Alamgir Mosque

Alamgir Mosque, built by the Mughal Emperor Aurangaseb, has the uniquedistinction of being the largest structure located on the banks of the riverGanges in Varanasi. It is believed that the Mosque is placed at a place wherea majestic Krishna temple was located. This temple was destroyed and theMosque was constructed at that place during Mughal invasion in India.

The Mosque is at a picturesque location overlooking Panchganga Ghat and isbordered by the majestic Ganges. The architectural style of the mosque is a blend of Hindu andPersian styles of construction and is very imposing. The edifice is magnificent with carved pillars,turrets and marvelous domes.

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Annapoorna Devi Temple

Annapurna or Annapoorna is the Hindu Goddess of nourishment. Annameans food and grains. Purna means full, complete and perfect. She is formof Parvati, the consort of Shiva. The most well­known temple dedicated toGoddess Annapurna is in Varanasi, U.P., India. Adjacent to the Sanctum ofthe Goddess is the Kasi Viswanath temple. The two are separated by only afew yards. Annapurna is regarded as the queen of Varanasi alongside herhusband Vishweshwar (Shiva), the King of Varanasi. In the temple, at noon time, food offerings to theGoddess are distributed to the elderly and disabled daily. During the Autumn Navaratri food isdistributed on a larger scale.

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Asi Ghat

Asi Ghat, the Ghat located at the confluence of Assi River and the holyGanges, is the southernmost Ghat in Kashi. The Ghat is renowned for aspectacular and large Shiva Lingam placed under a Peepal Tree. This is afavorite spot for Hindu devotees to offer their prayers to Lord Shiva aftertaking holy dip in the river.

This religiously important place got its reference in many puranas, includingMatsya Purana, Kurma Purana, Agni Purana and Padma Purana. Legendary stories describe this Ghatas the place where Goodess Durga thrown out her sword after killing the Asura demons Shumbha­Nishumbha.

The place breasts one more ancient Shiva temple enshrining a Shiva lingam famously known asAsisangameshwar lingam. It was at this place the renowned saint poet Tulasi Das completed thefamous literary work Ramcharitmanas. Hindu devotees throng to this Ghat to take holy dip in theconfluence and it is a very busy place with performance of Hindu religious rituals all through the year.

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Baba Keenaram Sthal

Baba Keenaram Sthal is one of the oldest Shakti Peethas and spiritual centersin the world. The full name of this place is Baba Keenaram Sthal­KreemKund, situated at Ravindrapuri in Varanasi District of Uttar Pradesh, India.Here the body of Baba Keenaram jee is buried in a tomb which is known asthe Samadhi. Though this place is known as the work place of great saintBaba Keenaram jee and introduced by his name, it is believed to be

thousands year old.

This place is regarded as the headquarters and pilgrim of followers of Aghora. It is one of the mostvisited places of Varanasi, by foreign tourists, writers, researchers and documentary makers. Thepresent head (Abbot), since 1978, of this place is Baba Siddharth Gautam Ram.

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Banaras Hindu University (BHU)

Banaras Hindu University (BHU), is a Central university, located inVaranasi, India, which is also the largest residential university in Asia, withover 12,000 students living on its campus. BHU was founded in 1916 byPandit Madan Mohan Malviya. The campus spread over 1350 acre (5.5 km?)campus was built on land donated by then Kashi Naresh.

It has 140 teaching departments and more than 55 hostels for boys and girls.The total enrollment in the University stands at just over 15000, including students from all over Indiaand abroad. Several of its colleges, including engineering (IT­BHU), science, linguistics, journalismand mass communication, law and medicine (IMS­BHU), Faculty of Management Studies, are rankedamongst the best in India.

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Banarasi Carpets

Varanasi and its neighboring areas are well known for carpet making. TheVaranasi­Bhadohi­Mirzapur belt in Uttar Pradesh produces maximumnumber of carpets in the country. The carpets produced in Varanasi regionare famous for the excellence in quality and design. Every carpet that iswoven here has a distinctive grace and unmatched style that speak volumesabout the carpet weaving tradition of Varanasi and its surrounding areas. Thestylish and quality of the carpets also proves the genius of the traditional carpet weavers of Varanasiregion.

