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Varanasi
 Varanasi is one of the most important
pilgrimage sites in India and also a major tourist attraction. Varanasi
has also been known as Kashi and Benares, but its present name is
restoration of an ancient name meaning the city between two rivers-the
Varuna and Asi. For the pious Hindu the city has always had a special
place. Besides being a pilgrimage center, it is considered an auspicious
place to die, ensuring an instant route to heaven. To this day Varanasi
is a center of learning, especially for Sanskrit scholars, and students
flock here from all over India. Tulsi das, the famous poet who wrote the
Hindu version of the Ramayana known as the Ram Charit Manas, also lived
in this city for many years.
Places to Visit
The Vishwanath Temple (Golden Temple)
: This
temple of Shiva which is known as Vishwanath (Lord of all) nicknamed the
Golden Temple, the Vishweshwar linga is claimed to have shot up from the
ground as shaft of light. All of Varanasi is measured in circles around
Vishwanath and it is the most important place of pilgrims. Within the
main temple there are many smaller temples of other deities.
The Vishalakshi Temple : This belongs to a Wide-Eyed local goddess, but it is also a shakti
pitha the eye of the goddess Sati is said to have landed here when she was
chopped apart in the heavens. Other attractions
 Varanasi’s principal attraction is the
long string of bathing ghats which lies on the west bank of the
Ganges. Ghats are the steps which lead down to the river, and where,
at the two ‘burning ghats’, bodies are cremated. The best time to
visit the ghats is at dawn when pilgrims take their morning dip – the city is coming alive, the light is magical and Varanasi is an
exotic place. Varanasi  Varanasi(formerly Benares or Banaras), city, northern India
in Uttar Pradesh State, on the northern bank of the Ganges
River. It lies in a fertile region in which sugarcane and grains are
produced. The city is also an important commercial center. Silk brocade,
gold and silver thread, filigree work, and brass articles are
manufactured.
The
city has few buildings built before the late 16th century, but its site
was occupied in ancient times by the kingdom of Kashi; to devout Hindus
the city has always existed. It is to them the holiest of cities.
 Hindu
pilgrims come to Varanasi from all parts of the world. Records of such
pilgrimages date from the 7th century. Large throngs gather along the
banks of the sacred Ganges River, where terraced landings, or ghats, lead
down to the water. Hindus believe that immersion in the Ganges water
cleanses them of sins and that death on its banks leads to salvation. The
level portions of the ghats are used for funeral pyres.
From
Ramnagar, across the river, the city of Varanasi gives an impression of
splendor that is dissipated on closer view. The narrow streets wind
circuitously between painted and carved buildings, many of them with
overhanging galleries. Among the more than 1500 temples, the best known
are the mosque of Aurangzeb; the observatory of Raja Jai Singh and the
Durga Temple, both built in the 17th century; and the holiest of all
temples, the Bisheshwar, or Golden Temple.
Varanasi is also a center of
learning, especially for the study of Sanskrit, centered at Banaras
College (1791) and maintained by the government. Banaras Hindu University
(1916) was the first denominational university in India under private
control; it is now nonsectarian. Varanasaya-Sanskrit University was
founded in 1958. Population (1991) 929,270 Top
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