Varanasi Things to Do

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A walk through the ‘gallis’ (‘alleys’) of the old city is a lesson in survival. Two-wheelers whizz past you, their modern horns utterly impatient; garbage push-carts vainly fighting a losing battle; a plethora of hole-in-the-wall shops selling anything and everything you don’t want; well-fed black cows sauntering as they please with the full knowledge that you will worship them; temples at every turning. Add to that the filth and the grime littered everywhere since the River Ganges started flowing and you have a path you would gladly forsake.

But don’t. It is a once-in-a-lifetime experience, an exhilarating adventure, a terrific photo opportunity, a passage down the annals of history. As long as you remember that the ‘gallis’ either run towards the ‘ghats’ or run parallel to the ‘ghats’, you will never be lost. Even if you are, there are too many helpful souls, with bemused smiles, who will gladly go the extra mile to guide you to your destination safely.

And that is what Varanasi or Benaras or Kashi is all about – guiding you safely back to your Maker.

There are new players in the market now who know the alleys of Varanasi like the back of their hands. Young, zestful, brimming with joie de vivre, these young ones make walking through the gullies a piece of cake.

First Written: Mar. 28, 2012

The Dufferin Bridge or Malviya Bridge or Rajghat Bridge dominates the skyline of Varanasi just as the innumerable ghats underlie the importance of this ancient city. It is a truly engaging piece of architecture with its interspersed hoops, its road traffic on top and its rain traffic below it. Closer home, in Guwahati, Assam, India, we have a similar structure (without the hoops) over the mighty Brahmaputra.

The Dufferin Bridge (named after Lord Dufferin, the Eighth Viceroy of India), inaugurated on Dec. 16, 1887, is part and parcel of the Grand Trunk Road, a 16th century 2600 kms (1600 miles) road connecting India, Pakistan and Afghanistan. In India, it connects Kolkata through Varanasi, Delhi and Amritsar before stopping at the Indo-Pak border town of Wagah. The bridge has 7 spans of 350 ft and 9 spans of 110 ft long. It was renamed as Malviya Bridge in 1948 after Madan Mohan Malviya. As the bridge is near Rajghat, it is also known as the Rajghat bridge.

If you are travelling to Varanasi from Mughal Sarai Junction, stop at this bridge for a panoramic view of the ghats. To your far left will be the Asi Ghat (North) and to your right will be the Ravi Ghat (South). Be aware that at this holy city, the river Ganga flows South to North, a rare occurrence.

This bridge has also been immortalised by Rudyard Kipling in his story, ‘The Bridge- Builders’. The story first appeared in the ‘Illustrated London News Christmas Number,’ 1893. The name of bridge in the story is ‘Kashi’. Kipling is believed to have been a guest of Frederick Walton, the Chief Engineer of the Dufferin Bridge.

First Written: Mar. 28, 2012

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Perched atop Panchganga Ghat, closer to Dufferin (Malviya or Rajghat) Bridge, is the Alamgir or Dharahara Mosque or Aurangzeb Mosque. It was built as a Vishnu temple by Beni Madhav Rao Scindia, a Maratha chieftain in the 17th century but was destroyed by Aurangzeb to make way for the mosque. It is also locally known as Beni Madhav Ka Darera.

It enjoys a vantage position and must have been a very imposing structure with its two tall minarets piercing the skyline. As such, this mosque manifests Hindu and Muslim elements in its architecture. The lower part of the mosque still features a temple.

A very steep climb takes you to the platform of the mosque. You remove your shoes here and visit the mosque. A flight of stairs (the steps are equally steep) take you to the pinnacle of the mosque. The views of the township of Varanasi and of the River Ganges from here are simply breath-taking.

Once you descend to the platform, request the clergyman to show you an old photograph of the mosque when its twin minarets were still intact. He will inform you that these minarets were almost twice the height of the mosque. One fell off almost a century ago while the other was dismantled after it started tilting, thereby proving to be a danger to the mosque.

First Written: Mar. 27, 2012

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Sankat Mochan (reliever or deliverer of/from troubles) or Hanuman Temple is situated beside the Asi stream, close to the Durga Temple in the vicinity of the Benaras Hindu University. The temple is dedicated to the monkey god, Lord Hanuman.

It is believed that Tulsidas, the author of 'Ram Charita Manas', the Hindi version of the 'Ramayan', originally written by Valmiki in late 1500 AD, founded the temple after a vision of the Lord Hanuman at that spot. The holy text was discovered in 1623 and has been in the temple since 1701. It is written in the Awadhi dialect which is part of the eastern Hindi language family.

In the early 1900's, Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya, the founder of the Banaras Hindu University, built the present structure. It is one place where the statues of both Ram and Hanuman face each other. On Tuesdays and Saturdays, the number of devotees is particularly high. Laddos are offered to the Lord and 'sindoor' (vermilion) applied on the statue. According to Hindu astrology, Lord Hanuman protects those who have an ill-placed Saturn in their horoscope ('shani daasa').

Hanuman Jayanti is observed to commemorate the birth of Lord Hanuman. This festival usually falls on the full moon night of March-April. During this annual festival, a procession is also taken out in the streets of Varanasi.

One has to be careful of the ever-increasing number of monkeys in the campus of the temple. Never look them in the eye, keep your foodstuff and offerings tight near your body and protect your camera and camcorders.

The temple remains closed from 12 noon to 3 pm.

First Written: Mar. 27, 2012

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The Durga Temple or Monkey Temple is located about 2 kms from the city of Varanasi. It was built by Queen Rani Bhavani of Natore, Bengal (1715–1802). The pond was also constructed by her in the 18th century.