A majority of carpets exported from India come from Varanasi and its neighboring areas. This carpetbelt specializes in traditional Indian woolen carpets and Durries. The Bhadohi carpets match thegracefulness of carpet weaving in any part of the world and are distinguished for their beauty andelegance and are worth buying. For carpet lovers the Varanasi­Bhadohi­Mirzapur belt offers greatshopping opportunities as the carpets are not only cheaper yet stylish and fashion oriented. TheVaranasi­Bhadohi­Mirzapur belt also produces hand tufted, Indo­Tibetan and low, medium and highKnotted Carpets.

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Banarasi Handicrafts

Varanasi has, since times immemorial, been hailed as a premier centre forsome of the finest handicrafts. The most renowned craft of the city is Silkweaving. 'Banarasi Sarees' produced by local craftsman are among the mostpreferred, not only in India but across the world. Brassware, copperware,ivory work , glass bangles, wood, stone and clay toys and exquisite goldjewellery are some of the other crafts the city is famous for. Bhadohi Carpetsand musical instruments are among the other shopping attractions.

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Banarasi Sari and Brocades

Banaras is one of the rich weaving craft centre of India, famous for Brocade

saris and allover dress material. Exclusive varieties of the saris are Jangla,Tanchoi, Vaskat, Cutwork, Tishu, and Butidar which are made of silk warpand silk weft, on plain/satian ground base, brocaded with extra weft patternsin different layouts introducing Buties, Bells, creepers, Buttas in ground,border and Anchal for getting glamours appearance.

Brocade refer to those textiles where in patterns are created in weaving bytransfixing or thrusting the pattern­thread between the warp. In regular weaving the weft thread passesover and under the warp thread regularly. But when brocade designs in gold, silver silk or cottonthreads are to be woven, special threads are transfixed in between by skipping the passage of theregular weft over a certain number of warp threads (depending upon the pattern) and by regularisingthe skipping by means of pre­arranged heddles for each type of patterning.

Famous Banarsi Sarees : Banarasi Silk Jamdani, Jangla Saree, Jamawar Tanchoi Saree, Tissu Saree,Cutwork Saree, Butidar Saree etc.

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Bharat Kala Museum

The Kashi Hindu University has a museum that has an excellent collection ofprecious and extraordinary historical objects, statues, pictures, paintings anddocuments. Museum is small but very well maintained and gives an overview of the very old city of Varanasi.

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Bharat Mata Temple

Bharat Mata Temple, a fairly new temple built in 1936 and located at KashiVidyapeeth Campus, is a shrine dedicated to Mother India. This temple wasbuilt by a Gandhian follower Babu Shiv Prasad Gupt and was inaugurated byMahatma Gandhi. It enshrines a marble structure of Mother India, a finethree dimensional structure of undivided India. The marble structure, rather amap of India, is constructed at the right proportions of oceans, lands andhills. This is a unique temple and a symbol of patriotism. This temple is placed itself in the settings ofnatural beauty overlooking the Ganges and holy Ghats. The temple is in the shape of pentagonal conewith five pillars supporting the structure.

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Chandraprabha Wildlife Sanctuary

70 km. from Varanasi, it's a breathtakingly beautiful picnic spot in theChandraprabha forests, within which are the Rajdari and Devdari waterfalls.The park established in 1957, sprawls over 9,60 hectares. It serves as an idealhabitat for a host of animal species including Leopard, Beer, Cheetal,Chausingha and others.

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Chaukhandi Stupa

Chaukhandi Stupa is an important Buddhist stupa in Sarnath, located 13kilometres from Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. Stupas are descendents ofburial mounds and serve as a shrine for a relic of the Buddha. TheChaukhandi Stupa is thought originally to have been built as a terracedtemple during the Gupta period between the 4th to 6th Century to mark thesite where Lord Buddha and his first disciples met traveling from Bodh Gaya

to Sarnath. Later Govardhan, the son of a Raja, modified the stupa to its present shape by building theoctagonal tower to commemorate the visit of Humayun, the powerful Mughal ruler.

