Varanasi | Varanasi Tourist Places| Varanasi Travel Guide | Varanasi Tour | Varanasi, Kashi, Banaras
Varanasi, also known as the "The Spritual Capital of India" Varanasi, Kashi and Banaras all three are names of one city. In which varanasi name is originated from 2 rivers namely, "varuna" and "assi". Kashi is the oldest name of this city which is originated from Sanskrit word "Kashya" which means to shine. And the name Banaras is derived from Pali language wherein people used to call Varanasi as Baranasi hence the name Banaras. For love what is beautiful than Kashi.
Kashi is that place where Mahadev waited for Sati's love. Kashi who saw Sati being created as Parvati for 108 births. Kashi where Mahadev not only taught love but also lived it.
Kashi where even the name of Mahadev is incomplete without Parvati. That's why people don't just say Mahadev in Kashi, they say "Om Namah Parvatiya Pataya", "Har Har Mahadev". Varanasi is the most cultured and spiritual capital of India, which is famous for Asia's largest residential university, Banaras Hindu University. People often call Varanasi as the city of temples, The religious capital of India, the city of lights, The city of classical music, the city of teachings and the oldest living city on earth.
Because Varanasi is very famous all over India for its culture, tradition, sightseeing places, attraction places, beautiful ghats, fairs, festivals and temples. Among the 12 Jyotirlingas in Varanasi, there is one Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirling which is considered quite sacred. Friends, Kashi is a very sacred city. It is said that the person who dies in Varanasi is freed from the cycle of life and death and in the end he meets Lord Shiva.
In this video I am gonna tell you how you can plan your Varanasi trip, how can you reach, where you can stay and what all are the tourist places in Varanasi that you must explore. So for this, watch the video till the end. Varanasi is located on the banks of river Ganga in Uttar Pradesh state. This city is at a distance of 320 km from Lucknow and 850 km from Delhi and can be easily reached by road, flight and railway. Friends, if we talk by road then Varanasi is quite well connected to major cities like Agra, Lucknow, Delhi, Kolkata etc.
If you come from Delhi then you can reach Varanasi in 10-12 hours by taking Agra Lucknow Expressway. If you want to come by railway then you can reach here to Varanasi railway junction or Kashi railway junction. These two railway stations are at a distance of 5-6 km's from each other. By airways-you can also reach Varanasi Airpor which is known as Lal Bahadur International Airport. And the airport is at a distance of about 25 kms, where you can reach Varanasi by taking a taxi in between 500-1000 INR. Now lets know when you should visit Varanasi.
Friends, the best time to visit Varanasi is from October to February i.e. in winters you can visit here. There is more fun to explore this city in winters. Now you have reached Varanasi, now the question is where to stay in Varanasi? In Varanasi you will find many budgeted hotels, if we talk about very affordable options then near Godowaliya Kashi Vishwanth Temple you can stay in many Dharamshala for 200-300 INR a day. In the same area you will also find good hotels for INR 500-2000. I stayed in Hotel Central Residency and this hotel was at a distance of 3 kms from Kashi Vishwanath Temple. It cost me INR 2000 per night.
This hotel was quite clean, room service and facilities were also quite good. If you want, you can also opt for this hotel too. Let's now know for how many days you should visit Varanasi, Friends- though you can visit Varanasi in one day, and you can return back after seeing Kashi Vishwanath Mandir, the ghat and the Ganga Aarti here. But if you want to know this city well then minimum 3 days are required. And if we talk about sight seeing then you can tour here by hiring auto, cycle rickshaw, hand tanga, electric auto also. If you want, you can also hire a 4 wheeler, the cost can go up to INR 1500-2000 per day.
Well, now is the time to explore Varanasi. You can start the day 1 by visiting Varanasi Ghats. Varanasi is situated on the banks of Ganga river and the stairs here built takes you to the banks of Ganga river there are more than 84 ghats here. Most of the ghats are used for bathing and worship, while 2 ghats namely Manikarnika Ghat and Harishchandra Ghat are used for religious rituals.
All these ghats extend to a distance of around 6.5 Kms of river Ganga which are seen in half moon shape And you can easily walk from one ghat to another without any hindrance. And there is some ancient story associated with each ghat, among the 84 ghats, these 5 ghats are considered very important, so even if you do not visit all the ghats, you must visit these 5 ghats. Lets go to Panch Ganga Ghat where you can take a dip in Ganga and visit Kashi Vishwanath Temple. If you want, you can also take a dip in Dashashwamedh Ghat.
