the option of low budget hotels which tend to be old houses converted into hotels which don’t offer a clean n tidy washroom.
What food good does the city offer: The busiest and the most popular market place is the Gowdowlia chowk which has the best of the eateries located on its way. Frankly speaking, in Varanasi you won’t get authentic Chinese or Indian non-veg dishes, so it’s better to go for veg dishes over there during your visit for a couple of days. If you’re a diehard non-veggie, go to Mc.D which has recently opened its outlet along with certain other non-veg resto’s in the shopping arcades nearby. Most of the days, we took our brunch n supper at the Keshari Restaurant on the main road from Gowdowlia, approaching towards ghats. They offer all veg. north-Indian and south Indian dishes, quite delicious in taste to satisfy the taste buds of strict non-veggies like me. All the derived milk products over there are absolutely pure and yummilicious as long as your tummy can tolerate those unadulterated fats n proteins. You must taste the thick creamy lassi topped with malai/kheer after a tiring walk on the alleys of Varanasi, or you can try out the famous Banarasi Thandai available in the lassi shops centered round Gowdowlia. Besides these, one can taste a variety of other flavored lassies like gulabi lassi, lemon lassi, kesar thandai, badam lassi amongst others.
In the evening, after a refreshing boat ride with empty stomach, one can taste the variety of chaats available with the fast food outlets accompanied by a keshar kulfi or a thandai. We had these in Keshari’s chat outlet which offered hygienic food in a clean ambience. In the rabri shops, you will find many people drinking hot milk in earthen glasses topped with kheer or rabri. I was in love with the plain curd that you get in those shops.
Places to visit: Ramnagarh Fort,Sarnath, Chunar Fort, Vindhyachal on Day 1 and Banaras Hindu University and Allahabad on Day 2. Visiting Allahabad is a must to watch the migrating Siberian birds fly by you on the Sangam in Allahabad during end November and December. You get to buy snackies on boat to feed those beautiful birds flying by your boat on the river in large numbers. The Allahabad Fort on the Sangam, Allahabad University, High Court and Anand Bhavan are the must see places in the city. Young buds, who are not so religious or running short of time might avoid Vindhyachal trip as it has a long journey associated on uneven roads with no interesting view except the Goddess darshan.
Sarnath: After the Buddha attained enlightenment in Bodh Gaya he came to Sarnath. In the Deer Park, he delivered his first sermon, or in religious language, set in motion the wheel of Law (maha- Dharmachakra Pravartan). On the day before his death Buddha included Sarnath along with Lumbini, Bodh Gaya and Kushinagar as the four places he thought to be sacred to his followers. The Emperor Ashoka, who spread the Buddha’s message of love and compassion throughout his vast empire, visited Sarnath around 234 BC, and erected a stupa here. Several Buddhist structures were raised at Sarnath between the 3rd century BC and the 11th century AD, and today it presents the most expansive ruins amongst places on the Buddhist trace. In Sarnath, one may visit the Banarasi silk factories which offer a variety of their handmade sarees, dress materials and handicrafts with exclusive designs.
Among the forts, I found the Chunar fort to be more thrilling and adventurous. The Fort is situated on the bank of the river and has several slits through which the warriors use to keep a check on the foreign enemies and intruders. The area is very famous for its clay and sandstone which gives home to ceramic artisans in the locality. The Chunar fort is situated 40 km from Varanasi. Situated in the Vindhya Range, Chunar Fort, overlooking the Ganges, has had a succession of owners representing most of India's rulers over the last 500 years. Sher Shah took it from Humayun in 1540, Akbar recaptured it for the Mughals in 1575 and in the 18th century it passed to the nawabs of Awadh. They were shortly followed by the British, whose gravestones here make interesting reading. Chunar sandstone has been used for centuries, in most famous Ashokan pillars and is still quarried, leaving the surrounding hills looking ravaged in places.
Conveyance for Local sight-seeing: The best option is to rent a car from Varanasi which costs around 3500 for a day. For Day 2(Allahabad), besides a rented car, one can avail train or frequently available public buses (ticket costs around 50 INR) if they don’t intend to return back to Varanasi. If you take public bus to Allahabad, you can rent a horse-cart or an auto rickshaw for taking the tourists round the city.
Shopping: You get accompanied by ladies n you don’t stop for shopping! Can’t happen ever!! The famous Vishwanath galli has numerous shops which sell the famous Banarasi sarees, silk, shawls and in every 10 ft you cover, you will find the famous Banarasi churis. The most surprising fact here is that every shop has some exquisite stock of bangles which attract the crowd. You will find many people doing their wedding shopping from here itself! In every 50 ft. you will see the pan and zarda shops selling famous indigenous Banarasi pans and masalas.
The city, although a spot of hindu pilgrimage gives an exemplary instance of coexistence of both hindu and muslim cultures in the same place which never comes into confrontation. While on our way through the narrow gallis of Bangali tola, we found so many muslim tailors n embroiders doing the zari work and making the lehengas n sarees. Besides this, as the name suggests, there are several Bengali families settled here who are either grocers or pan sellers or are sweet-makers. When you visit the city, you will find more than 50 per cent bongs around and some 30 per cent south Indians among the entire tourist population. Aged citizens tend to attain salvation on their visit to the holy shrine and youngsters and international tourists get to see the diverse cultures, beliefs, practices of Hinduism all poured together into the pot of prayers which they offer to Lord Vishwanath.
Tips: Buying exclusive sarees n silk? Visit Mohan’s silk store on the entrance to Vishwanath galli from the ghat’s end. They have an exclusive collection of sarees.
Staying by the river? We stayed at Palace on Steps on the Assi ghat- you have to walk about 1.5 km through bangali tola’s narrow lanes intercepted by bulls and cows but if you really wanna have the banarasi feel, you can opt for it. An added advantage is their rooftop restaurant which offers a variety of standard dishes available at a restaurant and of course serves non-veg!! The riverside view is simply awesome and you would love to spend hours on the breezy balcony by the riverside or on the terrace with your cup of coffee with the river flowing by.
P.S : Special Thanks to our guest editor Dyuti Sinha for this beautiful article and few breathtaking snaps. :)
Tagged: #Varanasi #Benaras #UttarPradesh #Ghats #Kashi #Gangas #Sarnarth #Ramnagarfort
