Varanasi Things to Do

This is a temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman. It is very peaceful and simple. In the evenings they have bhajans and singing. An ideal place to sit in meditation and contemplation in this place. However on Thursdays and Saturdays, it is more crowded.

Sankat Mochan Temple is dedicated to Lord Hanuman and is very popular with the local citizens. It is a place for many yearly religious as well as cultural festivals. The word "Sankat Mochan" means one who helps in removing sufferings.Every Tuesday and Saturday, thousands of devotees queue up in front of the Sankat Mochan temple to offer prayers to Lord Hanuman. According to Vedic Astrology, Hanuman protects human beings from the anger of planet Saturn and those who have ill placed Saturn in their horoscope visit the Sankat Mochan temple to get remedy.

This ancient temple was constructed in the 18th century. This ancient temple has been constructed in the North Indian Nagara architectural style. This ancient temple is located at a distance of 4 kilometers from Godaulia in Varanasi, India.

The Kashi-Vishwanath Temple is also known as the Golden Temple and is a popular religious tourist destination. This temple is dedicated to the Hindu deity Vishveswara Shiva. The original temple is said to have been destroyed by the Mughal ruler Aurangzeb who constructed a mosque on this site. Ahalya Bai constructed the existing temple in the year 1776.

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At the place of an old site of Kevelyagiri Ghat, in c. 1778 queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore made this a pucca ghat. For the first time name of a person was added after the ghat. She was also responsible for re-building the Visvesvara temle, as exists at present, in 1777.

Causatti ghat-info from varanasi nic
This ghat is described in respect to yogini Tirtha and Agatsya Tirtha.The number 64 (Causatha) is attributed to directional symbolism and also association between mother-goddesses and their assistant- goddesses, of course there are other interpretations too. This ghat had privilege to provide shelter to a great Sanskrit scholar, Madhusudana Sarsvati (c.e.1540-1623). Above the ghat there is temple of causatthi Devi, but only 60 images of yogonis are there, the rest four are at different places. In c. 1670 King of Udaipur (Rajasthan) renovated this ghat, and jater it became pucca On 12th dark-half of caitra (March-April) many pilgrims pay visit to the yogini temple and take ritual bath at this ghat.

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Assi Ghat an important ghat of Varanasi traditionally constitutes the southern end of conventional city. Numerous References about this ghat are found in early literature Particulalry in matsypurana, again purana, kurma purana, padma purana and kashi khanda. According to a belief goddess Durga after slaining demon Shumbha- Nishumbha had thrown her sword. The place, where sword (Khadga) had fallen resulted in flowing of big stream known as asi river.the confluence of river ganga and asi is known as assi ghat.In Kashi Khand it is referred as Asi "Saimbeda Tirtha" one gets punaya of all the Tirthas ( religious places) by taking a dip here.

In c. 1805 this ghat was built in honour of a famous wrestler who established a wresting site (Akhara) there: his name was Babua Pande. The shrine of Somesvara exists closeby to it. In its vicinity lies the old site of Prabhasa Tirtha, but presently it is spatially transposed at Raja Ghat.

Manikarnika ghat is the main cremation ghat of Varanasi and is one of the oldest and most sacred.Both the ghats are cremation ghat.accorning to mythology being burned here provides instant liberation.Manikarnika ghat symbolises creation and destruction.There is a sacred well at the Manikarnika Ghat, called the Manikarnika Kund.
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Two legends are associated with Manikarnika Ghat: According to one, it is believed to be the place where Lord Vishnu dug a pit with his Chakra and filled it with his perspiration while performing various penances. While Lord Shiva was watching Lord Vishnu at that time, the latter's earring ("manikarnika") fell into the pit. According to the second legend, in order to keep Lord Shiva from moving around with his devotees, his consort Goddess Parvati hid her earrings, and asked him to find them, saying that they had been lost on the banks of Ganga. Goddess Parvati's idea behind the fib was that Lord Shiva would then stay around, searching forever for the lost earrings. In this legend, whenever a body gets cremated at the Manikarnik Ghat, Lord Shiva asks the soul whether it has seen the earrings.

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Two ancient sacred waterfront sites make this ghat, viz Sidha Vinayaka and Swargadvaresvara. Among the is popularly called as " the great cremation ground" (Mahasmasana). In the vicinity are shrines of Manikarnikesvara (a little far in the upper side of the lane), Mahesvara (open air lingam at the ghat) and Siddha and Manikarna Vinayakas. The temple of Manikarnikesvara is the approachable from the ghat by taking a steepy ascending lane south of the Kunda.
There also exists a sacred pond, Cakra- Puskarini Kunda ("Discus Lotus- Pool") and Visnu’s feet impression Carana Paduka. According to puranic myth long before the Ganga arrived at the heels of Bhagiratha, the Cakra-Puskarini Kunda was present. Says the KKh(60.137-138) . For the benefit of the three world king Bhagiratha brought the Ganga to the place where Manikarnika is –to Shiva’s Forest of Bliss ("Annandavana"), to Visnu’s Lotus Pool (Chakra-Puskarni Kunda). Presently the Kunda surrounded by a cast-iron railing , is some (60 ft) at the top, narrowing to about (20ft) it) at the water’s edge (Eck 1982: 239). Visnu and Laksmi images are located in the small shrine inside the Kunda on the western wall; while a series of dozen small niches containing Siva lingams also exit there. Along the sacred route, on the ghat itself, are the symbolically footprints of Visnu (Carana Paduka), set in a circular marble slab. For 7,000 years Visnu was said to have performed tapas on this spot, and through the centuries millions of Hindus have sprinkled it with the holy Ganga water and adorned it with flowers. A plate from Prinsep’s which the subtitle calls "The holiest spot in the sacred City".

Towering over Manikarnika ghat, there is a Siva –Durga temple of Raja of Amethy (Oudh; now Uttar Pradesh), built in c. 1850 which is distinct with its five deep- red spires and gilded pinnacles.