Varanasi

The temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, the presiding deity of the city. This is one of the 12 jyotirlings of Shiva and is considered one of the holiest places in India.The present temple was built at the orders of Queen Ahalya Bai of Indore in 1776. The enormous gold (about 800 kg) that covers the top of the temple was donated 50 years later by Maharaja Ranjeet Singh of Punjab. Earlier there were a many more Shiva temples in the vicinity of this temple. Sadly they were razed by the muslim invaders. Aurangzeb continued the tradition of demolition. He pulled down the temple here and raised Gyanvapi Mosque.

Adjacent to the temple is Gyan vapi well which is said to contain the shivlinga of the original Vishwanath temple that was destroyed by Aurangzeb in the 17th century. The waters from it are said to bring enlightenment.

Cameras and mobile phones are required to be deposited before entering the temple premises. Non-Hindus are not allowed inside the temple.

The holy city has many other temples also. The Tulsi Manas mandir is a modern marble temple. The walls of the temple are engraved with verses and scenes from Ramcharitmanas, hindi version of Ramayana, written by Tulsidas ji who lived here. The dioramas here make it different from other temples.

Then there is a Durga temple (non hindus are not allowed in the inner sanctum), Bharat Mata temple that has a marble relief map of Indian sub continent. 

Nationalist Pt. Madan Mohan Malviya gave a formal rock solid shape to the tradition of learning that has always been in the life and blood of this city, by establishing the Benaras Hindu University in the year 1916. Sprawling in an area of 5 sq km, it educates 20,000 students and has around 140 departments. The peaceful lush green university campus is a pleasant respite from the chaos of the city outside.
 

Bharat Kala Bhawan: Inside the peaceful environs of the campus is a treasure house of miniature paintings (11th to 20th century), palm leaf manuscripts, sculptures (300 BC to 1400 AD), textiles and costumes and personal collections. It houses paintings from the likes of Nicholas Roerich (Russian painter who made Himachal his home) and Alice Boner (a swiss painter who made Banaras her home).

Vishwanath temple: The foreign tourists who are not allowed entry in the old Vishwanath temple can happily visit the new Vishwanath temple situated in the centre of the University campus. The temple complex has 7 temples. The base floor has Shiva temple while the first floor has temples dedicated to Durga and Laksmi Narayan. Construction began in 1931 and it took 30 years for it to come in its present shape. Inner walls of the temple are inscribed with extracts from the sacred Hindu texts. Architecturally there is nothing special but its neat and clean tranquil ambience gives enough opportunity to meditate and come closer to God.   

90 or so ghats (long steps leading to the water of the river that are used for bathing and other purposes) along the river Ganges defines the life and identity of Varanasi. Stretching from the southern Asi ghat to northern Adi keshav Ghat, the ghats cover more than 6 km. Many of these ghats were built under the patronage of erstwhile princely states of Jaipur, Indore, Gwalior, Bihar, Nepal and others. Traditionally each ghat in Varanasi has its own distinctive color. Most of them are bathing ghats except for the two cremation ghats – Harishchandra and Manikarnika 

Asi ghat: marks the confluence of rivers Asi and Ganges. It is Varansi’s southern most ghat. Notice the shivlinga  beneath the papal tree here. 

Tulsi Ghat: It was here that Tulsidas ji composed the great Indian Epic Ramcharitmanas in 16th century. His house and temple still stand nearby.

Anandmayi ghat: here is an ashram founded by a female Bengali saint.

Dasashvamedha Ghat: This centrally located ghat is named so because, as per legend, 10 horses were sacrificed here by Lord Brahma. The daily evening aarti here is spectacular. Amidst the spontaneous chanting of mantras the devotees make collective candlelit offerings. Behind is the Vishwanath lane that takes one to the pristine Vishwanath temple.

Man Mandir ghat: King Jai Singh II of Jaipur, built one of his Jantar Mantars near it. The sundial can be seen from here.  

As Kashi or Varanasi is to Hindus so is Sarnath to the Buddhist. It is among the four most important places related to Lord Buddha’s life, other three being Bodhgaya, Kushinagar and Lumbini (in Nepal). Sarnath is where Buddha delivered his first sermon after attaining enlightenment. In the 3rd century BC king Ashok the Great got stupas, monasteries and pillar constructed at this place. Chinese traveler Xuang Zang has reported about the 100 m high stupa that existed here and also that 1500 monks stayed in the monasteries. But the place received the same treatment at the hands of muslim invaders as the temples in India. It was only in 1835 when British archaeologists excavated the place that Sarnath was known to the modern world.
The most remarkable structure at Sarnath is the cylindrical Dhamek Stupa, 28 mts in diameter at the base and 43.6 mts in height, built partly of stone and partly of brick. The stone facing the lower part is adorned with delicate floral carvings of Gupta origin. This 5th century stupa is a commemorative stupa pointing the place where Buddha preached the first sermon. Nearby is the Ashok Pillar with an edict engraved on it. Only the base remains, the lion capital that formed its top is now exhibited in the archaeological museum. Just outside is Digambar Jain temple.

Dharmrajika Stupa: It is one of the Pre Ashokan stupa. Now only the foundations remain, as the rest of it was transferred to Varanasi to be used as building material.
Chaukhandi stupa is a lofty mound of brick – work whose square edifice is surrounded by an octagonal tower that was built in the honor of Mughal Emperor Humanyun. It is the place where Buddha met his disciples.

Mulgandha Kuti Vihar and deer park: It is a modern temple (1931) built by Mahabodhi society. It has excellent frescoes by Kosetsu Nosu japan’s (foremost painter) and is a rich repository of Buddhist literature.
Sarnath Archaeological museum: It houses the prestige of India, i.e. its National Emblem, the lion capital of the Ashokan Pillar. It exhibits various other pieces of prime importance and hence is considered one of the richest museums in the country.

A Bodhi Tree: In the complex stands a Bodhi tree that was planted here, from the cuttings of the Bodhi tree in Bodhgaya, by Anagarika Dharmpala (man who revived Buddhism after a long period of decline).