Varanasi, considered as the most holy place of pilgrimage for Hindus, is also renowned for its rich tapestry of music, arts, crafts and education. This is the place where divine unification happened between shehnai and its maestro – Ustad Bismillah Khan, who immersed the world in the melody and rhythm of Shehnai.

India’s most venerated sages – Gautam Buddha, Kabir, Mahavira, Tulsidas, Shankracharya, Ramanuja, and Patanjali meditated here, which has made this place reverberate with the presence of immense peace and wisdom. Varanasi has also produced prominent musicians, philosophers, poets, and writers in Indian history, including Munshi Premchand, Jaishankar Prasad, Pandit Ravi Shankar. This galaxy of great people has given Varanasi a place of pride in the country.

The city of Varanasi is situated on the west bank of the holiest of all Indian rivers, the Ganga. The relationship between the sacred river and the city is the essence of Varanasi – ‘the land of sacred light’. City of many names, it was first known as Kashi, the city of light. The word ‘Kashi’ originated from the word ‘Kas’ which means to shine. Steeped in tradition and mythological legacy, Kashi is the ‘original ground ‘created by Shiva and Parvati, upon which they stood at the beginning of time.

The city was officially renamed in 1956 as Varanasi, a name from antiquity. Varanasi is the microcosm of Hinduism, a city of traditional classical culture, glorified by myth and legend and sanctified by religion; it has always attracted a large number of pilgrims and worshippers from time immemorial. To be in Varanasi is an experience in itself…an experience in self-discovery…an eternal oneness of the body and soul.

Varanasi’s prominence in Hindu mythology is virtually unrevealed. Mark Twain, the English author who was enthralled by the legend and sanctity of Benaras, once wrote: “Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together”.

MORE THAN A PILGRIMAGE OR HINDUS

Along with being the most sacred place for Hindus, it’s worth noting that Hindus and Muslims are braided together in this city in worship, culture, craft and commercial affairs. Muslim weavers make the famous Benarasi silk saris for the weddings of wealthy Hindus. Muslim craftsmen also produce the crowns of Hindu temple deities. Muslims play concerts at Hindu temples.

DEVOTION OF USTAD BISMILLAH KHAN

The city’s most celebrated musician, late Ustad Bismillah Khan, famous for having begun his mornings with devotional songs before the Hindu temple of Shiva. He attributed all his music at the lotus feet of the Hindu deity. The Ustad personified secularism. He was a practising Muslim who offered `namaz’ five times a day. Yet he had immense faith in Baba Vishwanath, Sankat Mochan and Ganga maiyya. When asked to hunt for greener pastures, he used to remark, where will I find Baba Vishwanath and Ganga? A devout Muslim, he was a symbol of India’s religious pluralism and a symbol of harmony for people of different faiths.

A VISIT TO VARANASI

A visit to Varanasi offers a breathtaking experience. The rays of the dawn shimmering across the Ganga… the high-banks; the temples and shrines along the banks bathed in a golden hue…soul-stirring hymns and mantras along with the fragrance of incense filling the air…and the refreshing dip in the holy waters gently splashing at the Ghats. Varanasi – the land where experience and discovery reach the ultimate bliss.

DISCOVER THE TRANQUILITY OF SARNATH

Buddhists worldwide look upon Varanasi as the land of the Buddha, and a visit to this pilgrimage is celebrated in the memory of the Enlightened One. Buddha, the great sage, after attaining enlightenment (Buddhahood) at Bodh Gaya came to Sarnath and delivered his first sermon to five disciples (i.e. Kaundinya, Bashpa, Bhadrika, Mahanaman and Ashvajit) for redeeming humanity. It is this place where the foundation of a new order of monks (Sangha) and a new order of religious doctrine (Dhamma) was laid; set in motion the wheel of Law (Maha- Dharmachakra Pravartan). On the day before his death, Lord Buddha included Sarnath alongwith Lumbini, Bodh Gaya and Kushinagar as the four places he thought to be sacred to his followers.

Emperor Ashoka, who spread the Buddha’s message of love and compassion throughout his vast empire, visited Sarnath around 234BC, and erected a stupa here. Emperor Ashoka built the Dharmarajika Stupa at the site where the Buddha gave his first sermon. During his excavations, Cunningham found inside the stupa a marble casket that might have contained the relics of the Buddha.

Just behind the Dharmarajika Stupa are the remains of the Ashoka Pillar, one of the many that Emperor Ashoka erected. The monolithic pillar was once crowned with the magnificent lion capital that is now in the Sarnath Museum.

The four roaring lions face the four directions symbolising the spread of the Buddha’s teaching. The pillar was originally 15 metres tall and the lions supported a dharmachakra or the wheel of law but only a few fragments of it have been found.

The Sarnath Museum is a treasure trove of Buddhist sculpture, inscription and pottery. Some of the finest images of the Buddha and panels depicting important episodes from his life can be seen here. Also worth visiting are the monasteries and temples built by other Buddhist countries in their indigenous architectural styles.