Panch Ganga Ghat is considered to be the meeting place of 5 rivers, which are Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Kiran and Divpapa. Although today only Ganga is visible here. On this ghat you will see many small temples and statues of gods and goddesses.
Many devotees come to take holy bath at this ghat to attain salvation. Taking bath at this ghat is considered especially sacred during the month of Kartik i.e. October and November. After taking the holy bath, you can now go out to visit the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. To visit the Jyotirlinga, you can also visit the Kashi Vishwanath Gali or by the side of Ganga Dwar. Vishwanath Gali is one of the oldest and busiest streets of Varanasi. The temple can be reached by walking 15 minutes through this narrow street You will find many shops in this street where you can buy things like flowers, garland, prasad and etc.
and keep your shoes, slippers, mobile etc. with them before going to temple. There is no mobile or video camera allowed in the temple. Friends, the mythological name of Varanasi is Kashi, hence this Jyotirlinga is called Kashi Vishwanath. The mythological story of the establishment of this Jyotirlinga is as follows After the marriage of Lord Shiva and Mata Sati, both of them were going for Gagan Vihar (roaming in sky).
Mata Sati asked Mahadev to create such a bliss i.e. Anand Van. (Bliss Forest). Which is different from Brahma ji's creation, and is supernatural and where she can stay alone with Mahadev for some time. Then to fulfill the wish of Mata Sati, apart from the creation of Brahma ji, Mahadev creates a five kos long and wide forest of bliss in the sky, that forest was a very beautiful and supernatural abode. and Mahadev and Mata Sati started enjoying the bliss of that forest. Goddess Sati felt that she attained ecstasy in the joy of bliss and told Mahadev that she wants that ecstasy should be attained by every living being who wants freedom from sorrows. Then Lord Mahadev tells Goddess that, you are the mother of the entire world.
It is natural for you to have feelings of public welfare in your mind, I will definitely fulfill this wish of yours. So Lord Mahadev ask Shri Vishnu Ji to do penance in Anand Van so that through his penance he can spread knowledge and devotion in the area and that area can become a center of salvation for the other beings suffering from sorrows. Lord Shri Vishnu ji created a pond with his Sudarshan Chakra and did penance for several years and while doing penance for several thousand years, Lord Shri Vishnu ji started sweating and this sweat started increasing along with the penance and after receiving water, he filled it in the pond. Due to the penance of Lord Shri Vishnu ji, the virtue, knowledge and devotion were established in the sacred area Many streams of sweat gushed out from the body of Lord Shri Vishnu ji due to which the entire sky including the sacred area became sacred.
Seeing him, Lord Shiva puts the Panchkoshi area on his trident. When Lord Vishnu, after completing his penance, shakes his head in an emotional state, an earring falls from his ear in that pond. Which is still situated in Kashi by the name of Manikarnika Kund. Lord Mahadev, with the wish of Mother Sati, established Panch Kosi area on the earth, whereas today the area is famous by the name of Kashi or Varanasi, then Lord Shri Vishnu prays to Mahadev.
Mahadev, this city of Kashi will remain lonely until both of you reside here together then both Lord Mahadev and Mata Sati jointly appeared there in the form of Shivling and this Shivling became famous by the name of Shri Vishveshwar Jyotirling. Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirling, illuminated by the light of Mahadev and Mata Sati, has been fulfilling the wishes of its devotees from Satyayug to Kalyug. Friends, this was the mythological story of the establishment of Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirling.
Kashi is the most favorite city of Lord Mahadev, it is the abode of Lord Mahadev and Mother Parvati. The place is also said to be mentioned in the Puranas that there is no destruction of Kashi even during the Doomsday period Because Lord Mahadev holds Kashi on his trident and establishes him on the earth when the creation comes later, that is why Kashi is also called the imperishable city. Since ancient times, people go to Kashi to get salvation because in Puranas it is described that Lord Bholenath himself, while killing the living being, preaches the Tarak Mantra in the ear of the living being due to which the living being is freed from the circle of life. The present temple was built by Queen Ahilyabai Holkar ji in 1780. Later, Maharaja Ranjit Singh ji had this temple covered with 1000 kg of gold in 1857, that is why it is also called the Golden Temple. There is a Gyanvapi near the temple.
It is believed that this well was discovered by Lord Mahadev himself with his trident. By drinking the water of this well, a person attains knowledge, devotion and salvation. The timings of Aarti in the temple are as follows. The architecture of the temple is a good example of Nagar style which reflects its huge niches and intricate carvings stone by stone. The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple houses the iconic Jyotirlinga of Lord Vishwanath.
