Banaras or varanasi is my hometown,
a place where I grew, a part of me is always there or a part of this place is always with me, which lets me enjoy every place. There is a saying that "home is wherever you travel, because its in your heart", and that is true because this place is in my heart!
So I have grown in this place and I have been to most of the places in Banaras but every time I revisit this city it is always different with its familiar feel. I revisited this place recently but with an extra piece of eye( mobile camera) and with a friend who was skeptical about her visit(because she came to attend a function in Banaras and Banaras roads are narrow, generally some construction will be going on, and that too it was summer). So she was somewhat off with the heat waves and clumsiness of this place. Somehow I convinced her to see the real Banaras and here how it was. At the end of our evening + night + morning visit she fell in love with this place.
Visit to vishwanaath temple oldest temple of kaashi, narrow street leads you to this temple, but its feeling is enchanting. There are two vishwnaath temple in Banaras one is old in Dashswamedh area and other is new one in Banaras Hindu University Campus(BHU) both have there own beauty and distinct feel.
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| Vishwnaath Temple(BHU Campus) |
As we exited from temple our plan was to see the Ganga aarti. Temple exit street directly takes you down to the ghat. Ganga aarti has its own charm there will be seven people doing some rituals rhythmically and in sync.
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Narrow Street, Way to Old Vishwnaath Temple, No Photography Allowed! |
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| Before Aarti |
After soaking in the enchants of Ganga aarati we crossed approximately 25 ghats to reach ASSI ghat which is end ghat on another corner and walking along the bank of river from one ghat to other is one of many things which gives you the true feel of Banaras.
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| Evening Aarti |
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| Morning Aarti |
And then you will feel how lively Banaras is whole night! You will come across some foreigners talking to sadhus in search of spirituality, some people singing and playing musical instruments on the stairs, different kind of graffiti on the ghat old construction, old palaces like Raja Chet singh ka quila, the ghat named Raja harishchandra ghat(cremation ghat), where you realize ones life is meant to be lived fully in your own way, you have this moment only, you don't know what happens next and that is life fear as well as pleasure!!
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| Bow shape turn, Reflections! |
So you go along the ghats and you are totally in another world where people are relaxed enjoying in there own way, and no matter how small a ghat is no two ghat are ever same.
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| Banaras Identity |
After this evening my friend was totally in love with Banaras, its art, beauty and spirituality. So I suggested her now you should see the morning of Banaras.
Must do things in Banaras:
- Get immense pleasure of watching sunrise while crossing the river Ganga, and you will find natures painting everywhere in the sky, sparkling on river, bright sun on ghats and its old buildings, it is true paradise for an art lover.
- Go across the river Ganga, there is wide stretch of white sand and there is no one as far as your eyes can see.Beauty of Silence!
- Get lost in ghat narrow street, one who is lost at least once is the only one who will feel found!!
- Taste kullhad chai which is easily available everywhere in Banaras. Its taste is superb(with typical smell of earth when it get soaked in first rain).
- Eat puri sabji and jalebi along with rabadi at chachi ki dukaan at Lanka. There are lot of street food options everywhere in banaras, with homemade feel.
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| Chachi ki Dukaan |
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| Our Morning breakfast! :) |
