Varanasi Experiences

Varanasi: It is situated in Uttar Pradesh state.
varanasi also called as Kasi or Benares.

How to reach varanasi:

   1.By Road
   2.By train
   3.By Flight

I went there by train. There are somany trains daily going to varanasi.
I reached there via Shivganga express. without knowing anybody/booking accomodation, I started from delhi on last friday evening. [Since I am going to leave from Delhi, I had an urge to go to varanasi, I thought I wont have another chance since my hometown is in south india].
         Luckily through God's grace, I talked with another tamil guy named Balamurugan. He is 3 to 4 years older than me.
We talked about many things and suddenly told like we didnt get accomodation and all. He told me that Balamurugan's family will 
join with him in Varanasi & they booked the accomodation like that. They also booked the room in sankaracharyar mutt.
But from one of my friend, I got an address for accomodation. But they informed me that there is no vacancy.
We initially planned as if there is no accomodation, then we have to reach varanasi railway station again to sleep at night.
By lord's grace, we were joined with balamurugan and also stayed with him in sankaracharya mutt.


To help others from hectic situation, I am giving the accomodation details:

Therer are many ways to book accomodation in Varanasi.

  1.Through websites, we can book accomodation ranging from [Indian rupees]500 to 3000. per day.
  2.We can contact below addresses/places to book accomodation
     
     i) Shri Shankaracharya swamigal mutt, Hanuman ghat,Varanasi & contact Phone Number:91-0542-2277932,kanchimuttvaranasi@gmail.com
     ii)Kashi Nattukkotai nagarathaar sathiram,Godalia & Contact Phone Number is 91-0542-2451804
  [Here they are giving food also for Rs 70 per head for 3 times meal , they will also arrange morning 11 'o clock pooja at kashi viswanath temple,we can good good darhshan nearby sivalingam ]

In Both places,they will speak tamil language. But you have to inform them for accomodation via phone before 10 days/1 month of your stay. Accomodation cost is reasonable for a single room Indian rupees 400/450 per day . 2 or 3 people can stay in a single room.

 It is better to stay/book accomodation nearby river ganges than staying nearby varanasi railway station. Because river ganges is 7 to 8 kms from varanasi railway station and Due to crowd/somany small streets, it will takes more time to travel 7 to 8 kms distance in varanasi.

We paid Rupees 120 for auto to reach from varanasi railway station to Hanuman ghat which is nearby river ganges. In Hanuman ghat, we stayed at sankaracharyar mutt along with Balamurugan. Hanuman ghat is 7 to 8 kms distance from railway station. All autodrivers knew about sankaracharya mutt. Only by saying sankaracharya mutt name to driver, he will drop you on hanuman ghat sankaracharya mutt.Sankaracharya mutt is very famous in varanasi.


  Once we reached varanasi, we took a bath in river ganges.While taking bath, we have to pray lord shiva with following words:

"Oh! my lord shiva, by taking bath, nullify/zero down all my sins".


Through Sankaracharya mutt's priest/watchman, I got the following information about Varanasi.

On Kasi:

    Name for the city comes from Varunai and Asi. Varunai and Asi are the rivers mingling in Ganges in this place. So it is called as Varanasi.
Holy ganges is flowing around 2550 Kms in india upto Calcutta.But in this 2550 kms, only in Varanasi 7 to 8 Kms of ganges is moving from south to north as like ganges in lord shiva's head. According to hindu mythology, All cannot visit Varanasi, only those blessed can reach varanasi. Universe/world can be destroyed but Varanasi can not be destroyed,there is no end for Varanasi town.Because Lord shiva is holding varanasi in his thrishul.If any one dies in this 7 to 8 kms[varanasi ganges river region]/cremates the body/ by doing the funerals for ancestors, they will attain/reach moksha & will reach to heaven.

       For hindus, First holiest place is varanasi.[The Garuda Purana enumerates seven cities as giver of Moksha, They are Ayodhya, Mathura, Māyā, Kāsi, Kāñchī, Avantikā, Puri and Dvārāvatī.]

How Varanasi is different from other holy places like haridwar/rishikesh:

    If you are visiting any other hindu holy places, you will gain punniya.
But varanasi is the only holy place which will nullifies all your sins. However you are having good , you have to zero down your sins to reach moksha. So if you visited varanasi, you dont need to go to any other holy places to attain moksha.


After bath, we visited nearby small hotel for taking breakfast. Idly/Dosa/Vadai is so good in varanasi. I have never ever tasted such a delicious south indian food in noida. Food is also cheap.For breakfast,we ate idly/vadai. Single Idly costs rupees 4.Single dosa costs rupees 10 and vadai costs rs 5.

       For Local sight seeing, somany travels are there. But most of the sankar mutt people recommended vishnu. 
Vishnu's father is working as a watchman in sankaracharya mutt. We can contact vishnu for boating & local sight seeing.
Vishnu can understand tamil language & can speak little bit in tamil language.
Vishnu's contact number is 09956566524.