Kaal Bhairav, Kartikeya, Avi Mukteshwar, Lord Vishnu, Ganesh, Shani and Parvati is also present in the temple premises, along with this you can also visit Annapurna Mata. And at a distance of 50 meters from the premises of the temple, you can take prasad by going to Kashi Annapurna Bhojnalaya. You can go to Kaal Bhairav Temple at a distance of one kilometer from Kashi Vishwanath Temple. It is said that the responsibility of the entire Kashi city is in the hands of Lord Kaal Bhairav.
Kaal Bhairav is also called the Kotwal of Kashi. Without his darshan, the darshan of Kashi Vishwanath is considered incomplete. Mahamrityunjay Temple is at a distance of 5 to 10 minutes from Kaal Bhairav Temple.
This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The history of this temple is connected to an ancient well and Shivling. The word Mrityunjay Mahadev means the God who conquers death. It is said that the Shivalinga present in this temple keeps all the devotees away from their unnatural death.
To overcome this unnatural death, Lord Shiva is worshiped as Mrityunjaya Mahadev by the devotees. You will get to see many Shivalingas in this temple. There is an ancient well here.
It is believed that drinking its water cures many diseases. The story behind this miraculous well is that Dhanvantari, the father of Ayurveda, kept all his medicinal in this well. This is why the water of this well is very pure and with medicinal effect, it is capable of curing many diseases and people come from far and wide to drink the water of this well. So if you come to Banaras, do visit this Mahamrityunjaya temple and this well. After this temple, in the evening you can go to Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple also known as "Kashi Karwat", "Leaning Temple", which is just 5 minutes away from Manikarnika Ghat.
There are many temples in Varanasi to visit, but there is no temple like Ratneshwar Temple. Friends, apart from other temples, this temple is standing tilted. Looking at this temple reminds me of the Pisa Tower of Italy. In fact, this temple is more inclined than the Pisa Tower of Italy. The Pisa Tower is inclined by 4 degrees. The same Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple is about 9 degrees. Ratneshwar Temple of Varanasi is dedicated to Lord Mahadev.
It is also known as Leaning Temple of Varanasi or Kashi Karvat. This temple is situated between Manikarnika Ghat and Scindia Ghat This temple remains submerged in the water of river Ganga for most of the year. The temple was built in the 18th century. There are many stories told behind why this temple is tilted. One of them is that a servant of Raja Mansingh had built this temple for his mother Ratna Bai. After the temple was built, the man proudly announced he had paid his mothers debt.
As soon as the servant announced this, the temple started leaning backwards. This happened because the debt to the mother can never be repaid. No pooja is ever performed in this temple because people believe that this temple is cursed and worshiping here can bring bad things to their house.
Talking about the architecture of the temple, it has been constructed in classical style with Nagar, Shikar. This temple is very famous across the world and many people come to see this temple so if you are coming to Varanasi, do not forget to visit this leaning temple. Friends, after this you can go to Manikarnika Ghat. ManiKarnika Ghat is one of the oldest ghats of Varanasi. It is believed that if a person is cremated here then he immediately attains salvation, that is why on this ghat the fire never cremation never stops; i.e. here you will see the pyre burning 24 hours.
The people here believe that the day the pyre stops burning in this ghat, it will be the day of doomsday for Varanasi. Friends, there are many ancient stories of Manikarnika Ghat, one of them is that according to Shiva Katha, in the ancient times, when Kashi was named Anandvan, Lord Shankar had come here to visit with Mother Parvati and the pond built by Lord Vishnu was called the pond of Manikarnika. There, Mother Parvati took bath. While bathing, Mother Parvati's earring had fallen in it, which was picked up by a Brahmin king named Kallu. Despite Lord Shankar being angry, Kalu did not tell about the earring. Seeing this, Lord Shankar cursed Kallu and all his future generations to become Chandal.
From the same day that Brahmin became a dom and since then he started lighting the funeral pyres. Today, there are more than 300 families of this Kallu Dom and a male member of every family works to light the funeral pyres. According to another story, it is said that here Mata Sati's earrings had fallen, hence its name is Manikarnika.
Shakti Peeth of Mata is also established here. It is also said that the last rites of Mata Sati were performed here by Lord Bholenath ji, that is why this ghat is called greatest of all Cremation Ground. Every year many tourist from all over the country and abroad come to visit this ghat.
After visiting this ghat, I remembered this couplet of Saint Kabir. The peer is dead, the prophet is dead, the jogi is dead, the king is dead, the people are dead, the doctor is dead, the patient is dead. This is the village of dead. Oh, this is the village of dead. Dashashwamedh Ghat is at a distance of 5 minutes from Manikarnika Ghat. Dashashwamedh Ghat is one of the most famous ghats of Kashi from the religious, cultural and historical point of view.
