VARANASI

The Holy City Of India

 INTRODUCTION
• Varanasi is commonly known
as Benares.

• It is a city situated on the banks of

the River Ganges in the Indian state
of Uttar Pradesh

• It is the Holiest Place of Hindus where at

least once in life a Hindu is expected to
do pilgrimage and if possible pour the
remains (ashes) of cremated ancestors
here into the River Ganga. 

• It is one of the oldest continuously

inhabited cities in the world and
probably the oldest of India.
 ETYMOLOGY
• The name Varanasi has its origin
possibly from the names of the two
rivers Varuna and Assi for it lies with
the confluence of Varuna with the
Ganges being to its north and that of
Assi and the Ganges to its south.
• Through the ages, Varanasi was
variously known
as Avimuktaka, Anandakanana, Maha
smasana, Surandhana, Brahma
Vardha, Sudarsana, Ramya, and Kasi.
 HISTORY
• According to legend, the city
was founded by
the Hindu deity, Lord Shiva,
around 5,000 years ago.
• It is one of the seven sacred
cities of Hindus.
• Many Hindu scriptures,
including the Rigveda, Skanda Varanasi (Benares) in 1922
Purana, Ramayana, and
the Mahabharata, mention the
city.
 HISTORY contd…
• Varanasi is generally believed to
be about 3,000 years old.
•  Varanasi was a commercial and
industrial center famous for its
muslin and silk fabrics,
perfumes, ivory works, and
sculpture.
• During the time of Gautama Painting of Benares in 1890.

Buddha Varanasi was the capital

of the Kingdom of Kashi. 
 KASHI NARESH AND
RAMNAGAR
• Varanasi became an independent Kingdom of Kashi in the eighteenth century.

• Under British rule, it remained a commercial and religious center.

• In 1910, the British made Varanasi a new Indian state, with Ramanagar as its
headquarters.

• Kashi Naresh still resides in the fort of Ramanagar.

• The Ramnagar Fort of the Kashi Naresh is situated to the east of Varanasi,

across the Ganges. 

• The Ramnagar Fort was built by Kashi Naresh Raja Balwant Singh with
creamy chunar sandstone in the eighteenth century.

• Kashi Naresh is the religious head and the people of Benares consider him the
incarnation of Lord Shiva.
 GEOGRAPHY
• The city of Varanasi is located in the
middle Ganga valley of North India,
in the Eastern part of the state of
Uttar Pradesh, along the left
crescent-shaped bank of the Ganga
river.
• It has the headquarters of Varanasi
district.
• It covers an area of 112.26 km²
• It is stretched between 82° 56’E - 83°
03’E and 25° 14’N - 25° 23.5’N.
• Being located in the Indo-Gangetic
Plains of North India, the land is
very fertile because low level floods
in the Ganges continually replenish
the soil
 CLIMATE

CLIMATE DATA FOR VARANASI

Jan Feb Mar Aprl May June July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Month

Average 23. 29.8 37.1 40.8 46.8 44.3 41.2 40.5 39.3 38.5 31.2 24.5
High °C 2 (85. (98. (10 (116. (111. (106. (104. (102. (101. (88.2 (76.1
(°F ) (73 6) 8) 5.4) 2) 7) 2) 9) 7) 3) ) )
.8)
Average 2.5 8.0 16.3 27.1 32.4 30.1 28.3 25.9 25.0 20.7 13.7 4.3
low °C (°F) (36 (46. (61. (80. (90.3 (86.2 (82.9 (78.6 (77) (69.3 (56.7 (39.7
.5) 4) 3) 8) ) ) ) ) ) ) )
Precipit- 19. 13.5 10.4 5.4 9.0 100. 320. 260. 231. 38.3 12.9 4.0
ation  3 (0.5 (0.4 (0.2 (0.35 0 6 4 6 (1.50 (0.50 (0.15
(0. 31) 09) 13) 4) (3.93 (12.6 (10.2 (9.11 8) 8) 7)
mm 76) 7) 22) 52) 8)
(inches)
 CLIMATE contd…
• Varanasi experiences a humid subtropical climate with large
variations between summer and winter temperatures.
• Summers are long, from early April to October, with intervening
monsoon seasons and are also extremely hot, even by South Asian
standards.
• The temperature ranges between 32 °C – 46°C in the summers.
Winters in Varanasi sees very large diurnal variations, with warm
days and downright cold nights.
• Cold waves from the Himalayan region cause temperatures to dip
across the city in the winter from December to February and
temperatures below 5°C are not uncommon.
• The average annual rainfall is 1110 mm (44 in)
• Fog is common in the winters, while hot dry winds, called loo, blow
in the summers.
 ECONOMY
• Varanasi has several small cottage industries,
including Banarasi Silk sari making, the production of textiles
such as hand-woven carpets, and handicrafts.