Today the stupa is a high earthen mound covered with a brickwork edifice topped by an octagonaltower. It is maintained by the Archaeological Survey of India.

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Chunar Fort

Tucked away 40 kms. from Varanasi, Chunar is the place where religion,history and nature intermingle. Situated in the Vindhya ranges on the banksof holy river Ganga, its scenic and calm atmosphere enchants visitors.Chunar is also an important health resort due to its ideal climate. Themassive Chunar fort, standing at a height of 80' to 175' from the ground leveland spread over a massive area of 34,000sq.ft., is the prime attraction of theplace. Inside the fort is an interesting Sun dial, a dep well and an open pavilion called the SonwaMandap. Chunar is accessible by road from Varanasi and an overnight stay is possible at the ASI resthouse within the fort premises.

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Darbhanga Ghat

Darbhanga Ghat, a renowned holy spot among the Hindu devotes, is an ideallocation to have the religious rites associated with the death of the relativesor friends. This is situated in the bank of the holy Ganges between two otherGhats famously known as Dashaswamedh Ghat and Rana Mahal Ghat.

The ghat is ideally placed above an impressive building. The building servesas a place for the people to overlook the religious ceremonies in the Ghat. Atemple enshrining the Shiva Lingam is an attraction to this place. The premises of the Ghat offer allkinds of facilities for performing religious rituals.

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Dashaswamedh Ghat

Dashaswamedh Ghat, a much acclaimed religious spot, is a very favoriteamong the Hindu devotees and is considered as the main Ghat. It is believedthat Lord Brahma performed his victorious Dasa_Ashwamedha (ten­horses)sacrifice in this spot. Legends claim that a similar kind of ten horse sacrificewas done here in the second century by Bhara Shiva Naga rulers.

The Ghat was renovated by Bajirao Pesava I in 1740 AD and later by theQueen of Indore, the princess Ahilyabai Holkar in 1774. This place attracts huge inflow of touristeveryday. Dashaswamedh Ghat has credited with many religious temples and destinations nearby.This is one of the safe ghats with well laid steps and perfect platforms for the devotees to perform therituals.

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Dhamek Stupa

Dhamek Stupa (also spelled Dhamekh and Dhamekha) is a massive stupalocated at Sarnath, 13 km away from Varanasi. The Dhamek Stupa was builtca. 500 CE to replace an earlier structure commissioned by the greatMauryan king Ashoka in 249 BCE, along with several other monuments, tocommemorate his pilgrimage there. Stupas originated as circular moundsencircled by large stones. King Ashoka built stupas to enshrine small pieces

of calcinated bone and other relics of Buddha and his disciples. An Ashoka pillar with an edictengraved on it stands near the site.

In its current shape, the stupa is a solid cylinder of bricks and stone reaching a height of 43.6 metersand having a diameter of 28 meters. It is the most massive structure in Sarnath. The basement seemsto have survived from Ashoka's structure: the stone facing is chiseled and displays delicate floralcarvings of Gupta origin. The wall is covered with exquisitely carved figures of humans and birds, aswell as inscriptions in the Brahmi script.

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Durga Mandir

The Durga Mandir (Temple) is situated in Ramnagar of Banaras (orVaranasi). It is believed that it was built 500 years ago which is under controlof royal family of Banaras State currently. This temple is devoted to Hindudeity Durga. The temple has a large stone built pond with it. The DurgaMandir boasts of its fine stone works, which is a fabulous example of northIndian stone work arts.

The temple is based on square shape. It has a square campus. The main building of temple is built of asquare shaped stage. The shape of building is also square. The stage of the temple contains rooms init, which are used for temple's staff purposes and sometimes, for Yagya. The campus is a greencampus with trees and plants. Visitor can walk around the main temple building in the campus. It'suseful since, some worshippers walk around the building of temples for religious reasons inHinduism.

The temple has a huge square pond in front of it. The pond is with stone stairs in all sides and fourwatch pillars on each corner. There is a shade made of stone also at one side of the pond. The stonework on the walls of temple building also emphasizes the square shape. The temple wall has designsbuilt in square shaped blocks and ornamental scrawls.