There are two mythological stories related to this ghat. According to one belief, Lord Brahma used 10 horses to perform 10 Ashwamedh Yagya. Meaning, this ghat was named Dashashwamedh Ghat in memory of the horse where those horses were sacrificed. According to another belief, this ghat was built by God to welcome Lord Shiva on earth. Friends, this ghat is quite famous for its Ganga Aarti, which starts at 7:00 pm in summers and at 6:00 pm in winters. People come here and take their seats before the start of Aarti, Dashashwamedh Ghat in the evening looks even more beautiful at the time of Ganga Aarti when Ganga Aarti is performed as a dedication to Lord Shiva, Surya, Agni and river Ganga.
This aarti is performed by a group of priests. During this aarti you can feel the sanctity and spirituality of this place. Many tourists also enjoy this amazing sight by sitting on a boat floating in the river Ganga, the charge of which ranges from ₹ 50 to ₹ 100. This Aarti lasts for about 45 minutes. The sound of conch shell, bell, damru and chanting of Mother Ganga aarti is performed amidst the priest.
Aarti of Ganga is recognized all over the world where foreign tourists come here from many places to get a glimpse of it, The evening of Kashi seems beautiful than heaven, it feels like all gods are present during this ganga aarti. so friends, reserve the evening of Day 1 for this Ghat and Ganga Aarti. Dev Diwali is quite famous in Banaras which is celebrated on Kartik Purnima,15 days after Diwali. It is said that Tripura sur demon was killed by the gods on this day, so it was named as Dev Diwali and Kartik Purnima marks the victory of the gods. It is celebrated on the occasion of this day, lamps are installed in Kashi and all the ghats, to see which many people come from far and wide and on this day, Kashi shines brightly, So whenever if you come to Kashi then the time of Dev Diwali will be the best.
On the night of the first day in Varanasi, you can explore the street food here like Kachori vegetable, chickpea, samosa, lassi, tomato chaat, malio, curd batashe, thandai and etc. and yes, the Banarasiya paan here is such that you should not miss it at all. List of some famous cafes, restaurants and street food of Varanasi are as follows that you should try out: Friends, you can start Day 02 from Assi Ghat in Varanasi.
In the city of Baba Vishwanath, Assi Ghat is a place which has mythological importance. In this ghat, there is Shiva place under the big Peepal tree. Assi Ghat is called the heart of Varanasi where people here come to watch sunrise and sunset.
Every day at Assi Ghat, there is Ganga Aarti at 5:00 AM in the morning, which many people come to watch. Aarti is also performed at 6:00 PM in the evening. According to ancient beliefs, Assi Ghat was originated when After killing a demon, the goddess had thrown her sword into the river Ganga. The place where Maa Durga was standing became a ghat which later came to be known as Assi Ghat.
You will find many food and drink shops around the ghat. People often like to go and do boat ride in the morning after performing Ganga Aarti. The charges for boat ride are between INR 100 to INR 200, where you have to sit on the boat for 2 hours.
The ghats are shown through boat and then on the banks of the river, you can also do camel ride and other adventure activities in the sand dunes. Here you can also do night stay in camping For camping, you can also do online booking by searching Tent City Varanasi on Google. Here every year in the New Year January month, hot air balloon festival is celebrated. in which many foreign pilots fly hot air balloons.
You can check its charge and timing from this website. After doing Assi ghat and boat riding you can go to Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple. Which is at a distance of one and a half kilometer from Assi Ghat, the history of Sankat Mochan Temple of Kashi is 400 years old. The temple was established by Goswami Tulsidas. It is believed that when he was writing Ramcharitra Manas while staying in Kashi, his source of inspiration was Sankat Mochan Hanuman.
It was in this temple that Hanuman ji gave darshan to Tulsidas ji, after which Bajrang Bali took the form of clay and got established here. It is said that all the troubles of the devotees coming here go away just by seeing Hanuman in the temple. There is an idol of Lord Ram, Lakshman and Goddess Sita. This temple remains open from 5 AM in the morning till 10:00 PM in the night, where a large number of devotees come to take darshan.
At a distance of 3 kilometers from Sankat Mochan Temple, you can go to New Kashi Vishwanath Temple which is located in the campus of Banaras Hindu University. This temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is one of the biggest tourist attractions of Varanasi. This temple is also known as Birla Temple.