• Banarasi paan (betel leaf) and khoa (a milk product) are

popular, and the related small-scale industries employ many
people.

• Banarasi Silk is known all over the world for its finery and
softness. Banarasi Sarees are adorned with intricate designs
and zari embellishments making it popular during traditional
functions and weddings. Earlier, the embroidery on sarees
were often done with threads of pure gold.

• Varanasi is also popular for Langda aam(Mango). City is

biggest producer of world famous langda mango(Malda
Mango).
 ECONOMY contd…
• Indian Railways runs a major diesel locomotive
factory in Varanasi, Diesel Locomotive
Works (DLW).
• BHEL (India's largest heavy engineering and
manufacturing enterprise) also runs a plant here.
• The first Indian business house of Varanasi and
Kanpur was the firm NihalChand KishoriLal
established in the year 1857 which set up the
fourth Oxygen plant in the country here by the
name of Indian Air Gases Ltd.
ADMINISTRATION AND POLITICS
• Varanasi is governed by a number of bodies, the prime being the Varanasi
Nagar Nigam (Municipal Corporation) and Varanasi Development Authority,
which is responsible for the master planning of the city.
• Water supply and sewage system is maintained by Jal Nigam, a subsidiary
of Nagar Nigam.
• Power supply is by the Uttar Pradesh Power Corporation Limited.
• The city produces about 350 million litres per day of sewer and 425 tonnes
per day of solid waste. The solid wastes are disposed in one landfill site. A
huge amount of sewer flows into the river Ganga daily.
• Nagar Nigam also runs a bus service in the city and suburban areas. The
city is within the Varanasi range of Varanasi zone of Uttar Pradesh Police. A
Special Superintendent of Police is the highest ranking police officer in the
city.
• The city constitutes the Varanasi Lok Sabha constituency. Dr. Murli
Manohar Joshi of the Bharatiya Janata Party won the constituency in Indian
general election, 2009.
• Varanasi was one the five cities where Ganga Action Plan was launched.
 EDUCATION
• Banaras Hindu University was founded in 1916 by Madan
Mohan Malaviya with the cooperation of Annie Besant. Its
1350 acre (5.5 km²) campus was built on land donated by
the Kashi Naresh. The University includes Institute of
Technology and Institute of Medical Sciences and is among
the top three largest residential universities in the world,
having more than 128 independent teaching departments.
• Sampurnanand Sanskrit University: Governor
General Lord Cornwallis established the Sanskrit College
(1791), which was the first college in Varanasi. The first
principal of Sanskrit College was Sanskrit professor J. Myor,
ICS followed by J.R. Ballentien, RTH Griffith, Dr. G. Thevo,
Dr. Aurthor Venice, Dr. Ganganath Jha, and Gopinath
Kaviraj among others. After India achieved independence,
this college became Sampurnanand Sanskrit University. Banaras Hindu
• Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth is a deemed and University is a major
chartered university that is named for Gandhi and follows the
principles of Gandhism. university in
Varanasi
 EDUCATION contd…
•
The Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies (Central
University of Tibetan Studies) at Sarnath is a deemed
university with a preference for the
traditional Tibetan method of teaching within a
framework of modern universities.
• Udai Pratap College, autonomous college, is the center
of sports and science study for the suburban students of
modern Benares.
• Agrasen Mahila Mahavidyala is another autonomous
college in the city. 
• Nav Sadhana Kala Kendra is a college of Dance and
Music in the city that trains the students professionally in
Bharatnatyam and Hindustani Vocal.
 CULTURE
• Varanasi's "Old City," the quarter near
the banks of Ganga, has crowded
narrow winding lanes that are flanked
by road-side shops and scores of
Hindu temples.
• As atmospheric as it is confusing,
Varanasi's Old City is rich with culture,
and a deservedly popular destination
for travelers and tourists.
• The main residential areas of Varanasi
(especially for the middle and upper Wall paintings, Varanasi, 1974
classes) are situated in regions far
from the ghats; they are more
spacious and less polluted.
 RAMLILA AT RAMNAGAR