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Gyan Kup (Gyan Vapi Well)

Gyan Kup or Gyan Vapi Well is an acclaimed religious spot in Varanasi. Thename literally means well of wisdom. Gyan Vapi well, an imposing pavilion,is located at the entrance to the renowned holy Kashi Vishwanath temple.This Well was built by Gwalior Rani Baiza Bai in 1828 AD. Some parts ofthe temple structure including the central dome and two peaks are placed inthis pavilion. It is believed that the waters in the well provide the spiritualenlightenment and the pavilion is considered to be highly revered. Attaining the perfect wisdom ofspirituality is offered in this well.

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Hanuman Ghat

Hanuman Ghat, earlier known as Ramesvaram Ghat, is situated at a holy spotfamed as Juna Akhara in Varanasi. Legends say that this Ghat was built byLord Ram himself and hence this Ghat is dedicated to Lord Hanuman, themost favored disciple of Lord Ram. This Ghat is an impressive attractionamong the wrestlers and body builders as Lord Hanuman is a synonym ofstrength.

A renowned Vaishnava Saint, Vallabhacharya, taught his disciples magnificent stories and the gloriesof Lord Krishna at this place. A temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman and another temple founded by

saint poet Tulsi Das are main attractions in this Ghat.

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Harischandra Ghat

Harischandra Ghat is one among two cremation grounds with burningfacilities in Varanasi. This is named after the King Harishchandra, who spenthis part of the life as a keeper of a crematorium to preserve his truth andvirtues. This Ghat existed here many centuries and it was in 1740, a Hindusaint named Narayana Dikshit renovated it. Many people bring the mortalremains of their relatives and friends to this place to pyre. It is believed thatone can attain 'Moksha' (Salvation), if cremated in this place. An imposing temple is adorning thisplace. The temple encloses beautiful structures of Harisdchandra, Vriddha Kedara and AdiManikanteshwra.

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Jantar Mantar

Jantar Mantar, a renowned observatory established in 1737 by the famousMaharaja of Jaipur Jai Singh. This Jantar Mandir at Varanasi is a replica ofJantar Mandir in New Delhi and other places. This observatory was built tofind out local time, planetary and star movements. This was used to predictthe eclipses and also the declination of sun. This observatory is credited withmany instruments to record the position, speed and motion of the stars.Indian Astronomical theories and calculations are practiced here.

The structure of the Jantar Mantar is captivating with complex architectural styles. It is a realattractive spot to astronomers, scholars, engineers, architects and scientists. Some of the valuableinstruments (Yanthra) available here are Digansha Yantra, Krantivritta Yantra, Dhruva Yantra andPrakash Yantra.

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Kaimur Wildlife Sanctury

Barely 3 km. from Robertsganj, Kaimur is a 500 sq.km. spread of forestswith a variety of wildlife. Beautyof Sone and Echo valley are best witnessedher. It was established in 1982 and abounds in leopard, black buck, Chittal,Chinkara, Ratel, Peafowl and Blue­bull.

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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.

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Kashi Vishwanath Temple

Kashi Vishwanath Temple is one of the most famous Hindu templesdedicated to Lord Shiva and is located in Benaras, the Holiest Place ofHindus (and center of earth in Hindu Cosmology) where at least once in lifea Hindu is expected to do pilgrimage and if possible pour the remains (ashes)

of cremated ancestors here on the River Ganges.

The temple stands on the western bank of the holy river Ganges, and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas,the holiest of Shiva temples. The main deity is known by the name Vishwanatha or Vishweshwarameaning the Ruler of the universe. The temple town that claims to be the oldest living city in theworld, with 3500 years of documented history is also called Kashi and hence the temple is popularlycalled as Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Due to this 15.5m high golden spire, the temple is sometimescalled as the Golden Temple, similar to the Golden temple, a Sikh Gurudwara at Amritsar.

The temple complex consists of a series of smaller shrines, located in a small lane called theVishwanatha Galli, near the river. The linga the main deity at the shrine is 60 cm tall and 90 cm incircumference housed in a silver altar. There are small temples for Kaalbhairav, Dhandapani,Avimukteshwara, Vishnu, Vinayaka, Sanishwara, Virupaksha and Virupaksh Gauri in the complex.There is a small well in the temple called the Jnana Vapi (the wisdom well) and it is believed that theJytorlinga was hidden in the well to protect it at the time of invasion. It is said that the main priest ofthe temple had jumped in the well with the Shiv Ling in order to protect the (Jyoti­r)Ling from theinvaders.

