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| Varanasi Tour Guide |
Varanasi Introduction
Varanasi is one of the oldest living cities in the world and the ultimate pilgrimage for Hindus, who believe that to die in the city is to attain instant salvation. Varanasi is the tract of holy land lying between the Ganga and the Assi rivers. The Assi river also flows into Ganga. Varanasi is also known as Kashi, the city of light since one of the twelve 'Jyortinglinga's is installed here. Varanasi has been a great cultural centre, especially in the fields of music, learning and the craft of silk weaving. |
Varanasi History
Varanasi is one of the most important pilgrimage in India and also a major tourist attraction. Situated on the banks of the sacred Ganges, Varanasi has been a center of learning and civilisation for over 2000 years. 25 centuries ago Lord Buddha preached his message of enlightment for the first time in Sarnath which is just 10kms away from Varanasi. Later Varanasi became a great Hindu center, but was looted a number of times by Muslim invaders from the 11th century on. These destructive visits climaxed with that of the Mughal emperor, Aurangazeb, who destroyed almost all the temples and converted the most famous one into a mosque. aranasi 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.
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Durga Temple |
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| Located 2 km south of the old city, this eighteenth century Durga Temple is
also known as the Monkey Temple due to many aggressive monkeys that reside here. The
temple was built in a common north Indian style with an ornate shikhara, consisting of five
segments symbolizing the elements and supported by finely carved columns. |
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Bharat Mata Temple |
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This temple of Bharat Mata (Mother India), inaugurated by Mahatma
Gandhi, lies about 3 km west of Godaulia, outside the old city. Here, instead of gods and
goddesses, one finds a huge relief map in marble of the whole of Indian subcontinent and
Tibetan plateau. The map is said to be perfectly to scale both vertically and horizontally with
mountains, rivers and the holy tirthas (pilgrimage centers) all clearly visible. |
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Tulsi Manas |
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| Temple Built in 1964, the Tulsi Manas Temple stands about 150 m south of
Durga Temple. The temple, dedicated to Lord Rama is situated at the place where Tulsidas, the
great medieval seer, is believed to have lived and written the great epic "Shri
Ramcharitmanas". The two tier walls of the temple are engraved with the verses and scenes
from this great epic. |
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The Ghats |
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| The Ghats: of Varanasi Ghats are the major attractions of Varanasi. There are about hundred
ghats in the city and each of them is marked by a lingam and occupies its own special place in
the religious geography of the city. The ghats, though some of them have crumbled over the
years, continue to thrive with early-morning bathers, Brahmin priests offering puja and
people practicing meditation and yoga. Though most of the ghats are used for bathing, there
are several 'burning ghats' were bodies are cremated. |
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Shopping in Varanas |
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Benaras or Varanasi is famous for it's brocades and silk sarees. Other
attractions include brassware, ivoryware, gold jewelry, woodcraft, wall hangings and lamp
shades, carpets and masks of various Hindu/Buddhist gods, goddesses and saints. ‘Langda
Aam’ (a variety of mango) and Betel leaf (Pan) are famous too. The main shopping areas are
Chowk, Godowilia, Vishwanath Lane and Thatheri Bazar. |
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