It is said that it was constructed by the Birla family. According to the history, Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya had planned to build a replica of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple in the premises of the land and then the Birla family got it constructed, which was completed in 1966. The structure of the temple is similar to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. It is made of marble. The height of the temple is 253 feet, which is the tallest tower in the world.
The walls of the temple are decorated with magnificent statues of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Timings of the temple are from 4:00 AM to 12:00 PM then 1:00 PM-9:00 PM where there is a huge crowd here on the days of Shivratri, Navratri, Janamasthmi and Diwali. So friends, if you are coming to Varanasi then definitely visit this temple. After New Kashi Vishwanath Temple, you can go to Bharat Mata Temple which is located at a distance of 7 kilometers in Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth Campus. This temple remains open from 9:30 am to 10:00 pm.
This temple is quite unique. There is a map which shows all the gods, freedom fighters, mountains, plains, oceans. You will be amazed, there is no goddess in this temple. There is no picture or statue of the deity, rather this temple is dedicated to Bharat Mata i.e. Mother India. The temple was built by Shri Prasad Gupta and it was inaugurated by Gandhiji in 1936. After seeing Bharat Mata Temple, I saw a lot of garbage in the park here, so friends, I decided why not clean all this.
Friends, I hope you all are responsible travelers and do not throw trash here and there but throw it in its right place i.e. dustbin. I collected this trash from here and dumped it in its right place i.e. dustbin. You can start Day 3 from Ramnagar Fort which is at a distance of 14 km from Varanasi. There is good parking space here. Museum entry tickets are ₹ 20 and the timing is from 9:30 AM to 5:00 PM.
This fort was built by Kashi King Balwant Singh in 1750. This fort is made of red sandstone. There is also a new temple inside the fort which is dedicated to Ved Vyas who wrote the Mahabharata.
There is a museum in the fort There is also a temple in which you can see the old palanquin, swords and old guns, old vehicles given to it by the royal family. There are other temples in the fort like Durga temple, Chinh Mastika temple and Dakshin Mukhi Hanuman temple. This fort can be seen in a wonderful way during the time of Dussehra. You can spend two to three hours in this fort at your leisure.
Friends, you can go to Sarnath and see Dhamak Stupa, at a distance of 14 kilometers from Ramnagar Fort. Dhamak Stupa-This archaeological site is located in Sarnath, here the entry fee is INR 5 and the timing are it open during sunrise and closes on sunset. This is the same place where Lord Buddha gave his first sermon to his first five disciples. Originally this Stupa was built in 249 BC during the reign of King Ashoka of the Maurya Dynasty.
It is carved out of red stone and has a height of 43.6 meters. Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world come here to circumambulate this holy shrine and worship Lord Buddha. You can comfortably spend 1 to 2 hours in Stupa and garden here and then go to Shri Digambar Jain Temple at a distance of 5 minutes from there. The Jain temple in Sarnath is one of the most prestigious temples of the country. It was constructed in 1824 and is said to be located at the place where the 11th Jain Tirthankara Shreyansh Nath was born. After Digambar Jain temple, you can go to see Chaukhandi Stupa which is 10 minutes away.
Chaukhandi is also called Sita Rasoi. This Chaukhandi Stupa is a Buddhist stupa and works as a temple for the relics of Buddha. After Chaukhandi Stupa you can visit the Thai Temple at a distance of 2 kilometers from here. Entry is free here and you can visit anytime between sunrise to sunset. The Thai Temple was constructed in 1993 by Thai Dignitaries It has a 80 feet tall statue of Buddha. Which is quite beautiful.
There is a garden in the temple and there are other Buddha temples and statues where you can comfortably spend 1 to 2 hours. At a distance of 10 minutes from the Third Temple, you can go to Mulagandha Kuti Vihara. Friends, Mulagandhakuti is full of history and spirituality and is one of the major Buddhist sites of Sarnath which was constructed in 1931. There is a Math and temple here which is in memory of the original Mulgandh Kuti Vihar. This Buddha temple is known for its architectural design which you can explore.
Apart from this, you can also explore Durga Temple, Tulsi Manas Temple and Chunar Fort in Varanasi. Apparently even one month is not enough to explore varanasi so, something like this, I explored Varanasi well by 3 to 4 days. My total expenditure in this trip was something like this. Friends, if you have any question related to Varanasi visit, then please do comment.
I will definitely reply to your comment. I hope you would have liked this video very much, don't forget to subscribe the channel to see such informative travel vlogs, see you in the next video till then take care and good bye! "HAR HAR MAHADEV"
2023-12-29 05:26