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Kedareshvara Temple

It is the most important Shiva temple of the city. The stone linga here is saidto have emerged spontaneously. The myth narrate that a pure hearted devoteeof Shiva prayed for a chance to visit the famous Kedareshvara Shiva templein the Himalayas. Shiva, who is the god of destruction is always kind to hisbhaktas (devotees). Shiva was touched by his bhakta's piety and instead ofbringing him to the mountain, Shiva brought his image to the bhakta. Thisimage (linga) emerged out of a plate of rice and lentils. It can be still seen by the believers on therough surface of the natural stone linga.

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Maharaja Banaras Vidya Mandir Museum

Maharaja Banaras Vidya Mandir Museum is located at Fort Ramnagar inVaranasi.The museum was established in the year 1964.Previouly thebuilding of the museum was the palace of Maharaja of Benaras.The museumcontains various types of objects including weapons, manuscripts,palanquins, astronomical clock, paintings etc. The pictorial depiction ofDussehra celebrations and Ram Leela and a textile woven with ivory areworth mentioning.

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Man Mandir Ghat

Man Mandir Ghat, dating back to 1600 and renovated in 19th century, wasbuilt by Raja Savai Man Singh and the Ghat is named after him. Man ManditGhat, originally known as Somesvara Ghat, has a fine balcony at the northend of the Ghat. A small observatory founded by Raja Jai Singh of Jaipur isalso seen in this Ghat.

This Ghat houses many famous temples such as Sthuladanta Vinayaka,Rameshwara and Someshwara temples. Someshwara lingam is the replica of Someshwara lingam inSomanath (Gujrat), one of the nine Jyotirlingas. Many Hindu devotees visit this Ghat to offer prayersto Someshwar.

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Manikarnika Ghat

Manikarnika Ghat, also known popularly as Mahasmasana, is one of twoburning Ghats in Varanasi. The other Ghat where burning is allowed isHarishchandra Ghat. Manikarnika Ghat is the prominent among the two andis dating back to many centuries. The mythology points the relation of thisGhat to Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva. The popular belief is the burning thedead bodies in this cremation ground is a religious way to attain Moksha, thesalvation.

A Shiva Durga temple, built in 1850 by Maharaja of Awadh, is a sacred shrine at this Ghat. A sacredpond known as Cakra­Pushkarini Kund is also adorning this holy place. It is believed that this pondwas dug by Lord Vishnu and was existed before the origin of holy Ganges.

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Mrityunjay Mahadev Temple

On the route of Daranagar to Kalbhairav temple this temple of Lord Shiva issituated. Just besides this temple there is a Well of much religiousimportance, whose water is said to be mixture of several undergroundstreams and good for eliminating several diseases.

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New Vishwanath Temple (Golden Temple)

New Vishwanath Temple, also popularly known as the Golden Temple, issituated in the campus of Banares Hindu University (BHU). The temple isbuilt by the Birla family and hence it is also known as Birla temple.

This new Vishwanath Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva and is having thesimilar structure of Kashi Vishwanath temple. The temple a marvel inmarbles is designed by the founder of BHU Madan Mohan Malavya. Thewalls of the temple are adorned with the spectacular sculptures of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. Thetemple is open to all people irrespective of religion, caste and creed.

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Panchganga Ghat

Panchganga Ghat, a sacred located at the confluence of five holy rivers(Panchganga) meet. The rivers are The Ganga, The Saraswati, TheDhupapapa, The Yamuna and The Kirna. This Ghat is a major Hindureligious attraction in Varanasi. This is the place where Alamgir Mosquebuilt by Mughal Aurangseb is located. It is believed that the mosque isconstructed on a place where there was an ancient Vishnu temple.

