July 30, 2021

Varanasi (Banaras)

 Varanasi (Uttar Pradesh)

Varanasi, also known as Benares, Banaras, or Kashi, a town, southeast of Uttar Pradesh state, in northern India. It is located on the left bank of the Ganges River (Ganga) and is one of the seven holy cities of Hinduism. Pop. (2001) city, 1,091,918; urban agglom., 1,203,961; (2011) city, 1,198,491; urban agglom., 1,432,280.

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History

Varanasi is one of the oldest human settlements in the world. Its earliest history is that of the first Aryan settlement in the valley between the Ganges. By the second millennium BCE, Varanasi was the center of Aryan religion and philosophy and was a center of commerce and industry famous for its silk and silk fabrics, perfumes, ivory, and carpentry. Varanasi was the capital of the Kashi empire at the time of the Buddha (6th century BCE), who gave his first sermon near Sarnath. The city remained a center of religious, educational, and artistic activities as evidenced by the respected Buddhist pilgrim of China Xuanzang, who visited it about 635 CE and claimed that the city expanded about three miles [5 km] west of the Ganges coast.
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Varanasi then withdrew during the three centuries of Muslim occupation, beginning in 1194. Many of the city's Hindu temples were destroyed during the Islamic era, and educated scholars fled to other parts of the country. The 16th-century Mughal emperor Akbar brought relief to the city's religious and cultural activities. There is another turning point during the reign of the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in the late 17th century, but in time the Maratha sponsors a new revival. Varanasi became an independent state in the 18th century, and under British rule it became a center of commerce and religion.
In 1910 the British made Varanasi the new Indian state, Ramnagar (in another bank) as the capital but powerless to control the city of Varanasi. In 1947, after Indian independence, Varanasi became part of Uttar Pradesh.
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The contemporary city

Varanasi has the largest river area in India, with miles of ghats, or steps, for religious bathing; a series of temples, temples, and palaces rise to the water's edge. The inner city streets are narrow, winding, and impassable for motor vehicles; new outdoor pastures are much wider and more organized. The holy city is bounded by a street known as the Panchakosi; devout Hindus hope to travel down that road and to visit this city once in a lifetime and, if possible, to die there in their old age. The site receives more than a million pilgrims each year. In addition, thousands of domestic and foreign tourists flock to the city every year, and tourism-related activities become an integral part of the local economy.

Among the city's many temples, more revered than those at Vishvanatha, were dedicated to Shiva; that of Sankatmochana, dedicated to the monkey god Hanuman; and that of Durga. The temple of Durga is famous for its throngs of apes that live in nearby trees. Aurangzeb's Great Mosque is another outstanding religious building. Two of today's most important temples are the Tulasi Manas and Vishvanatha on the Banaras Hindu University campus. The city has hundreds of other temples. At Sarnath, a few miles north of Varanasi, there are ruins of Buddhist monasteries and ancient temples and temples built by the Maha Bodhi Society and by Buddhists of China, Burma, and Tibetans.
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Varanasi has been a Hindu learning city for all these years. There are countless schools and countless numbers of Brahman (educated scholars), responsible for the continuation of traditional education. There are three universities, including the largest and most important Banaras Hindu University (1915), and more than a dozen colleges and high schools.

The city is the center of arts and crafts and music and dance. Varanasi is famous for its silk production and brocade with gold and silver threads. The famous carpet weaving center is located in Badoi. Wooden trucks, bracelets made of glass, ivory, and brass goods are also produced in Varanasi.
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The city has many religious festivals. Mahashivaratri, the great night of King Shiva, is celebrated in procession from the Mahamrityunjaya temple to the Kashi Vishvanath temple. The Ganga festival in November or December is dedicated to the goddess of the Ganges River, which is considered sacred by all Hindus. Thousands of lamps are placed in the ghats and placed at the top of the river. The Bharat Milap Festival in October or November commemorates the meeting of Lord Rama and his younger brother Bharat after 14 years of exile. The five-day dhrupad festival (typical Indian vocal style) in March attracts famous artists from all over India to the Tulsi Ghat city by the river.





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