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Religious Destinations
Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Varanasi is a religious city situated on the bank of the Ganges River in northern India. This place has significant importance and devotees consider it to be a central place in pilgrimage, death, and mourning in Indian culture and tradition. This place was earlier called Banaras but is now called Varanasi which is the official name that it received after 1947. Its ancient name was Kashi. It is situated at a distance of approximately 692 km from the capital of the country New Delhi and 320 km from the state capital Lucknow.

About Varanasi - An Overview

Varanasi holds the record of being one of the World’s oldest continually inhabited cities. Its ancient name Kashi is associated with a kingdom of the same name 2,500 years ago. Adi Shankara established the worship of the Lord Shiva as an official sect of Varanasi in the 8th century. Apart from being one of the famous pilgrimage sites in India, Varanasi is also known for its silk weaving, carpets, and crafts that are associated with employing a large number of the local population, thereby aiding in the development of the economic sector of the state.

Places to visit in Varanasi
Shree Kashi Vishwanath Temple

One of the most famous temples of Varanasi that is dedicated to Lord Shiva, the Shree Kashi Vishwanath Temple is situated in Vishwanath Gali of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. This temple occupies the western bank of the holy river Ganga and is also one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest of Shiva temples. The main deity of the Shree Kashi Vishwanath Temple is called Shri Vishwanath and Vishweshwara which means “Lord of the Universe”. Since the ancient name of Varanasi is Kashi, the temple is popularly known as Shree Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

Inside this temple, the Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva is present which has a very special as well as unique significance in the spiritual and religious history of India. This site has been visited by some of the most renowned and leading saints such as Adi Sankaracharya, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Swami Vivekananda, Bamakhyapa, Goswami Tulsidas, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Pramukh Swami Maharaj, Gurunanak and many more. People believe that visiting the temple and taking a bath in the river Ganges is one of the many methods to attain Moksha (liberation). Hence, people from all parts of the world try to visit this place at least once in their lifetime.

Ganga Aarti

The city of Varanasi is considered to be part of the Sapt Puri, the seven holiest cities in India. The other cities of Sapt Puri include Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Kanchipuram, Ujjain, and Dwarka. According to Hindu mythology, this city was established by the Lord himself.

The Ganga is the holiest river in mythology due to which people believe that a dip in the river tends to cleanse out all the sins a person commits in his/her lifetime. Every evening, priests of Varanasi perform an elaborate and extremely beautiful aarti on the ghats of the Ganges. The most popular of these ghats is the Dashashwamedh Ghat located right next to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Other ghats where people can witness the aarti are the Assi Ghat and Rajendra Prasad Ghat.

The priests worship the river Ganga in such a synchronized manner that witnessing the aarti becomes an ultimate treat to the eyes and fills eyes with tears of peace, happiness, and satisfaction. Though this aarti seems to be precariously risky, the priests are experienced enough, and thus, the lamps remain in safe hands. The Ganga aarti continues for about 45 minutes. In summer, it generally starts at around 7 pm and in winter, the time is shifted to 6 pm.

The Durga Temple

Also known as Durga Kund temple, it is one of the most famous temples in the city of Varanasi has great religious importance in Hinduism, and is dedicated to Goddess Durga. This temple was constructed under the supervision of Rani Bhabani of Natore in the 18th century. There is a pond next to the temple which was earlier connected to the river Ganges. Shri Satyanarayan Tulsi Manas Mandir.

This temple is one of the most famous temples which is significant from a religious point of view as the ancient Hindu epic Ramcharitmanas was originally written at this place. Moreover, Manas Mandir is also home to a museum with a rare collection of manuscripts and artifacts. Thus, tourists cannot afford to miss visiting this temple.

Birla Temple

Since this temple has been constructed under the supervision of the Birla Group of Industries, it is known as the Birla Temple. It was made up of marble and the tower of the temple is known as the tallest temple tower. This temple is mainly devoted to Lord Shiva. It remains accessible for the devotees seven days a week, from 4 am to 12 pm and 1 pm to 9 pm.

Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple

It is a Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman and was established by famous Hindu preacher and poet saint Sri Goswami Tulsidas in the early 16th century, on the banks of the Assi river. This temple is situated near the Banaras Hindu University and remains overcrowded with devotees who chant Hanuman Chalisa and Sundarkand inside the temple complex. The locals believe that this temple was built on the spot where Tulsidas had a vision of Lord Hanuman. Every person visiting Varanasi also visits this temple and offers their respects to God. The laddoo offered as a prasad is essentially famous among the devotees. However, one visiting this temple must be aware of the monkeys who throng the temple premises and tend to steal away the prasad.

Dashashwamedh Ghat

As the name suggests, according to popular belief, Lord Brahma performed the Dasa Ashwamedha sacrifice in this region. This ghat is considered to be a religious spot and many rituals are performed here. Visitors are advised to arrive here during the time of Kartik Purnima to witness a celestial manifestation in the city of lights- Dev Deepavali. This Ghat is mostly famous for the Ganga Arti conducted every evening. Hence, thousands of people gather here and visit this place regularly. Watching the Ganga Aarti is an out-of-the-world experience and cannot be explained in words. The present ghat was built under the supervision of Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao in the year 1748. However, after a few years, the Queen of Indore, Ahilyabahi Holkar, rebuilt the ghat in the year 1774.

Manikarnika Ghat

It is one of the holiest cremation grounds among the sacred riverfronts, alongside the river Ganges. In India, death is considered to be the ultimate truth of life and a gateway to another life marked by the result of one’s deeds in his/her entire life. It is believed that a human’s soul attains moksha, and hence breaks the cycle of rebirth when cremated in Manikarnika Ghat. Thus, a fraction of elderly people across the whole country seeks to walk up to its edges and spend their last days absorbing the charisma of the ghat making death painless and insignificant to be pondered upon.

Bharat Mata Mandir

The construction of this temple marked an important chapter in the glorious history of the independence of India. It required six years to build this temple and was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi. This temple is dedicated to Mother India and is present inside the complex of Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith, an esteemed university of Varanasi. This temple is unique from the rest of the temples of India as it doesn’t worship any Hindu deity. Rather, it worships the country of India.

Sarnath

Sarnath is also known by the names of Sarangnath, Isipatana, Rishipatana, Migadaya, or Mrigadeva. This place is located at a distance of 10 km to the northeast of Varanasi, near the confluence of the Ganges and the Varuna rivers. This city is popular because, in this region, Gautam Buddha taught his first sermon after attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya at the age of 35. Moreover, it is also where the Buddhist sangha first came into effect as a result of the enlightenment of his first five disciples. According to the Mahaparinibbana Sutta, the Buddha mentioned Sarnath as one of the four places of pilgrimage his followers need to visit and look upon with feelings of reverence.

Assi Ghat

Another popular ghat of Varanasi is the Assi Ghat which tourists tend to visit regularly. It occupies the southern part of the holy city of Varanasi at the confluence of the Ganges and Assi rivers. People arrive at Assi Ghat for a wide range of reasons. Some of them visit this ghat to soak in the spiritual atmosphere and attain some relaxation of mind, while some simply enjoy the famous evening aarti and get a glimpse into the local culture.

According to a mythological tale, Goddess Durga, after killing the demons Shumbha-Nishumbha, threw her sword and it landed in this region. It resulted in the emergence of a river which was then called Assi. The locals believe that taking a dip at Assi Ghat is equivalent to taking a dip at thousand of other holy rivers.

Best time to visit Varanasi

The best time to visit Varanasi is from November to March.