The great scholarly teacher Vaidant Ramanand, the Guru of great saint Kabir, preached his disciplesat this place. The saint poet Tulsi Das composed the famous literary work Vinay­Patrikahere bystaying at this holy place. This Ghat is credited with eight water front locations for doing religiousrituals.

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Pillars of Ashoka

The pillars of Ashoka are a series of columns dispersed throughout thenorthern Indian subcontinent, erected or at least inscribed by the Mauryan

king Ashoka during his reign in the 3rd century BCE. Originally, there musthave been many pillars but only nineteen survive with inscriptions. Many arepreserved in a fragmentary state. Averaging between forty and fifty feet inheight, and weighing up to fifty tons each, all the pillars were quarried atChunar, just south of Varanasi and dragged, sometimes hundreds of miles, towhere they were erected.

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Pre historic Rock Paintings

The Vindhya and the Kaimur ranges have at least 250 rock art sites spreadacross them. The cave paintings range from the mesolithic to the meolithicand chalcolothic ages. Among important cave painting sites found in theregion are ­ the Panchmukhi caves (8 km from Robertsganj), Kauva Khohrock shelters (near Churk) Lakhania caves (22 km, from Robertsganj)Lakhma caves (near Mau Kalan village).

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Ramnagar Fort

Ramnagar Fort, constructed by Maharaja Balwant Singh in 17th century, is amedieval period fort located in the banks of the river Ganges. This was theroyal residence of Raja of Banares, also known as Maharaja of Kashi. Stillthis fort continues as the residential palace of the royal family members.

The hall of public audience, popularly known as 'Durbar Hall', is a mainattraction in the Ramnagar Fort. A blend of Indian and Islamic architecturecan be seen in the construction of the Fort. The fort is made up of precious marble stones and theglossy marbles give the fort an eye catching appearance.

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Ramnagar Museum

Ramnagar Museum, a scholarly museum renowned as the Banaras VidyaMandir Museum, is located interior to Ramnagar Fort. This praise worthymuseum is a home of many medieval period artifacts, collection of manyitems belonged to the Royal family of Banaras and also many handicraftitems.

The museum also displays arms and armors used in the royal period,elephant saddles, decorated art pieces, ornate palanquins, textiles of various kinds, ancientmanuscripts, gold­plated howdahs, furniture and many other artifacts. This museum attracts thousandsof tourists every year.

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Rana Mahala Ghat

Rana Mahala Ghat, built in 1670 AD, was built by the Udaipur ruler duringthat period and is located at the western side of Varanasi. The Ghat isperfectly placed on the banks of Ganges so that one can perform all religiousrituals without much difficulty and can have a holy dip in the Ganges waters.This place is often visited by the Hindu devotees to perform purification ofthe mind and body.

The Ghat is located at unspoiled and unpolluted surroundings. An ancient temple known asVakratunda Vinayaka Temple, dedicated to Lord Ganapati, is placed at this Ghat. This temple attracts

many tourists visiting Varanasi.

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Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple

Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple is one of the sacred temples of Hindu godHanuman in the city of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India. The word SankatMochan means deliverer from troubles. In the mandir, special offerings aresold like the special "besan ke ladoo" (sweets). Also Hanuman ji is offeredwith marigold flower garland. Outside the temple, there are many vendorswho sell pendants, rings, incense and holy flowers to the devotees. Thetemple is unique in a way that both Rama and Hanuman statues face each other.

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Sankatha Temple

Near the Sindhia Ghat, there is an important temple of "Goddess of Remedy"Devi Sankatha. Inside its premises there is a huge statue of a Lion. Also thereis nine temples of nine planets nearby to this temple.

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Sarnath

Sarnath is the main place to visit while on tour around Varanasi. A muchsacred pilgrimage and tourist spot in country. Sarnath is only 10 km awayfrom Varanasi. It is one of the four most significant Buddhist pilgrimageplaces in India; Sarnath is the place where Lord Buddha first covey hislecture after attaining "nirvana". Tourist spots in Sarnath include lots ofStupas, historical monuments, the deer park and many more.

