The
Most Ancient Living City of the World
The revered city of Kashi or Varanasi is situated on the banks of the holy
river
Ganges and is presided over by Lord Shiva.
Known as the city of learning and temples, it is a place of great cultural
and historical significance. The most revered city for the Hindu religion is
the heart of India and an epitome of the unification of cultures, religions
and races. The river-front of the city is decorated by hundreds of well
built ghats which is an outstanding feature of the city.
Varanasi is the prime most place of oriental learning. Simultaneously it is
at par with modern advanced knowledge. The city possess three universities -
Banaras Hindu University, Tibetan Institute and Institute of Arabic Studies.
The city is world famous for its silk fabrics, perfumes, artistic brass and
copper wares and a variety of handicrafts.
Kashi
One of the most ancient holy places of India, is just 3 km from Varanasi.
Kashi is equally an important place for Jain pilgrims. There are numerous
Hindu and Jain temples in and around the place, worth a visit.
The Ghats
Pilgrims flock the
Ghats to have a
ritual bath and perform puja to the rising sun, following centuries old
tradition.
Sarnath
Situated just 10 km from Varanasi is
Sarnath,
a Buddhist pilgrimage. The great Buddha enriched the sanctity of Varanasi by
selecting the city to preach his first sermon at Sarnath, after attaining
enlightenment in Bodh Gaya in Bihar.
Viswanath
Temple
Vishwanath or Kashi Vishwanath Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The
temple is the most sacred Hindi shrine in Varanasi. After the original
temple was destroyed by the Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb , Rani Ahilyabai of
Indore restored it in the 18th century. Foreigners entry prohibited.
Banaras Hindu University
Founded by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya it is considered to be the largest
residential university in Asia. Within the university campus, Vishwanath
Temple and Bharat Kala Kendra (Museum) are well worth a visit.
Not To Overlook - Excursions
Chunar Fort
Situated 22 km from Varanasi, the site dates back to Vikramaditya of Ujjain
in 56 BC.
Ramnagar Fort
The residential place of Kashi Naresh (Former Maharaja of Varanasi).
Archaeological Museum
The museum houses many figures and sculptures from the various periods of
Saranath - Mauryan, Kushana, Gupta and later, including the Ashokan Pillar.
Location : Situated on the bank of the river Ganga, Varanasi is 760
km from Delhi.
Language : Native language is Hindi, though considerable % of people
can speak English.
Climate : Summer 32 deg C to 43 deg C, winter, minus 5 deg C to 15
deg C; Rainfall: 111 cms annual;
Best time to visit : September - November.
Getting There
By air : Indian Airlines flies to Babatpur Airport which
is 22 kms. from Sarnath. There is a direct, daily flight connection between
Varanasi and New Delhi and also to Kathmandu. Varanasi is also connected by
air to
Agra,
Erotic
Khajuraho Temples, Calcutta, Bombay, Lucknow and
Bhubaneshwar.Following chart shows the name of the airports and their
offices along with the telephone number in Vanarasi.
Airport City Bus Service : Runs twice daily via Indian Airlines
Office and Govt. of India Tourist Office.
By rail : Varanasi is an important and major rail
junction. The city is linked by trains with all metros and major cities
across the country -
New Delhi (760
Kms.), Bombay (1509 Kms.), Calcutta (735 Kms.), Madras (1970 Kms.) , Lucknow
(286 Kms.).There are three railway station - Kashi, City and Varanasi
Junction (also known as Varanasi Cantonment). There are not many trains
running directly between here and Delhi or Calcutta but most Delhi to
Calcutta trains do pass through Mughal Sarai, 18 km south of Varanasi. This
is about 45 minutes by bus or shared auto-rickshaw.
By road : Varanasi is connected with Calcutta (677 Kms.),
Delhi (765 Kms.), Madras (1901 Kms.), Bangalore (1763 Kms.) and to the rest
of the country by good motorable, all-weather roads.
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