Varanasi The Spiritual Holi Capital Of India

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Varanasi the Holi spiritual capital of india-

Varanasi, a city of spiritualism where the people are living by following their great culture and traditions. It is believed that Kashi is the most oldest city which was created by the God Shiva Himself. People, who are living in this city consider themselves great disciples of the Lord Shiva. They believe that they are blessed by God directly that’s why they have the chance to live in Varanasi. People of Kashi really enjoy and live their cultural, traditional, spiritual and intellectual beliefs in God. Varanasi city has a lot of ghats with their religious values as it is located at the bank of the river Gange. Ghats are the most peaceful and eye-catching place to visit. People generally enjoy visiting the ghats by sitting in a boat and see ghats one by one. Ghats are the important places of ritual beliefs where people carry out ritual ablutions. Around 84 ghats at the bank of the river Ganga are welcoming the city and increase its value of attraction. Some of the most important ghats of religious importance are Assi Ghat, Dashashwamedh Ghat, Manikarnika Ghat, Tulsi Ghat, Panchganga Ghat, Harishchandra Ghat, etc.

Dashashwamedh Ghat –

Dashashwamedh ghat is one of the oldest, most spectacular and important ghat, located at the bank of the river Gange near to the old Vishwanath Temple in the Kashi. The literal meaning of the Dashashwamedh is the Ghat (river front) of the ten sacrificed horses (dash means 10, ashwa means horse, medh means sacrifice). At the great festivals, Hindu devotees come in huge number because of the different religious significance of the ghat. The ghat has retained its beauty with the various Hindu God temples and religious sites. Pilgrims come here to perform a variety of rituals and religious activities. The evening Aarti of the Gange at this ghat attracts huge crowd from every corner of the city. Some of the devotees come here daily in the morning to pay homage to their Lord after having a holy bath in the Gange water.

Kashi Vishwanath Temple-

There are temples at almost every turn in Varanasi, but this is the most famous of the lot. It is dedicated to Vishveswara – Shiva as lord of the universe. The current temple was built in 1776 by Ahalya Bai of Indore; the 800kg of gold plating on the tower and dome was supplied by Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Lahore 50 years later. The history of the temple starts with a legendary story. Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu got into an argument that broke into a fight about their supremacy. As a moderator, Lord Shiva took a form of light that pierced through three worlds. Shiva demanded them to find the tip of the light and the one who finds the tip of the light would be considered supreme. Vishnu took the form of a pig and dug down to find the tip and Lord Brahma rode up to find the tip. The place where Shiva’s light pierced through the earth are the 12 jyothirlingas and this temple is one among those.

Ganges-

In Hinduism, the river Ganges is considered sacred and is personified as the goddess Gaṅgā. She is worshiped by Hindus who believe that bathing in the river causes the remission of sins and facilitates Moksha (liberation from the cycle of life and death), and that the water of the Ganges is considered very pure. Pilgrims immerse the ashes of their kin in the Ganges, which is considered by them to bring the spirits closer to moksha. The Ganges River is a 1569 mile long river flowing across India and Bangladesh into the Bay of Bengal. The Ganges River begins in the Himalayas’ Gangotri Glacier and by the time it reaches its mouth it is the world’s third largest river by discharge. In Hinduism the Ganges River is the most sacred river, and is worshipped as the Goddess Ganga. The Ganges River drains an area of 416,990 square miles, and by 2007 it was the 5th most polluted river in the world. This pollution is greatly attributed to industrial and human waste, which is not only dangerous to the humans who consume it as drinking water, but to the survival of many species that live in its water.

Manikarnika Ghat-

Manikarnika Ghat, the main burning ghat, is the most auspicious place for a Hindu to be cremated. Dead bodies are handled by outcasts known as doms, and are carried through the alleyways of the Old City to the holy Ganges on a bamboo stretcher, swathed in cloth. The corpse is doused in the Ganges prior to cremation. this ghat is one of the holiest among the sacred riverfronts (ghats), alongside the river Ganga. It is believed that a dead human’s soul finds salvation (moksha), when cremated here. Thus, scores of the elderly across the whole country seek to walk up to its edges, and spend their last days absorbing the charisma of the ghat – which makes even death painless and insignificant to be pondered upon. Manikarnika Ghat, the main burning ghat, is the most auspicious place for a Hindu to be cremated. Dead bodies are handled by outcasts known as doms, and are carried through the alleyways of the Old City to the holy Ganges on a bamboo stretcher, swathed in cloth.

Assi Ghat-

The furthest south of the main ghats and one of the biggest, Assi Ghat is particularly important as the River Assi meets the Ganges near here and pilgrims come to worship a Shiva lingam (phallic image of Shiva) beneath a peepul tree. Evenings are particularly lively, as the ghat’s vast concreted area fills up with hawkers and entertainers. There’s also music and yoga at sunrise. It’s a popular starting point for boat trips and there are some excellent hotels here. This beautiful Lolarka Ghat is divided into 12 divisions during the Buddha Purnima when visitors visit here with their offerings and prayers. The Lolarka Kund is also called the Tank of the Trembling Sun. this tank is 15 meters deep and can only be approached by a flight of staircases. The Assi Ghat, Uttar Pradesh, which lies beside it, has a mighty Shiva Lingam placed right inside. It is placed beneath the Pipal Tree and is worshipped by followers who come here.