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Tours to Varanasi
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VARANASI TOURS GUIDE
VARANASI TOURIST INFORMATION :-
Varanasi, one of the oldest living cities of the world,
is situated on the north bank of Ganga and is located
midway between Delhi and Calcutta. it is known as the
religious and cultural capital of India. Its known
history dates back to about 3500 hundred years, during
which it has continuously been populated. However,
Hindus believe that the city is eternal. 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. Varanasi
is one of the largest cities in the state of Uttar
Pradesh. Products of the city include shawls, saris,
gold-embroidered cloth, hand-hammered brassware, and
heavy gold and silver jewellery. Varanasi is especially
known for its fine silk fabrics. It is also home to the
Diesel Locomotive Works of Indian Railways, one of the
largest locomotive manufacturing plants in the World.
The Ganges or the Ganga River is one of the greatest
attractions of Varanasi. Devout Hindus make pilgrimages
from all parts of India to bathe in the Ganges, whose
water they believe to be sacred. Along the river,
stairways have been set-up, known as ghats, from which
people can bathe before saying their daily prayers.
Every year, over a million pilgrims visit the city.
Varanasi is also known for its large temples and its
monasteries and palaces.
VARANASI HISTORY :-
The land of Varanasi (Kashi) has been an ultimate
pilgrimage spot for Hindus for ages. Often referred to
as Benares, Varanasi is the oldest living city in the
world and as Mark Twain said, "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, who are believed to be the foremost citizens of
the city as they lived here for sometime after their
marriage and worshipped for being the holiest city along
side Ganga, the origins of Varanasi are yet unknown.
Ganges in Varanasi is believed to have the power to wash
away the sins of mortals and thus, the innumerable Ghats
of Ganga in the city are accounted for. Situated in the
U.P. region, 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, it has been
a symbol of Hindu renaissance. Varanasi has also been a
leader in the promotion of Hindi language and honored
authors such as the ever-famous novelist Prem Chand,
Tulsi Das, the famous saint-poet who wrote Ram Charit
Manas and Ravi Shankar, the internationally renowned
Sitar maestro are all sons of the blessed city or have
lived here for major part of their lives. Knowledge,
philosophy, culture, devotion to Gods, Indian arts and
crafts have all flourished here for centuries. Also a
pilgrimage place for Jains, Varanasi is the birthplace
of their Tirthankar Parsvanath.
VARANASI AT A GLANCE :-
Varanasi Facts & Figures
State Uttar Pradesh
Area 83.05 km˛
Population About 14 lakh
Altitude 80.71 m
Languages Hindi, Sanskrit and English
STD Code 0542
HOTELS IN VARANASI :-
Best Western Kashika Hotel Radisson Hotel Taj Ganges
Hotel Palace on Ganges
Hotel Clarks Varanasi
VARANASI TOURIST ATTRACTIONS :-
Bharat Mata Temple Banaras Hindu University Bharat Kala
Bhawan Durga Temple
Ramnagar Fort Tulsi Manas Temple The Ghat Vishwanath
Temple
Allahabad Bodhgaya Khushinagar Sarnath
VARANASI TRAVEL INFO :-
By Air - There are daily domestic flights to and from
Varanasi to several cities in India. In fact, the daily
flights on Delhi-Varanasi-Khajuraho-Varanasi route are
quite popular among the tourists.
By Rail - There are two railway stations in Varanasi,
the Kashi Junction and the Varanasi Junction, also known
as the Cantonment Station. It is well connected to Delhi
and Calcutta by many trains and also to the other
significant Indian cities. Rajdhani Express from Delhi
or from Calcutta passes through Varanasi too.
Alternatively, one can also take trains for Mughalsarai,
just 10 km south of Varanasi.
By Road - Varanasi has a good network of roads, frequent
public and private buses and road transport to all the
major towns of Uttar Pradesh and nearby areas.
VARANASI FAIRS AND FESTIVALS :-
Fairs and festivals are celebrated with traditional
gaiety and fervor to invoke divine blessings as well as
for the sheer joy of living. A celebration of life at
its best.
Ganga Festival : Celebrated usually in October or
November, this festival at Varanasi is dedicated to
River Ganga. Ganges is worshipped for her glory and
ritualistic importance with ardent fervor and festivity.
Bharat Milap : Celebrating Lord Ram's return to Ayodhya
after 14 years of exile and His reunion with His brother
Bharat, the festival is held one day following Dussehra.
Attended by the Kashi Naresh resplendent in regal
finery, the festival attracts at least a million
devotees.