Places in Sarnath : Dhamek Stupa, Dharmarajika Stupa, Chaukhandi Stupa, Ashoka Pillar, SarnathArcheological Museum

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Sarnath Buddhist Temples

There are a number of twentieth century Buddhist temples in Sarnath. Manyof these Buddhist temples at Sarnath are built and maintained by monks fromTibet, China and Japan but the main Buddhist temple is the MulagandhakutiVihar. The main shrine (vihara), called the Mulagandakuti, is said to belocated at the place where Buddha used to stay during his visits to Sarnath.There is a carved sandstone railing inside the temple. In the MulagandhakutiVihara there also is a Buddha walk.

The recent 'Mulagandhakuti Vihara' or the modern Buddhist temple is 110 feet high with an image ofBuddha inside it. Buddhist relics discovered at Taxila are enshrined in this 'Mulagandhkuti Vihara'.There are also fine paintings on the walls of this temple by Japanese artist Kosetsu Nosu. Buddhistservices are conducted there. Besides the Mulagandhakuti Vihara temple there are Chinese, Burmeseand Jain temples nearby.

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Sarnath Museum

Sarnath has yielded a rich collection of sculptures, artifacts and edifices

comprising numerous Buddha and Bodhisattva images and other ancientremains. To house all the findings and excavations at Sarnath, theArchaeological Survey of India established a site Museum at Sarnath. Finestspecimens of Buddhist art and other important remains have been housed atthe museum.

While the single most famous exhibit of this museum is the Lion Capital ofAsoka, the Sarnath museum has a small but awe­inspiring collection of Buddhist artifacts. Among thethings to see is a beautiful sculpture of the Buddha from the fifth century. The Buddha sits cross­legged, with eyes downcast in deep meditation, and a halo around his head. Also worth exploring areseveral beautiful figures of the bodhisattvas.

The main attraction of the Sarnath Archaeological Museum is the superb Ashokan Pillar. It has fourback­to­back lions, which has been adopted as the National symbol of India. Below this arerepresentations of a lion, an elephant, horse and the bull.

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Shivala Ghat

Shivala Ghat, a ghat built by King Balwant Singh, owed most significant roleduring the medieval period and is believed to be a sacred place to have a holydip. The Shivala Ghat, as the name suggests, is a religiously important Ghatwith a presiding deity of Lord Shiva.

A spectacular royal mansion built during the 19th century by Nepal KingSanjay Vikram Shah is a marvelous attraction located at this Ghat location.An attractive Shiva temple and Brahmendra Math, a spiritual centre, are two other attractions locatedat this Ghat. The Math is set up by a highly revered person known as Kashiraj.

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Tulsi Ghat

Tulsi Ghat, a prominent Ghat in Varanasi in honor of famous saint poet TulsiDas, is a significant place is Varanasi. The poet Tulsi Das had written thefamous scholarly religious work Ram Charit Manas spending many years inthis holy ghat. The mythology says that when the manuscript of his work fellin to the holy water of Ganga, it float aloft without sinking.

Tulsi Das got motivated from the pristine Lord Ram temple located at thebank of the river Ganges. It is believed that the story of Rama (Ramlila) was performed at this placefor the first time. Many reminiscences of Tulsi Das are still available in this Ghat. The house where heattained Moksha, pillow, wooden clogs, Samadhi place and a cute idol of Lord Hanuman arepreserved here.

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Tulsi Manas Temple

Located seven kilometers from the Varanasi station, the Tulsi Manas Templehas a traditional and cultural history. It is established in that very place wherethe great Indian epic `Ramayana` was written. It was Goswami Tulsi Daswho composed Ramayana in Hindi and named it `Ram Charit Manas`. LordRama is the deity worshipped at this temple. Tulsi Das actually created a godout of Rama. Beforehand, Rama was considered as a king who wasunparallel. The temple is simply constructed. Verses from Ram Charit Manas spatter the walls of thetemple. The complex philosophies of the Ramayana are described in sheer simplicity of words.

