Varanasi

Lore & Background

Varanasi is one of the world's oldest continually inhabited cities. Kashi, its ancient name, was associated with a kingdom of the same name in the first millennium BCE. The Lion capital of Ashoka at nearby Sarnath has been interpreted to be a commemoration of the Buddha's first sermon there in the fifth century BCE. By the 8th century, Varanasi was already a major Shaivite center, predating Adi Shankara's activities. In the mid-second millennium several figures of the Bhakti movement were born here, including Kabir, Ravidas and Tulsidas. Kabir came to influence traditions in Hinduism, Sikhism, and Sufism. Tulsidas wrote his Awadhi language epic, the Ramcharitmanas. In the 16th century, Rajput nobles in the service of the Mughal emperor Akbar sponsored work on Hindu temples in the city. In 1737, the Benares Estate, a zamindari estate under the suzerainty of the Nawab of Awadh, was established by Mansa Ram. In 1775, the Treaty of Faizabad formalized the East India Company's administration of Benares, which had already been under Company control since the 1764 Treaty of Allahabad. Subsequently, the city became a part of the Benares Division of British India's Ceded and Conquered Provinces in 1805, the North-Western Provinces in 1836, United Provinces in 1902, and of the Republic of India's state of Uttar Pradesh in 1950.

In Their Own Story

The pre-dawn mist clung to the Ganges like a silver shroud as the first boatman pushed off from Dashashwamedh Ghat, his oar slicing through water that reflected a sky turning from indigo to saffron. The air was heavy with a singular perfume: sweet marigolds warring with acrid woodsmoke, the scent of a city where death is merely a doorway. On the stone steps, an elderly pilgrim sat cross-legged, eyes locked on the sun cresting the horizon, whispering mantras that had rippled through this same air for three millennia. Around him, the city exhaled: priests fanning oil lamps into sudden brilliance, women in electric-blue and crimson saris balancing brass pots of holy water, and the rhythmic, hypnotic toll of temple bells cutting through the river's murmur. As the light finally breached the skyline, a funeral pyre at Manikarnika flared to life, its orange flames roaring against the cool morning air, sending a plume of smoke that seemed to merge effortlessly with the clouds above—a silent, solemn promise that here, endings are just new beginnings.

Reader's Guide

The city is known worldwide for its many ghats—steps leading down the steep river bank to the water—where pilgrims perform rituals. Of particular note are the Dashashwamedh Ghat, the Panchganga Ghat, the Manikarnika Ghat, and the Harishchandra Ghat, the last two being where Hindus cremate their dead. The Hindu genealogy registers at Varanasi are kept here. Among the notable temples in Varanasi are the Kashi Vishwanath Temple of Shiva, the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple, and the Durga Temple. Silk weaving, carpets, crafts and tourism employ a significant number of the local population, as do the Banaras Locomotive Works and Bharat Heavy Electricals. The city has long been an educational and musical centre. In 1791, India's oldest Sanskrit college, the Benares Sanskrit College, was founded by Jonathan Duncan. Annie Besant founded the Central Hindu College in 1898. In 1916, she and Madan Mohan Malviya founded the Banaras Hindu University, India's first modern residential university. Kashi Vidyapith was established in 1921. The Benares gharana style of playing the Tabla was developed here. In the 20th century, the Hindi-Urdu writer Premchand and the shehnai player Bismillah Khan were associated with the city.

Did You Know?

• Traditional etymology links 'Varanasi' to the names of two Ganges tributaries: Varuna and Assi.
• In Hindu mythology, Varanasi was founded by Shiva, and the hanging head of Brahma dropped from Shiva's hand here.
• The Pandavas of the Mahabharata are said to have visited Varanasi to atone for their sins.
• The celebrated Chinese traveller Xuanzang visited the city around 635 CE and named it 'Polonise'.