      For most of the temples, Cellphones and chappals are not allowed. So it is best to have a bag with lock. while going to temple, put cellphones & lock the bag with key, give it to driver.Because mostly we cannot believe drivers in varanasi as somany people will do cheating.

    We went to Kaala bhairava temple by car. This temple is very old/famous in varanasi. Kaala bhairavan is the god of protection in varanasi. It is a belief like without visiting kaala bhairava temple, varanasi trip is incomplete.


There are so many ghats are available in varanasi. Nearby river place is called as ghat.
Kashi viswanath temple/Kashi visalakshi amman temple/Annapoorani temple is situated in dasawamedh ghat.


On every evening, Ganga arati will be done in varanasi river ganges. Ganga arati will happen at every evening 7'o clock.
We went through boat with vishnu to see ganga arati. After ganga arati was over,we went to Dasaswamedh ghat by boat and walked towards kashi viswanath temple. We visited the Kashi vishalakshi amman temple. It is situtated on the way to kashi viswanath temple.

Kashi viswanath temple is also called as Golden temple. Before kashi viswanath temple, some lockers are available.You can put your things in lock and you have to pay some amount for a locker. Camera/cellphone/Ballpoint pen/belt/bags are not allowed inside the temple by the police for security reasons.There are no CCTV cameras inside kashi viswanath temple. while going to varanasi, It is best to go without any gold bangles/chains/rings.

within kashi viswanath temple, Some thieves will try to pass through over you & will try to snatch your chains. We faced two to three guys like that. [From some people, I heard that thieves snatched the chain who is holding in her hands and police not tried to do anything to save her. For security reasons, so many police people will be there inside the temple]. Apart from that another most wanted thieves are monkeys. But they wont snatch your chains for money/But will snatch the biscuits/foods/fruits/ from you
or from your children. If you are taking food outside, beware of monkeys.

        The main thing you have to consider while going to kashi viswanath temple is you have to see the ground for seeing siva lingam. Because siva lingam is placed on ground without  placed it on tall places. Usually all the god Idols/lingas, will be placed in some tall places, so that every one can see the god idol from distance.

   After visited the temple, we drink milk and lassi. Milk & lassi is served in small sand pot. Lassi & milk is very delicious if served in this pot.
Varanasi is famous for this milk and lassi too. You can find it in every small shops in varanasi.

    We went back to sankaracharya mutt. we have paid around rupees 40 per head to vishnu for boat which is very less compare to others.
Other boat drivers will ask for rupees 100 or 150 per head. vishnu is having boat and also good in boating.
His father told us the famous of kashi in tamil words, but he doesnt know tamil well.



Features of varanasi:

"காசியின் சிறப்பு :

  மாடு முட்டாது
 பல்லி கத்தாது 

  கருடன் பறக்காது 

  பூ மணக்காது 

 பிணம் நாறாது"

 

translation is as follows:

 In Varanasi,
   No bullock will hit you
   Lizard wont make noise [this is considered as a bad things going to happen next]
   Garuda/crow birds wont fly
   Flower wont give smell 
   Deadbody also wont have any smell

As we all know that if any dead bodies of animals are available in a place, then crows/garuda birds will be around that place. Deadbody also will gives smell and flowers over the deadbody will give some bad smell of corpse. But nothing will happen in varanasi.  Pregnant women/sadhus/sannyasins bodies wont be burnt. They will tie the body with rope to the stone and will put the body in the mid of the river. This stone also be sold at varanasi shops.These corpses will float over the river after some period of time.All other bodies are burnt in varanasi ghats. For burning a body, relations and all pay for the amount for woodlogs and some small amount for receipt. Some people wont have money. They also threw the deadbody in river. If the deadbody's relations are left,Man who is burning deadbodies also threw dead bodies into river inorder to save woodlogs. It will takes 3 hours to burn the deadbody completely.

     But eventhough somany deadbodies burnt &  some floating on the river, there is no deadbody/flower smell in varanasi.
   We tried to see agoris in the burning ghat. we left empty handed without seeing no agoris in burning ghat at night.Agoris will do poojas in body burning ghat at 12 ' o clock at night. we reached there by 12'o clock, but somany people are there in burning ghat. if somany people are there, then agoris wont come to burning ghat.

Since vishnu has to work as a guide for the balamurugan's family in the next morning, we couldnt get help from vishnu. Thru boat also, we can reach some burning ghat. 


We have seen so many places some people are smoking kanja dopes[drugs]. But from one of my friend, I came to know that Kanja dope is considered as lord shiva's prasaadh[prasasham], you will get dope without any restriction in these places.

Next day balamurugan and his family went to see triveni sangamam in allahabad. Allahabad is 130 kms far from varanasi.
Three rivers[Ganges,Yamuna, Saraswati] are merging in a single place it is called as triveni sangamam. Travel will takes 2 to 2 and half hours from varanasi to Allahabad.It is also one of the holy place for hindus. Since we booked the return train ticket from varanasi, we are not able to join with balamurugan & family.

