Bhaktisandesam / Varanasi

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Benaras: India's Religious Capital

What Makes It Holy?

 

To the Hindus the Ganges is a sacred river and any town or city on

its bank is believed to be auspicious. But Varanasi has a special

sanctity, for it is believed, this is where Lord Shiva and his

consort Parvati stood when time started ticking. The place also has

an intimate connection with a host of legendary figures and mythical

characters, who are said to have actually lived here. Varanasi has

found place in the Buddhist scriptures as well as the great Hindu

epic of Mahabharata. The holy epic poem Shri Ramcharitmanas by

Tulsidas was also written here. All this makes Varanasi a

significantly holy place.

 

A Heaven For Pilgrims

Varanasi is a veritable paradise for pilgrims, who throng the " Ghats "

of the Ganges for spiritual rewards like deliverance from sin and

attainment of nirvana. The Hindus believe that to die in Kashi on the

banks of the Ganges is an assurance of heavenly bliss and

emancipation from the eternal cycle of birth and death. So, many

Hindus travel to Varanasi at the twilight hour of their life.

 

The City of Temples

Varanasi is also famous for its antique temples. The renowned Kashi

Vishwanath Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva has a " lingam " (the phallic

icon of Shiva) that goes back to the time of the epics. Skanda Purana

by Kasikanda mentions this temple of Varanasi as Shiva's abode. It

has withstood the onslaught of various invasions by Muslim rulers.

The present temple was rebuilt by Rani Ahalya Bai Holkar, the ruler

of Indore, in 1776. Then in 1835, the Sikh ruler of Lahore, Maharaja

Ranjit Singh had its 15.5 m high spire plated in gold. Since then

it's also known as the Golden Temple.

 

The 8th century Durga Temple, situated on the Ramnagar Pandav road,

is home to hundreds of monkeys that reside in the nearby trees.

Another popular temple is the Sankatmochan temple dedicated to the

monkey-god Hanuman. Varanasi's Bharat Mata Temple is probably the

only temple in India that is dedicated to the " Mother India " .

Inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1936, it has a big relief map of

India carved in marble. Another relatively new temple is the Tulsi

Manas Temple built in honor of Lord Rama in 1964 at the place where

Goswami Tulsidas composed the Ramacharitmanas, the vernacular version

of the epic of Ramayana. The walls of this temple adorn the scenes

and verses depicting the exploits of Lord Rama.

 

Other significant places of worship include the Sakshi Vinayaka

Temple of Lord Ganesha, the Kaal Bhairav Temple, the Nepali Temple,

built by the King of Nepal on Lalita Ghat in Nepali style, the Bindu

Madhav Temple near the Panchaganga Ghat and the Tailang Swami Math.

 

 

 

Jai Shree Krishna !