• When the Dasara festivities are inaugurated with a colorful pageant
Kashi Naresh rides an elephant at the head of the procession.
• Then, resplendent in silk and brocade, he inaugurates the month
long folk theatre of Ramlila at Ramnagar, Varanasi.
•  The Ramlila is a cycle of plays which recounts the epic story
of Lord Rama, as told in Rāmacaritamānasa, the version of
the Ramayana penned by Tulsidas.
• The plays sponsored by the Maharaja, are performed in Ramnagar
every evening for 31 days.
• On the last day the festivities reach a crescendo
as Rama vanquishes the demon king Ravana.
• Maharaja Udit Narayan Singh started this tradition of staging the
Ramleela at Ramnagar in mid-nineteenth century.
• This is very important to the river ganges ritual
 HOLY CITY
• Varanasi is a holy city in Hinduism, being
one of the most sacred pilgrimage places
for Hindus.
• More than 1,000,000 pilgrims visit the
city each year. It has the holy shrine of
Kashi Vishwanath.
• Hindus believe that bathing in Ganga
remits sins and that dying in Kashi
ensures release of a person's soul.
• Hindus regard Kashi as one of the Shakti People performing
Peethas, and that Vishalakshi Temple Hindu ceremony at
stands on the spot where Goddess one of the ghats of
Sati's earrings fell. Varanasi
• Varanasi is one of the holiest places
in Buddhism too, being one of the
four pilgrimage sites said to have
been designated by Gautama
Buddha himself.
• Varanasi is a pilgrimage site
for Jains along with Hindus and
Buddhists.
• Islamic culture has also had an Varanasi attracts
influence on Varanasi. thousands of Hindu
• There has been some degree of piligrims every year.
continuous tension between different
religious communities in the city.
 GHATS
• Varanasi has nearly 100 ghats.
• Dashashwamedh Ghat is
located close to Vishwanath
Temple, and is probably the
most spectacular ghat. Two
Hindu mythologies are
associated with it: According to Ganga Aarti at
one, Lord Brahma created it to Dashashwamedh
Ghat, Varanasi
welcome Lord Shiva.
• Manikarnika Ghat: Two legends are associated with this
Ghat. According to one, it is believed to be the place
where Lord Vishnu dug a pit with his Chakra and filled it
with his perspiration while performing various penances.
While Lord Shiva was watching Lord Vishnu at that time,
the latter's earring ("manikarnika") fell into the pit.
According to the second legend, in order to keep Lord
Shiva from moving around with his devotees, his consort
Goddess Parvati hid her earrings, and asked him to find
them, saying that they had been lost on the banks of
Ganga. Goddess Parvati's idea behind the fib was that
Lord Shiva would then stay around, searching forever for
the lost earrings. In this legend, whenever a body gets
cremated at the Manikarnika Ghat, Lord Shiva asks the
soul whether it has seen the earrings.
• Scindia Ghat also known as Shinde Ghat borders
Manikarnika to the north, with its Shiva temple lying
partially submerged in the river as a result of
excessive weight of the ghat’s construction about 150
years ago.
• Mana-Mandir Ghat: Maharaja Jai Singh II
of Jaipur built this Ghat in 1770, as well as the Yantra
Mantra equipped with ornate window casings. There
is a fine stone balcony in the northern part of the
ghat. Devotees pay homage here to the lingam of
Someswar, the Lord of the Moon.
• Lalita Ghat: The late King of Nepal built this Ghat in
the northern region of Varanasi. It is the site of
Ganga Keshav Temple, a wooden temple built in
typical Kathmandu style, dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Varanasi Ghat at dusk
The temple also has an image of Pashupateshwar, a
manifestation of Lord Shiva.
• Local festivals including musical parties and games
regularly take place at the beautiful Assi Ghat which
is at the end of the continuous line of ghats. It is a
favorite site of painters and photographers..
 TEMPLES
• Kashi Vishwanath Temple, also called
Golden Temple, which in its present shape
was built in 1780 by Maharani Ahilyabai
Holkar of Indore, is located on the outskirts of
the Ganga. 
• This temple makes Varanasi a place of great
religious importance to the Hindus, as
Vishweshwara or Vishwanatha, the
aforementioned Jyotirlinga of the Lord Shiva
is enshrined here.

