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Tourist Places in Varanasi |
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| Tuesday, 18 March 2008 | |
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History of Varanasi
The land of Varanasi (Kashi)
has been the ultimate pilgrimage spot for Hindus for ages. Often referred to as
Benares, Varanasi is the oldest living city in the world. These few lines by
Mark Twain say it all: "Benaras is older than history, older than
tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put
together". Hindus believe that one who is graced to die on the land of
Varanasi would attain salvation and freedom from the cycle of birth and re-birth.
Abode of Lord Shiva and Parvati, the origins of Varanasi are yet unknown.
Ganges in Varanasi is believed to have the power to wash away the sins of
mortals.
Ganges is said to have its origins in the tresses of Lord Shiva and in
Varanasi, it expands to the mighty river that we know of. The city is a center
of learning and civilization for over 3000 years. With Sarnath, the place where
Buddha preached his first sermon after enlightenment, just 10 km away, Varanasi
has been a symbol of Hindu renaissance. Knowledge, philosophy, culture,
devotion to Gods, Indian arts and crafts have all flourished here for
centuries. Also a pilgrimage place for Jains, Varanasi is believed to be the
birthplace of Parsvanath, the twenty-third Tirthankar.
Vaishnavism and Shaivism have co-existed in Varanasi harmoniously. With a
number of temples, Mrs. Annie Besant chose Varanasi as the home for her
'Theosophical Society' and Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, to institute 'Benares
Hindu University, the biggest University in Asia. Ayurveda is said to be
originated at Varanasi and is believed to be the basis of modern medical
sciences such as Plastic surgery, Cataract and Calculus operations. Maharshi
Patanjali, the preceptor of Ayurveda and Yoga, was also affiliated with Varanasi,
the holy city. Varanasi is also famous for its trade and commerce, especially
for the finest silks and gold and silver brocades, since the early days.
Varanasi has also been a
great center of learning for ages. Varanasi is associated with promotion of spiritualism,
mysticism, Sanskrit, yoga and Hindi language and honored authors such as the
ever-famous novelist Prem Chand and Tulsi Das, the famous saint-poet who wrote
Ram Charit Manas. Aptly called as the cultural capital of India, Varanasi has
provided the right platform for all cultural activities to flourish. Many
exponents of dance and music have come from Varanasi. Ravi Shankar, the
internationally renowned Sitar maestro and Ustad Bismillah Khan, (the famous
Shehnai player) are all sons of the blessed city or have lived here for major
part of their lives
Tourist Places in Varanasi
Temples form the major source of
attraction in this ancient city. The banks of the Ganges, considered to be a
sacred river by the Hindus, are the centre of much of the religious activity
that occurs in the city. The ghats built along the banks of the river for such
religious activity also form a major source of attraction here. The Alamgir
Mosque is a blend of the Hindu and Mughal styles of the architecture. The Durga
Temple is built in the North Indian style with an ornate shikhara, consisting
of five segments symbolizing the elements and supported by finely carved
columns. The Vishwanath Temple, built by the Birlas, was planned by Pandit
Madan Mohan Malaviya. The Bharat Mata Temple houses, instead of gods and
goddesses, a huge relief map in marble of the whole of Indian subcontinent and
Tibetan plateau. The Tulsi Manas Temple, built in 1964, is dedicated to Lord
Rama. The Banaras Hindu University, built in 1917, is one of the oldest educational
centres in India. The Archaeological Museum, located at Sarnath, houses the
capitol from the Ashokan pillar besides the figures and the sculptures from the
Mauryan, Kushana and Gupta periods.
The temple is located in the
premises of the Banaras Hindu University and is about thirty minutes walk from
the gates of the university. The temple, built by the Birlas, was planned by
Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya. Unlike many other temples in Varanasi, this temple
is open to all irrespective of caste or creed.
Ghats
The long string of ghats?the chain
of stone steps?along the western bank of the Ganges forms the major attraction
of Varanasi. There are about hundred ghats in the city and each of them is
marked by a lingam and occupies its own special place in the religious
geography of the city. The ghats, though some of them have crumbled over the
years, continue to thrive with early-morning bathers, Brahmin priests offering
puja and people practicing meditation and yoga. Though most of the ghats are
used for bathing, there are several 'burning ghats' were bodies are cremated.
The pilgrims here are supposed to bathe at five special ghats in a sequence
during a ritual called the Panchatirthi Yatra. For the casual visitor however
the easiest way to see the ghats is to follow a south-north sequence either by
boat or on foot.
Alamgir Mosque
Also known as Beni Madhav Ka Darera,
the
Durga Temple
Located 2 kilometres south of the
old city, this eighteenth century Durga Temple is also known as the Monkey
Temple due to many aggressive monkeys that reside here. The temple was built in
a common north Indian style with an ornate shikhara, consisting of five
segments symbolizing the elements and supported by finely carved columns. 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. A forked stake in the courtyard was used during festivals in the earlier
times to behead sacrificial goats. The ritual of sacrifice has now been
replaced by a symbolic mark in vermilion. Non-Hindus are admitted to the
courtyard but not the inner sanctum.
Bharat Mata Temple
This temple of Bharat Mata (Mother
India), inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi, lies about 3 kilometres west of Godaulia,
outside the old city. Here, instead of gods and goddesses, one finds a huge
relief map in marble of the whole of Indian subcontinent and Tibetan plateau.
The map is said to be perfectly to scale both vertically and horizontally with
mountains, rivers and the holy tirthas (pilgrimage centres) all clearly
visible.
Tulsi Manas Temple
Built in 1964, the Tulsi Manas
Temple stands about 150 m south of Durga Temple. The temple, dedicated to Lord
Rama is situated at the place where Tulsidas, the great medieval seer, is
believed to have lived and written the great epic "Shri
Ramcharitmanas". The two tier walls of the temple are engraved with the
verses and scenes from this great epic.
Banaras Hindu University
One of the oldest educational
centres in India, the Banaras Hindu University 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 university campus is spread
over five square kilometres and houses the Bharat Kala Bhavan. The Bhavan has a
fine collection of miniature paintings, sculptures from first to fifteenth
centuries, old photographs of Varanasi and brocade textiles. The campus also
houses the New Vishwanatha Temple.
Archaeological Museum
Located in Sarnath at about 10 km
from Varanasi, the Archaeological Museum houses the capitol from the Ashokan
pillar, the symbol of which has been adopted as the state emblem of the modern
India. |
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| Last Updated ( Tuesday, 30 September 2008 ) | |
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