The great Hindu city of Varanasi ,also known as Banaras, glows golden in the early morning sun. Situated on the banks of the sacred Ganges, Varanasi has been a centre of learning and civilisation for over 2000 years. It was at Sarnath, only 10 km away from Varanasi, that Lord Buddha, first preached his message of enlightenment, 25 centuries ago. Varanasi’s waterfront is dominated by long flights of stone steps known as ghats, where thousands of pilgrims and residents come for their daily ritual ablutions. Varanasi derived its present name from the two rivers Varauna, and Asi. The ghats remain the single major attraction of Varanasi.



Known to the devout as Kashi,the Luminous-City of Light, founded by Shiva .Varanasi is one of the oldest living cities in the world .It has maintained its religious life since the sixth century BC in one continuous tradition. It has attracted pilgrims, seekers, sanyasins, and the student of the Vedas through out history.

Life and Death go hand in hand in varanasi; in among the bathing ghats (Ghats are the steps which leaddown to the river), smoke rising from the cremation grounds signals the final release of tormented souls from the earthly round of samsara,the unceasing cycles of death and rebirth. Anyone who dies in varanasi, on the banks of the river of life, is said to attain instant moksha or enlightenment. The five ghats where pilgrims are supposed to bathe in order, and on the same day are Asi ghat, followed by Dasaswamedh, Barna Sangam, Panchganga, and finally, Manikarnika, in that order. Manikarnika and Harishchandra ghats, are the ghats used primarily for the cremation of the dead. Other main ghats include Kedar ghat, a shrine popular with Bengalis; Mansarovar ghat built by Man Sin

Temples to Visit :

Dedicated to Shiva or Vishveswara (Vishwanath) is the Golden Temple, the main temple of Varanasi. The original temple was located across the road, but it was destroyed by Aurangzeb who had built a mosque over it. The present temple was built by Ahalya Bai of Indore in 1776. The Mosque of Aurangzeb, has been built using columns from the original temple razed by Aurangzeb. This mosque has minarets towering 71 metres above the Ganges.

The Durga Temple, commonly known as the Monkey Temple, was built in the 18th century by a Bengali Maharani, and is stained red with ochre. This small temple is built in north Indian Nagara style, with a multicoloured shikhara or umbrella. Other temples in Varanasi include the Tulsi Manas temple, and the Bharat Mata temple. On the other side of the Ganges, is the Ram Nagar Fort and Bhatrat Kala Bhavan Museum, home to the Maharaja of Benaras. There are tours to the fort, or a ferry can be taken across the river to get to it.