Buddh Purnima : Celebrating the birth of Lord Buddha,
this festival is celebrated with gaiety and rare
abandon. A large fair is held at Sarnath and the relics
of the Buddha are taken out for a public display on a
procession, on this day.
Ramlila : This world renowned Ram Lila has been based on
Goswami Tulsidas's 'Ramcharitmanas' and one can see a
live demonstration of ancient rituals. A month long
feast for the tourists. Ramlila is performed in the form
of Ram Janmotsav, Dhanush Bhang, Surpnakha Nasika Chedan
etc. at various places.
Mahashivratri : On this day every Shiv Mandir in
decorated. In Varanasi a marriage procession of Lord
Shiv is taken out starting from Mahamritunjaya temple,
Daranagar to Kashi Vishwanath temple via chowk. Round
50,000 - 60,000 people gather to see this event.
Panch Koshi Parikrama : It has a special importance in
the ancient Parikramas of India, starting and finishing
at Manikarnika Ghat. Each parikrama passes through 5
places : Kardmeshwar, Bhimchani, Rameshwar, Shivpur and
Kapildhara.
VARANASI SHOPPING :-
Silk weaving is perhaps the most coveted art of Varanasi
and Banarasi silk sarees form an essential part of an
Indian bride's trousseau. The world-famous gold and
silver brocades and richly worked saris are known to
have passed on from generations to generations much like
family jewels without their charm fading with time.
Besides Banarasi saris and brocades, the visitors may
look for exquisite pieces of brassware, copperware,
wooden and clay toys and antique designs of heavy gold
jewellery in the city. Other shopping attractions of the
city include the hand-knotted carpets of Mirzapur,
musical instruments, the 'khatta-meetha' (sweet 'n'
sour) 'Langda Aam', a popular variety of mangoes
available during summer season and the famous betel leaf
that is considered a specialty of the region. We can see
Benarasi people chewing betel leaves as a part of their
cultural upbringing and they even welcome their guests
by offering them the famous betel leaves. The shopping
hotspots in the city are Chowk, Gyan Vapi, Vishwanath
Gali, Thatheri Bazar, Lahurabir, Godoulia or Dashswamedh
Gali and Golghar. Varanasi is a noted centre for silk
weaving and brassware. Besides the illustrious and fine
silks and brocaded fabrics, one can also buy shawls,
carpets, wall hangings, Zari work, stone inlay work,
glass beads and bangles, masks of Hindu and Buddhist
deities and lampshades in the city. However, one has to
be on watch while buying silk saris and beware of the
imitations that are much cheaper than the real silk ones
but are not so easy to distinguish. People say that the
test for real silk is to ask for a sample of cloth and
burn it. If it is real silk, smoke will be odorless. One
can also buy 'kamandalu' or brass water pot from here,
which is often used by 'sanyasis' to carry water. People
buy bottled 'Ganga jal' or jerrycans from the riverbank
too for religious purposes or to be used as Holy Water
in various rituals. Alternatively, people can fill water
of Ganges themselves from the mid-river.
VARANASIi CUISINE :-
The sumptuous and delicious but tangy and spicy North
Indian food and snacks are the best options to try at
Varanasi. However, one can get good Chinese, Italian,
Continental and South-Indian food too. There are good
number of Byzantine eateries and restaurants in the
cities where one can explore for the food that suits
one's tastes. The wide variety of mouth-watering sweets
and snacks are just not to be missed. There is 'paapri-chaat',
which plays with your taste buds with its tangy and
spicy flavor of ginger and tamarind chutney and the
cooling and soothing yoghurt. While talking about the
specialties of Benarasi flavors, who can ever forget the
sour and sweet 'Langda aam', a variety of mango
available in summers and the frVaranasint 'Benarasi paan'
that is often added with aromatic essences such as that
of rose and 'supari' (areca-nut) along with other
goodies. Chewing this 'paan' seems to be a part of the
cultural identity of the people of Varanasi.
THE GHATS OF RIVER GANGES, VARANASI :-
In Varanasi, Ghats of Ganga are perhaps the holiest
spots in the city of Varanasi. These bathing ghats are
full of pilgrims who flock to the place to take a holy
dip in the Ganges that is believed to absolve one from
all sins. There are number of temples on the bank of the
river for people, thus cleansed physically, mentally and
spiritually, to pray and worship. Since centuries,
people go to these ghats even before dawn so that they
can offer their prayers to the rising sun. There are
more than 100 ghats along side Ganga in Varanasi alone
but perhaps the most popular one is the Dasaswamedh Ghat
situated on the western bank of the river.
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