One of the ancient seats of learning in India, Varanasi is situated between Delhi and Kolkata at a bend in the sacred Ganges River. Home to some of the most ancient and revered monasteries in the world, Varanasi is the place where scholars still come to learn the ancient knowledge of the Vedas and debate on the nature of God.

For over 2,000 years it has been the religious capital of India, more revered and sacred than all the other places of pilgrimage put together. Hindus believe that to die in Varanasi is to be forgiven every sin, receive instant enlightenment and immediately be admitted to heaven, no matter who or what you are. As a result the elderly flock here to end their days, and cremation is big business on the ghats beside the Ganges.

Apart from its religious significance, it is also the hub of many traditional industries and is world famous for its silks - in particular, its silk brocades. The town does a roaring trade with pilgrims and tourists alike. Being the cultural centre of India, it is home to many musicians, novelists and philosophers.

Attractions

§ The Ghats

There are over 100 bathing and burning ghats (literally 'steps') at Varanasi but the most sacred is the Manikarnika Ghat, which is the most auspicious place that a Hindu can be cremated. Outcasts, known as chandal, carry the bodies through the alleyways of the old city to the sacred Ganges on a bamboo stretcher swathed in cloth. At the top of the Ghat visitors will see large piles of firewood, each log will have been weighed on giant scales to calculate the price of the cremation. Tourists are welcome to watch the cremations but should dress conservatively and leave their camera behind. The nearby Dasaswamedh Ghat or the 'ghat of ten sacrificed horses' is said to be the spot where Lord Brahma made a sacrifice to pave the way for the return of Shiva after the period of banishment. This is one of the best ghats from which to take in the riverside activity. Crowds of people congregate here not only for a ritual bath, but to do yoga, get a massage, offer blessings, buy flowers, play cricket or do their karma good by giving money to beggars. It is also a good place to arrange a dawn boat trip to view the beauty of Varanasi unfold as the sun rises over the city. Dotted around the ghats are numerous temples, the highlight being the Golden Temple with its stunning golden towers.

§ St. Mary's Church
Situated in the cantonment area of Benaras (Varanasi) the St. Mary's Church has a low tower, spire and projecting poitico. Instead of windows tile, church has louvred doors to the sides and hooded ventilation slots beneath the cornice.

§ The Kashi Vishwanath Temple / Gyanvapi Mosque
This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is popularly known as the golden Temple due the Gold plating done on its 15.5 meter high spire. One tonne of gold donated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh has been used in the gold plating of the spire. The temple was destroyed in the various invasions and was rebuilt in 1776 by Rani Ahilyabai of Indore.

§ Bharat Mata Temple
This temple is dedicated to Mother India. Just one kilometer from the Varanasi station. The temple is built in the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth which was built by Babu Shiv Prasad Gupt. This temple was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1936 so that the citizens could respect Mother India in statue form. The statute is built in marble. The statue is a replica of undivided India in three dimension which has the mountains, plains and oceans in right proportion.

§ Tulsi Manas Temple
This temple is dedicated to Lord Rama. The temple is built in the place where Goswami Tulsidas composed the epic 'Ramacharitramanas' which provides us with detailed description of the history and deeds of Lord Rama. Tulsi Manas Temple was constructed by a philanthropist family in 1964.

§ Durga Temple
Built in the 8th century, the Durga temple is one of the most important temples in Varanasi. This temple is built in Nagara Style. The shikhara of the temple is formed by many small spires which are built one on top of the other.

§ Nepali Temple
The 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. Tourist from all over the world come just to see this temple which has no comparison with any other temple in India. 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 termites do not eat this wood.

Museums
§ Bharat Kala Museum
The Kashi Hindu university has a museum which has a very rich collection of precious and rare historical artifacts, statues, pictures, paintings and manuscripts. This small but very well maintained museum gives an over view of the ancient city of Varanasi. Entry in the museum is free but check out the timings.

§ Ram Nagar Durg
2 kms from the Kashi Hindu university, across the Ganges is located the ancestral house in the fort which was built by the former rulers of Kashi. In one of the sections of the fort is the museum which displays the royalty which was once part of the kingdom.

This museum gives an insight into the grandeur which once prevailed in the fort. On the Ramnagar Pandav road is a beautiful Durga temple. This temple has very delicate and intricate carving done on stone. These carvings are worth giving a look.

Other Attractions of Varanasi
§ Benaras Hindu University
This is the largest and oldest university in north India. Spread over an area of 2,000 acres, this great place of education was established by Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya. Today the campus has faculties of Arts, Science, Music, Sanskrit, Languages, Engineering, Statistics and Medical to name a few of them.

The university also has the huge Vishwanath temple which was built and maintained by the Birla family. The Sunderlal Medical center has all the modern facilities of medical field is also located in the university campus.

§ Nandeshwar Kothi
Nandeshwari Kothi, designed by James Prinsep is a typical building of the early 19th century in Benaras.

§ Jantar Mantar
The ruler of Jaisingh built an observatory in Varanasi in line with those built in Delhi, Mathura, Ujjain and Jaipur observatories. 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. The observatory was built in 1600 and still the instruments give the exact measurements which can match any modern instrument.

How to get there
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.

Fairs & Festivals of Varanasi
§ Kartik Purnima
Celebrated in the month of November-December is the sacred day, when the ghats of Varanasi come alive with thousands of brightly-lit earthern lamps.

§ Buddh Purnima
This festival is celebrated with pomp and gaiety in Sarnath. This day Lord Buddha was born. A large fair is held in Sarnath and the relics of Buddha are taken out in a procession for public viewing on this day. Buddh Purnima is celebrated during the month of May.

§ Ganga Festival
A festive experience like none other awaits you at Ganga Festival at Varanasi.

§ The Ramlila
The Ramlila of Ramagar is famous far and wide. The Ramlila is based on the Ramcharitramanas by Tulsidas. The month ling festival is usually held during October / November and it sees the performance of many ancient rituals.

§ Bharat Milap
Around Dussehra a fair is held in Nati Imli which celebrates the return of Lord Rama from 14 years of exile. His reunion with his younger brother Bharat is celebrated as Bharat milap. This festival is attended by the king of Kashi in royal flavour. The festival is attended by at least a million devotees. Held in the month of October / November.

§ Hanumat Jayanti
This festival is celebrated to mark the birth of the monkey God Hanuman . The five day long festivities are held at the Sankat Mochan temple. During this festival many plays are staged based on the Saraswati, Ram , Krishnalila and Hanuman Charitra.