Bengalis are normally inclined towards Goddess Durga. For a proof of this statement, watch them in frenzied motion during the 10-odd days' Durga Puja festival around October when entire Kolkata, along with the rest of Bengal, goes berserk.

The temple is deep ochre in colour, signifying the colour representative of the Goddess, with many 'shikharas' (Sanskrit, meaning 'mountain peak') piercing the sky with a final one at the very top. Dedicated to the Goddess Durga, with a pond (Durga kund) adjacent to it, the Puranas (ancient Indian holy books) located the Goddess here centuries ago to protect the city from the South. Local belief has it that the image of the Goddess appeared here of its own accord.

Goddess Durga is the dangerous aspect of Parvati, Lord Shiva's wife. In keeping with this belief, in ancient times, even human sacrifices were offered. Thankfully, nowadays, goats are offered. Owing to the antics of the ever-increasing number of monkeys in the premises, this temple is also known as the Monkey Temple.

The Goddess is normally represented in a red sari atop a tiger holding a sword, a trident, a discus and a spear, amongst other weapons in her 10 arms. The last weapon is shown piercing the hapless demon lying prostrate at her feet. During the Navratri festival (‘Dusshera’ during Durga Puja), millions of Hindus pay obeisance to the Goddess.

Incidentally, three women from Varanasi have had a lasting influence on the history of the city. Rani Ahalyabai Holkar of Indore who rebuilt the Vishwanath Temple, Rani Bhavani of Natore of Bengal who built the Durga Temple and Munna Bai or Manikarnika Devi, best remembered as the Rani Lakshmibai of Jhansi, the centrepiece of the 1857 First War of Independence.

Open from 7 am to 8 pm. On Tuesdays and Sundays, the temple is very crowded.

First Written: Mar. 27, 2012

The holiest of shrines is also the most heavily guarded, with CSF personnel every few steps and CRPF staff manning every vantage point. Forget your camera and your mobile; forget your pen also. All these items are prohibited from the premises of the temple. Even within the sanctum sanctorum, uniformed workers are aplenty.

This heavy security cover follows the Dec. 7, 2010 bomb blast which occurred between the Shetlamata Ghat and Dashashwamedh Ghat at 6.30 pm during the Ganga Aarti. It killed a two-year-old girl and injured about 30-40 people, including four foreigners. Before that, on Mar, 7, 2006 terrorists had struck around 6 pm at Sankat Mochan (Hanuman) temple and Varanasi Cantonment railway station. At least 23 people died, and over 100 people were injured, some critically. Both the days were Tuesdays.

The Kashi Vishwanath Temple is located in the Vishwanath Galli, near the river Ganges in the heart of the city. The Jyotirlinga is 60 cm (1.9 ft) tall and 90 cm (2.9 ft) broad, while the spire of the temple is 15.5 metre (51 ft) high. There are other smaller temples all around it. A small well, called the Jnana Vapi (wisdom well), is also within the temple campus. Like the Somnath temple in Gujarat, this temple has also been destroyed and re-built a number of times.

Hari Chandra reconstructed the temple in 11th century AD; Muhammad Ghori destroyed it in 1194. The reconstructed temple was destroyed by Qutb-ud-din Aybak but was quickly re-built. Firuz Shah Tughlaq destroyed it in 1351 but was rebuilt by Todar Mal in 1585. In 1669, Aurangzeb demolished it and constructed the Gyanvapi Mosque, just at the entrance to the temple. In 1780, Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore rebuilt the temple. In 1835, Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab got the spire and the dome gold-plated with over 1,000 kgs of gold. On January 28, 1983 the management of the temple was taken over by the Govt. of Uttar Pradesh and handed over to a Trust.

The best time to visit this temple is very early in the morning, say by 3 am, when it is almost empty for the ‘Mangala Aarti (3 am-4 am). Sacrifice your sleep for a day; complete your bath and set out for the temple early. Enjoy the stillness, the calmness, the emptiness of the holiest shrine. Seek the blessings of Lord Shiva and then wend your way to the Dashashwamedha Ghat for an early morning river cruise. Before returning to your lodgings, partake of a hearty meal. Then go home and sleep to recharge yourself for the evening ‘aarti’.

The temple opens at 2.30 am and closes at 11 pm.

First Written: Mar. 27, 2012

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Along your river cruise on the holy river Ganges, you will see stacks of wood being burnt at quite a few ghats, like Manikarnika and Harishchandra Ghats, with people standing mutely in groups. During the day, the fire may not very visible but at night, the sight of the shooting flames, licking the inky darkness, is an eerie scene. This is the burning of the dead, the cremation, the final end of one’s journey on earth. It is said that the fires rarely stops as bodies continue to pour in, almost every hour. Also, tradition has it that no mortal remain is allowed to be carried back only because the family is too poor to bear the funeral expenses. ‘Pujaris’ (priests) and other altruistic people chip in for the last ride back home to the Maker.

First Written: Mar. 26, 2012

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A cruise on the holy river Ganges is an absolute must – and the timings for this surreal experience is dawn and dusk. Get up when it’s still dark outside, finish your ablutions and head for the Dashashwamedha Ghat. Just before you descend the steps to the river front, there is a stone plaque describing the ghat. Further down, on the left is a large platform. Park yourself there and watch the horizon slowly light up. A photo or two is well worth it. Turn around just as the fiery orb breaks through the skyline and watch the ghats take on a multitude of colours. The entire amphitheatre lights up in a golden halo. Snap a few photos again, grab a boat (not the one fitted with an engine but with oars) and tell the boatman to take you out to the river. It will be a cruise of a lifetime. As you go from one end of the ghats to the other, your camera memory card may just start overflowing.

First Written: Mar. 26, 2012