Several Buddhist structures were raised at Sarnath, and today it presents the most expansive ruins amongst places on the Buddhist trail. Sarnath is 10 kms from the holy city of Varanasi, and is an exceedingly tranquil place.

CITY OF TEMPLES & GHATS

Varanasi contains more than 1,500 temples and mosques. Almost all of the city’s 5 kms of river banks have been converted into ghats. On the whole, it has 100 bathing and burning ghats, of which Manikarnika ghat is the most sacred. This is the main burning ghat and one of the most auspicious places.

THE KASHI VISHWANATH TEMPLE

It is in the heart of this city that there stands in its fullest majesty the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in which is enshrined the Jyotirlinga of Shiva, Vishweshwara or Vishwanatha. Also known as the Golden Temple, it is dedicated to Lord Shiva, the presiding deity of the city. Varanasi is said to be the point at which the first jyotirlinga, the fiery pillar of light by which Lord Shiva manifested his supremacy over other gods, broke through the earth’s crust and flared towards the heavens. It is one of the twelve revered Jyotirlingas of the Lord Shiva.

BHARATMATA TEMPLE

This temple is dedicated to Mother India. Just one kilometer from the Varanasi station, the temple is built in the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth which was built by Babu Shiv Prasad Gupta. This temple was inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1936 so that the citizens could respect Mother India in statue form. The statue is built in marble. The statue is a replica of undivided India in three dimensions which has the mountains, plains and oceans in right proportion.

ANNAPURNA TEMPLE

Near the Kashi Vishwanath temple, there is a nice temple of Devi Annapurna, the “Godess of Food”. Known as Annapurna Temple, it was built in 1725 A.D. by the Maratha chieftain, Peshwa Baji Rao I. During the annual Annakuta festival, just after Diwali, mountains of fruits, sweets and cereals are laid out before the goddess and then distributed to the poor.

SANKATMOCHAN TEMPLE

Lord Hanuman is also known as “Sankatmochan”, the god who protects us from the troubles. Sankat Mochan Temple was founded by Goswami Tulsidas. Ustad Bismillah Khan often used to play in this temple, and attributed all his music to the Hindu deity with reverence.

GHATS AT VARANASI

The divine grace of this city lies is unique combination of physical, metaphysical and supernatural elements. Ghats of Varanasi are natural supplement to the concept of divinity. The great river banks at Varanasi, built high with eighteenth and nineteenth-century pavilions and palaces, temples and terraces, are lined with an endless chain of stone steps – the ghats – progressing along the whole of the waterfront, altering in appearance with the dramatic seasonal fluctuations of the river level. Each of the hundred ghats, big and small, is marked by a lingam, and occupies its own special place in the religious geography of the city.

ASSI GHAT

Assi Ghat, an important ghat of Varanasi, traditionally constitutes the southern end of the conventional city. According to a belief Goddess Durga after slaying demon Shumbha- Nishumbha had thrown her sword here. The place, where the sword (khadga) had fallen resulted in flowing of big stream known as Assi river.

ALAMGIR MOSQUE

An amalgamation of Hindu-Muslim religious sentiments, this mosque is also known as “Beni Madhav ka Darera”. Curiously, the entire lower portion of the mosque is retained as a Hindu temple.

BENARAS HINDU UNIVERSITY

This is the largest and oldest university in north India. Spread over an area of 2,000 acres, this great place of education was established by Pt. Madan Mohan Malaviya. Today the campus has faculties of Arts, Science, Music, Sanskrit, Languages, Engineering, Statistics and Medical, to name a few of them.
The university is a museum in its own right and requires more than half a day visit to do it justice.

A BITTER CONTRASTING PERSPECTIVE

While we talk of the beautiful and breathtaking pictures of Varanasi, Ustad Bismillah Khanji’s hometown and the ancient cityscape as painted by poets and singers, we shouldn’t forget that somewhere down the line, the glory has been tainted, the beauty has become tarnished. And who has done this to the grand beautiful city. We, humans! And none other than us…Mother Nature and the holy Gangaji have been silent witnesses to the atrocities committed by man in the name of religion and mukti. People believe that a dip in the holy Ganga can wash off their sins forever. Under this pretext, tons of pollutants are being released into the so called Holy River. People believe the Kashi Vishveshwar temple is one of the holiest shrines in the country. But this mukti comes with a heavy price of superstitions, trampling upon one another to have a glimpse of Lord Shiva and creating filth all over the holy place. It’s high time, the thinking individual of our country drop the beliefs that are unwholesome and stand up to revive the lost grandeur of the city.

The day when the artisans of the renowned Banarasi Silk are not exploited, the abode of Lord Shiva is turned into a peaceful commune rather than a cacophony of sinful souls seeking liberation, the day when Gangaji is revered as Holy and kept free from pollutants, Varanasi will become the Holiest place of the country in the true sense of the word.

Do visit this ancient city of death and liberation, but with a tender heart and an awakened mind!