• The temple was once destroyed by the Architecture of the

Muslim Emperor Aurangzeb who converted Vishwanath Temple
most parts of the temple into a Mosque. It in BHU
was later resurrected at a location near the
mosque.
• Durga Temple, also nicknamed
"Monkey temple," was built at some point
of time in 18th century. The temple got
the name 'Monkey temple' because of
the presence of large number of
monkeys in the temple. According to
legends, the present statue of Goddess
Durga was not made by man but
appeared on its own in the temple.
Thousands of Hindu devotees visit
the Durga temple during Navratri and
other auspicious occasions.
• Vishalakshi temple This temple is
dedicated to Vishalakshi (means wide-
eyed) or Parvati , consort of Lord Shiva.
• Sankat Mochan Temple is dedicated to Durga Mandir (temple) in
Lord Hanuman and is very popular with Ramnagar.
the local citizens. It is a place for many
yearly religious as well as cultural
festivals.
• The New Vishwanath Temple The new Vishwanath Temple, called Birla Mandir,
mainly funded by Raja Birla of the Birla family of industrialists, was built as a replica
of the old Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Planned by Madan Mohan Malaviya, the temple
is part of the Banaras Hindu University.
• Tulsi Manas Temple Constructed by family of Varanasi, this modern temple is
dedicated to Lord Rama. It is situated at the place Where Tulisdas, the great
medieval seer, lived and wrote the epic "Shri Ramcharitmanas", which narrates the
life of Lord Rama, the hero of the Ramayana.
• Annapoorna Temple Near the Kashi Vishwanath temple, there is a nice temple of
Devi Annapurna , believed as the "Godess of Fooding". She is a form of Parvati.
• Sankatha Temple Near the Sindhia Ghat , there is a important temple of "Godess of
Remedy" Devi Sankatha. Inside its premises there is a huge statue of a Lion.
• Kalbhairav Temple It is the ancient temple of Varanasi near the Head Post Office,
VishesharGanj. God KalBhairav is believed as "Kotwal Of Varanasi" , without his
permission no one can stay in Kashi.
• Mrityunjay Mahadev Temple On the route of Daranagar to Kalbhairav temple this
temple of Lord Shiva is situated . Just besides this temple there is a Well of much
religious importance , whose water is said to be mixture of several underground
streams and good for eliminating several diseases.
• Bharat Mata Temple The Bharat Mata temple at Varanasi is the only temple
dedicated to Bharat Mata. It is located in the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi
Vidyapeeth campus. The Bharat Mata temple was built by Babu Shiv Prasad Gupt
and inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi in 1936. The statute of Bharat Mata is built in
marble and is a model of undivided India, depicting the mountains, plains and
oceans. The most peculiar thing about the Bharat Mata Temple is that instead of the
customary gods and goddesses, it houses a relief map of India, carved out of marble.
 ART AND LITERATURE
• Saraswati Bhawan at Ramnagar Fort A rare
collection of manuscripts, especially religious
writings, is housed in Saraswati Bhawan. It
includes a precious handwritten manuscript
by Tulsidas.
• Jantar Mantar is an observatory built
by Maharaja Jai Singh, of Jaipur in the year
1737. The Jantar Mantar was built to measure
the local time, the Sun's declination, altitude, the
declination of stars, planets and to determine
eclipses
• Archaeological museum, Sarnath is the oldest
site museum of Archaeological Survey of India.
In order to keep the antiquities found from the
site, a decision was taken in 1904 by the
Government to construct a site museum
adjacent to the excavated site at Sarnath.
• Bharat Kala Bhavan, located inside the BHU
campus, is an art and architecture museum and
houses a vast collection of paintings, Hindu and
Buddhist sculptures and other materials of
archeological importance. The Bharat Kala
Bhavan was established in the year 1920 A.D.
• Ramnagar Fort, lies about 14 km. from
Varanasi and is situated on the opposite
bank of river Ganga. It is the ancestral
home of the Maharaja of Banaras.
Maharaja Balwant Singh built this fort-
palace in the eighteenth century. The fort
is built in red sandstone. The Ramnagar
fort has a temple and a Museum within the
grounds and the temple is dedicated to
Ved Vyasa, who wrote Mahabharata, the
great Indian epic. This fort houses a
museum displaying the Royal collection.
 DEMOGRAPHICS
• The population of Varanasi urban agglomeration in 2001
was 1,371,749; the sex ratio was 879 females every
1000 males.
• However, the area under Varanasi Nagar Nigam has a
population of 1,100,748 with the sex ratio being 883
females for every 1000 males.
• The literacy rate in the urban agglomeration is 77% while
that in the municipal corporation area is 78%.
• Approximately 138,000 people in the municipal area live
in slums. The crime rate in the city in 2004 was 128.5
per 100,000 which is higher than Uttar Pradesh rate of
73.2 but lower than the national rate of 168.8
 TRANSPORT
• Varanasi is well connected by air, rail
and road with the major Indian cities
like New
Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune, 
Ahmedabad, Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior, Ja
balpur, Ujjain,Jaipur, Patna, Secunderab
ad etc.

