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/ Varanasi / Attractions
Varanasi's principal attraction is the long string
of bathing ghats which line the wesat banks of
the Ganges. There are ove 100 ghats in
all. The Assi Ghat is one of five special ghats
where pilgrims are supposed to bathe in all of
them on the same day, in the following sequence
i.e. Assi, Dassahwamedh, Adi
Keshav (Varunasagam), Panchganga and
finally Manikarnika. The
Dasashwamedh
Ghat is the main ghat as lord Brahma performed
the Ten Horses rituals here which helped deriving
the name of this ghat. Many of the ghats. Many
of the ghats are owned by Maharajas or other princely
rulers, such as the very fine Shivala or
Kali Ghat owned by the Maharaja of Varanasi.
Of
the temples, the Tulsi Manas Temple built
in 1964, is the most Interesting .The walls of
the temple education are engraved with verses
and Scenes from the Ram Charit Manas. Its
author Tulsi Das lived in Varanasi at Tulsi
Ghat while writing it and died around 1623. On
the 2nd floor you can watch electrically operated
performing statues and scenes from Hindu mythology.
Further
down is the famous Benaras Hindu University
(BHU), constructed all the beginning of the
century (1918). This large university covers an
area of 5 Sq. Kms. and was founded by Pandit
Madan Mohan Malviya as a center of education
in Indian art, culture and music, and for the
study of Sans krit.
The
Bharat Kala Bahaman at the university has
a fine collection of miniature paintings and also
sculptures from the 1st to 15th centuries.
A
30-minute walk from the gates of the University
leads to the new Vishwanath Temple, which
was planned by Pandit Madan Mohan Mlaviya and
built by the Birla family. A great nationalist,
Malaviya wished to see Hinduism revived without
its prejudices - accordingly this temple is open
to all. The interior has a Siva Lingam and verses
from Hindu scriptures inscribed on the walls.
The temple is supposed to be a replica of the
original Vishwanath Temple destroyed by Aurangzeb.
On the other side of the river is the 17th century
Ram Nagar Fort, home of the Maharaja
of Benaras. Either join the tours to the fort
or catch a ferry across the river to get to it.
The interesting museum it houses contains old
silver and brocade palanquins for the ladies of
the court, elephant howdahs made of silver, old
brocades and an armory of sword and old guns.
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