Tapestry of Spirituality

Every morning when the first rays of the Sun hit Varanasi, the city awakes its heritage, rituals, traditions and customs...just another day in the life of a 3,000-year-old city.

Every morning when the firstrays of the Sun hit Varanasi,the city awakes its heritage,rituals, traditions andcustoms...just another day inthe life of a 3,000-year-old city.Located along the left crescentshapedbank of River Ganga,this city has around 3,000Hindu temples and shrines.

The gentle Ganga, myriadtemples, chants of mantras andhymns, tolling bells, devotion ofpilgrims, boatride at sunset,dips at the famous Ganga ghatsmeandering narrow alleys ofthe city and an array ofshrines. There are countlessimages of Varanasi. Besides, itis denoted by different namesat different times in differentcontexts. Kashi is the oldestname which means 'concentrationof cosmic light', Banaras,'the place where juice of life isalways readymade' andVaranasi lying between RiverVaruna in North and Assistream in South (Varana+Asi).

Spiritual luminance
Being one of the sevenholiest cities, it is perceived asa site of 'vigour and rigour'where religion, culture, peopleand society get interconnecteddeeply as mosaic called 'microcosmicIndia', or the 'culturalcapital of India'. It is also oneof the Shakti Peethas and oneof the twelve Jyotir Linga sitesin India. The culture is closelyassociated with Ganga and theriver's religious importance. Tothe Hindus, the Ganga is asacred river and any town orcity on its bank is believed tobe auspicious. But Varanasihas a special sanctity, for it isbelieved, this is where LordShiva and his consort Parvatistood when time started tickingfor the first time. The religiousmagnitude of Varanasi hasbeen well described in theBuddhist scriptures, the greatHindu epic of Mahabharataand Shri Ramcharitmanas.

Riverfront landscapes
The 84 ghats of Varanasiform a symbolic chain of holysites and offer a panoramafromablution to workout-of amultitude of people, for whomthe river is the be-all and endallof life. Here people consultthe astrologers under theirpalm leaf parasols, buyofferings for rituals, sell silkapparels and brassware, or justgaze at the faraway horizonwhere the mighty river meetsthe heavens. Apart from allview of the ghats from a boaton the motherly river givesa captivation.

Some of the famous ghats arethe Tulsi ghat, theDasaswamedh ghat and Assighat. It's great to visit Varanasiduring festivals Ganga Festival,Kartik Purnima, Bharat Milap,Ram Lila, Hanuman Jayanti,Mahashivratri, Rath Yatra,Dussehra and Diwali as thesehumming ghats become evenmore spectacular. The citycomes to life on festivals.

Seat of art and education
Apart from being a place forpilgrimage, Varanasi has alsobeen a great centre of learning,and known for its heritage inmusic, literature, art and craft.It is the first name in the art ofsilk weaving with Banarasi silksarees and brocades beingprized all over the world.

It is also the seat of one ofIndia's biggest universities, theBanaras Hindu University,Mahatma Gandhi KashiVidyapeeth, Central Institute ofHigher Tibetan Studies andSampurnanand SanskritUniversity. So many layers to acity only happens in Varanasi.

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