.
   In the Sunday morning, we took bath in river ganges & took breakfast from nearby hotel, vacated the sankaracharya mutt.
I also bought some banares silk. Varanasi is famous for silk sarees & handigrafts.We have to be very careful on duplicate silk products. So it is better to have some prior information about good shops.
   
    From hanuman ghat, we visited banares hindu university in rickshaw for rupees 20. From Hanuman ghat, Banares hindu university is around 3-4 kms. Share autos are also available for banares hindu university,costs rupees 10 per head.


Banares hindu university is one of the old university & very famous in asia level.Banares hindu university is too big. , Two temples are there inside banares hindu university.
  1.New Kashi viswanath temple
  2.Birla mandir

New kashi viswanath temple is around 1 to 2 km from Banares hindu university gate.We catched another auto to reach new kashi viswanath temple from Banares hindu university gate. [Actually we have to ask autodrivers to drop nearby new kashi viswanath temple].

 
Afterwards from Banares hindu university gate, we took share auto to ramnagar fort. Ramanagar fort is around 1.9 km from Banares hindu university.We can pay rupees 50 to 60 for autos. But we gone through share autos which will cost rupees 10 per head.

 To reach ramnagar fort, you have to cross the river ganges through bridge. Due to bad road over the bridge, it is difficult for the old persons to reach ramnagar fort by autos. If any old persons/small children are there with you, then prefer boat to cross the river.

   Ramnagar fort is one of the historical monument and taken careof by archaelogical dept of India. But it is maintained very poorly. But Still I enjoyed ramnagar fort visit. There is a museum inside the ramnagar fort.Entry ticket for the museum is around Rupees 20 per head.
Within museum, it is prohibited to take pictures. But somehow I managed to take one or two pictures.

    1.It is having all the cars used by varanasi king. Minerva, Cadilla,Flymouth,Ford are the some of the cars used by the king. It is also having various huat[pallakku] used by king.Varanasi is called as Banares state and administered by the king.
   2.It is having various weapons used in war/first world war. 
   3.Some guns are so longer there is no need to point and shoot. Just by taking a gun, the gun's end will reach the target, gun is that much of length.
   4.I have seen a sword which is also having gun [Flint lock gun sword]    
   5.Some guns are made in Ramnagar too. those guns also placed in museum
   6.One old clock which is constructed in 1872 A.D. It is repaired on 1922. It is still working fine.
     Feature of this clock, it is made in banares, This clock will also shows time,nakshatra/raasi and much more.
   7.One gun & some hole made coins are placed for view. One of the king is very famous for shooting. His capability is that he will throw the coin in air and will shoot it correctly as like rajni kanth.
   8. There are somany photographs of a king/ all the photos of a kings for every state like hyderabadi nizam and so on.

Afterwards we returned to hanuman ghat to take lunch and once taken lunch we walked through all the ghats.
Kedarghat is having tamil sivan temple. Its architecture is tamil temple architecture in idols.
 

    We visited almost all the ghats. There are two cremation ghat is available in varanasi.

   1.harischandra ghat
   2.Manikarnika ghat


Harischandra worked as a man who burns deadbodies in harischandra ghat. This ghat was belonging to harishchandra/ banares king.
But Manikarnika ghat is famous for lord vishnu. Lord siva destroyed all the world. But Lord vishnu did hard tapas/thavam in this place to save varanasi from destruction.

    To see more about Manikarnika ghat, Please visit wikipedia link.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manikarnika_Ghat

If you have a strong heart, Please also visit petermalakaff link.

http://www.petermalakoff.com/ManikarnikaGhat/latest.htm

 

This link is not for the faint hearted people.


Since Manikarnika ghat is famous for lord vishnu, it is more famous than Harischandra ghat for cremation.

Always 4 or 5 bodies cremated in manikarnika ghat. Agoris will come to harischandra/manikarnika ghats on 12'o clock in the night to do
poojas. Some agoris will eat flesh of the dead body. One nature of agoris are they won't curse anyone. But they will bless the people.
In Manikarnika ghat, it is forbidden to take pictures. If you have taken the pictures, you have to pay fine to police.

While I am taking a photo[single photo only], one guy came and threatened me to pay for fine. Then I said to him " I am ready to face whatever happens. You go and look after your work".otherwise he has threatened and forged some money from me.

One major thing is ladies are not allowed in manikarnika ghat as like all indian cremation place. women are not allowed in indian cremation place.


Some Missed out things:

1.Due to time constraint, we have not visited Saranath temple which is 30 kms far from varanasi & Chunar fort which is 45 kms far from varanasi.

2. Allahabad Triveni sangamam which is around 130 kms from Varanasi [it will takes 2 to 2.30 hours travel]
2.I didnt have a blessing to meet with any sadhus/agoris in varanasi


Most people will say that Varanasi is poorly maintained.Varanasi is one of the best place if you are visiting all the places with the good guide.we wont feel the importance of things unless told by others about this place.

Afterwards we reached varanasi railway station to catch the return train to delhi.