• It is located at a distance of 776 km

from Delhi. It is located at a distance of
1840 km from Secunderabad.

• One of the major factors in Varanasi's

sustained existence as an inhabited city
is its role as an established
transportation hub between different
cities.
 AIRPORT
•
The Babatpur Airport (Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport) is located about
25 km from the city center and is well connected to Chennai, Delhi,
Mumbai, Kolkata, Khajuraho, Bangkok,Bangalore, Colombo and Kat
hmandu.
• All the major domestic Indian carriers including Air India, Jet
Airways, Kingfisher Airlines, Indian Airlines, Mihin Lanka, Thai
Airways International,Spicejet, and Alliance Air operate from here.
• The Airport handled more than 3.50 lakh passengers per year. The
new integrated terminal is under construction. New building catering
to both domestic and international passengers is coming up on 150
acres of land adjacent to the airport.
• The current terminal building can handle only about 200 domestic
passengers at any given time, and passenger amenities are
insufficient.
• The new airport will be able to handle 1,000 passengers and will
have parking facilities for 500 cars.
 RAILWAYS

• Varanasi Junction, the largest station

serving the city.
• The first railway line to Benares was
opened from Kolkata in December 1862
and was built by the East Indian Railway
Company.
• Varanasi Junction under the control
of Northern Railways and Mughal Sarai
Junction of East Central Railway are the Varanasi Junction,
two major railway stations within the
the largest station
city limit.
serving the city
• Apart from these there are 16 other
railway stations located within the city
limits.
 ROADWAYS
• Previously, the city was connected by a single road from
Taxila going through Pataliputra during the Maurya
Empire. This road was later renovated and extended
by Sher Shah Suri during the 16th century and later
came to be known as the famous Grand Trunk Road.

• The NH 2 linking Delhi-Kolkata passes through the city

and NH 7 which is the longest National Highway in India
connects Varanasi with the cities
of Jabalpur, Nagpur, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Madurai an
d Kanyakumari.
 PUBLIC TRANSPORT
• Auto rickshaws and cycle
rickshaws are the most
widely available public
transport within Varanasi.
• In outer regions of the city,
mini-buses are common.
• Small boats and
small steamers are used to
cross the River Ganga.
 TOURISM
• Due to its unique culture, Varanasi is a major tourist destination for
foreign tourists in India. A number of 3, 4 and 5 star hotels like Taj
Hotel, Radisson hotel, clarks hotel, Ramada hotel, Hindustan
International are present in the city, as well as more efficient
housing for Western student researchers.
• All sort of cuisines are available mostly as street food due to rich
and hospitable culture of Varanasi.
• Varanasi is a noted centre for Banarasi silk weaving and brassware.
Fine silks and brocaded fabrics, exquisite saris, brassware,
jewellery, woodcraft, carpets, wall hangings, lamp shades and
masks of Hindu and Buddhist deities are some of Varanasi's
shopping attractions.
• The main shopping areas include the Chowk, Godaulia, Vishwanath
Lane, Lahurabir and Thatheri Bazaar.
• Assi Ghat, a midway point between Godaulia in the heart of
downtown and youth culture of Benares Hindu University, is the
district where most young, foreign, long-term residents stay.
RECENT TERRORISM
• In March 2006, bomb blasts from
terrorists resulted in 28 people
being killed and many injured. One
of the bombs was planted in
the Sankat Mochan Hanuman
Temple, a shrine dedicated to
Lord Hanuman, while another was
planted on a platform of the
Varanasi Cantonment Railway
Station, the main railway station in
the city. A militant group, Lashkar-
e-Kahab, claimed responsibility
for the terror attacks.

• In November 2007 Varanasi

endured another bomb blast. The
bomb was placed in the civil court
of Varanasi. More than 20 people
died and over 100 were injured.