The culture of Varanasi is deeply associated with the river Ganges and the river's religious importance. The city has been a cultural and religious center in northern India for thousands of years. Varanasi has its own style of classical Hindustani music, and has produced prominent philosophers, poets, writers and musicians in Indian history, including Kabir, Ravi Das, Munshi Premchand, Jaishankar Prasad, Acharya Ram Chandra Shukla, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Hariprasad Chaurasia and Ustad Bismillah Khan. Varanasi is the home of Banaras Hindu University. Tulsidas wrote his Ramcharitmanas here, and Gautam Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath near Kashi. The language spoken in Varanasi is Kashika Bhojpuri which is closely related to Hindi.
Varanasi is a holy city in Hinduism, one of the most sacred pilgrimage places for Hindus of all denomination. The Hindu God Shiva supposedly once lived there making many Hindus want to go there on a pilgrimage. More than 1,000,000 pilgrims visit the city each year. Here is the holy shrine of Lord Kashi Vishwanath, (an aspect of Lord Shiva) and one of the twelve revered Jyotirlingas of the Lord Shiva. Hindus believe that bathing in the river Ganga will remit sins and that dying in the holy city of Kashi (Varanasi) circumvents rebirth. This holy city is worshipped as one of the Shakti Peethas where Divine Mother Sati's earring fell and so devotees believe that on that spot stands the present Vishalakshi Temple.and Hindus of the shakti sect come to the city because the river itself is said to be shakti (goddess) itself. It is here that Adi Shankara wrote his commentaries on Hinduism, leading to the great Hindu revival.
It is not just the Hindus venerate Varanasi today, for the city has links with Buddhism and Jainism as well. In the residential neighbourhood of the city lies Sarnath, the site of the deer park where Gautama Buddha is said to have given his first sermon about the basic principles of Buddhism. It is one of the four pilgrimage sites designated by Gautama Buddha, the other three being Kushinagar, Bodh Gaya, and Lumbini. The Dhamek Stupa is one of the few pre-Ashokan stupas remaining, although only the foundations remain. Also remaining is the Chaukhandi Stupa commemorating the spot where the Buddha met his first deciples, dating back to the fifth century or earlier and later enhanced by the addition of an octagonal tower.
Varanasi is also a pilgrimage place for Jains. It is believed to be the birthplace of
Parshvanatha, the twenty-third Tirthankar. Vaishnavism and Shaivism have
co-existed in Varanasi harmoniously. The city has also been influenced by Islamic
culture.
PLACE TO VISIT
Kashi Vishwanath temple - is one of the most famous Hindu temples dedicated to Lord Shiva and is in the holy city of Varanasi, India. The temple stands on the western bank of Hinduism's holiest river Ganges, and the deity is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas the holiest of Shiva deities.
Durga Temple - also nicknamed "Monkey temple," was built at some point of time in 18th century by a Bengali Queen. The temple got the name 'Monkey temple' because of the presence of large number of monkeys in the temple. According to legends, the present statue of Goddess Durga was not made by man but appeared on its own in the temple. Thousands of Hindu devotees visit the Durga temple during Navratri and other auspicious occasions. Non-Hindus can enter the courtyard of the Durga temple but not the inner sanctum.
Sankat Mochan Temple - is dedicated to Lord Hanuman and is very popular with the local citizens. It is a place for many yearly religious as well as cultural festivals. On March 7, 2006, one of the three explosions carried out by Islamic militants hit the temple, while the aarti, in which numerous worshippers and wedding attendees participated, was in progress.
New Vishwanath Temple - called Birla Mandir, mainly funded by Raja Birla of the Birla family of industrialists, was built as a replica of the old Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Planned by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, the temple is part of the Banaras Hindu University, and stands for national revival. The temple is open to people of all castes and religions.
Nepali Hindu Temple - A small golden temple, built in Nepali architecture,
near Lalit Ghat
HOW TO REACH
By train - Trains are the easiest and most likely way that you'll reach Varanasi. It's well connected to many cities including Delhi, Agra, Lucknow and Kolkata. Most trains arrive at Varanasi Junction station (Station Code: BSB), but there are a few other stations in and around the city so be sure to check to which station your train arrives. Many of the faster trains including the Shatabdi/Rajdhani Express leave from Mughal Serai station, about 15 km east of the city (around 45 minutes to an hour away in a rickshaw).
By bus - There are daily buses to the Nepali border and other points around northern India. Local buses leave from the main bus station near the train station, almost every hour in the morning and one in the evening, to Gorakhpur (5-6 hrs, Rs 120), from where buses leave to the Nepali border at Sonauli (~3 hrs, Rs 56).
By plane - Varanasi Airport (IATA: VNS) is about 25km from the city center. Indian Airlines, Air Sahara, Jet Airways, Kingfisher and Spice Jet all have daily flights to Delhi and there are daily flights to Mumbai on Air Sahara and Indian Airlines. Allow plenty of time to get to the airport, it can take an hour or more depending on traffic. A taxi should run around Rs 200-250 or about Rs 125 in an auto-rickshaw, but most drivers will want to charge double since they will likely be coming back empty. If it suits your schedule there is a daily bus at 10:00am that leaves from Hotel India and costs Rs 50.