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Vindhyachal

70 km. (one and a half hour drive) from Varanasi, Vindhyachal is arenowned religious city dedicated to Goddess Vindhyavasini. Mythologicallygoddess Vindhyavasini is believed to be the instant bestower of bendiction.Ther are several temples of other deities in the vicinity, the most famous onesbeing Ashtabhuja Devi Temple and kalikhoh Temple, which constitute theTrikona Parikrama (circumambulation). The Vindhyavasini Devi Temple,the Ashtabhuja temple, dedicated to Goddess Mahasaraswati (on a hollock, 3 km from Vindhyavasinitemple) and the Kali khoh temple, dedicated to Goddess Kali (2 km from Vindhyavasini temple) formthe Trikon Parikrama.

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Vishalakshi Temple of Divine Mother Sati

The Vishalakshi Temple of Divine Mother Sati, wife of Lord Shiva stands atMeer Ghat just behind Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi, India. DevoutHindus consider this as one of the 51 Shakti Peethas mentioned in thePuranas.

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Vyasa Temple, Ramnagar

According to a popular Puranic story, when Vyasa failed to get alms inVaranasi he put a curse on the city. Soon after, at a house where Parvati andShiva had taken human form as householders, Vyasa was so pleased with thealms he received that he forgot his curse. However, because of his badtemper Shiva banished Vyasa from Varanasi. Resolved to be near at hand,Vyasa took his residence on the other side of the Ganges where his templemay still be seen at Ramnagar.

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Waterfalls in Varanasi

Tanda fall, Wyndham fall, upper and lower khajuri reservoirs(all 14 kms.from Mirzapur), Sirsi fall (46 km from Mirzapur), Jargo reservoir (15 kmfrom Chunar), Siddhanath Ki Dari (18 km from Chunar) and Mukkha fall (40km from Robertsganj), are some of the water falls that are a favoured picnicspot by nature­lovers.

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Other PlacesSome Religious Places in Varanasi : St. Mary's Church, Gyanvapi Mosque, Shitala Temple,

Chausath Yogini Temple, Jain Temple etc.Fair and Festivals in Varanasi : Buddh Purnima ­ Sarnath, Ramleela ­ Ramnagar, Dhrupad Mela,

Hanuman Jayanti, Bharat Milap, Nakkataya, Nag Nathaiya, Mahashivratri, Panch Koshi Parikrama,Ganga Mahotsav etc.Muth in Varanasi : Kinaram Math, Sanatan Gaudiya Math, ShriMath, Tailang Swami Math, Gopal

Math, Kabir Math, Karpatri Ji Math, Dandi Swami Math, Shankaracharya Math, Jangambari Mathetc.Ashrams in Varanasi : Mumuksh Bhavan, Dharm Sangh, Nirajani Akhanra, Satua Baba Ashram,

Sadhu Bela Ashram, Mata Anandmai Ashram, RamKrishna Mishan Sevashram, Sarveshwari Samuh

Ashram, Gadwa Ghat Ashram, Bhinagaraj Dandi Sevashram, Radha Swami Bag etc.80 Ghats of Varanasi : Assi, Ganga Mahal(I), Rewan, Tulsi, Bhadaini, Janaki, Mata Anandami,

Vaccharaja, Jain, Nishad, Prabhu, Panchkota, Cheta Singh, Niranjani, Mahanirvani, Shivala, Gularia,Dandi, Hanuman, Prachina (old) Hanumanana, Karnataka, Harush Chandra, Lali, Vijayanagaram,Kedar, Caowki, Ksemesvara / Somesvara, Manasarovara, Narada, Raja, Khori, Pandey, Sarvesvara,Digpatia, Causatthi, Rana mahala, DaraBhanga, Munsi, Ahilyabai, Sitala, Mehta, Rama, Jatara, RajaGwalior, Mangala Gauri, Venimadhava, Pancaganga, Durga, Brahma, Bundi Parakota (Adi)Sitala,Lala, Hanumanagardhi, Gaya/Gai, Badri Nayarana, Trilocana, Gola, Nandesavara /Nandu, Sakka,Telianala, Dasasvamedha, Prayaga, Rajendra Prasasa, Mana Mandira, Tripura Bhairavi, Mira,Phuta/Naya, Nepali, Lalita, Bauli/ Umaraogiri/ Amroha, Jalasayi, Khirki, Manikarnika, Bajirio,Scindhia, Sankatha, Ganga Mahal(II), Bhonsala, Naya and Genesa etc.