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?Varanasi Uttar Pradesh • India
Varanasi
Coordinates: 25°19′60″N 83°00′00″E / 25.3333, 83
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
Area • Elevation	1,550 km² (598 sq mi) • 80.71 m (265 ft)
District(s)	Varanasi
Population • Density	3,147,927[1] (2001) • 1,995/km² (5,167/sq mi)[2]
Mayor	kaushalendra singh
Codes • Pincode • Telephone • Vehicle	• 221 001 • +0542 • UP-65

Coordinates: 25°19′60″N 83°00′00″E / 25.3333, 83 Varanasi (Sanskrit: वाराणसी Vārāṇasī, pronounced [ʋaːɾaːɳəsiː] (help·info)), also known as Benares (Hindi: बनारस Banāras, Urdu: بنارس, pronounced[bənɑːɾəs] (info)), or Kashi (Hindi: काशी (info) Kāśī), is a city considered holy by Hindus, Buddhists & Jains, situated on the banks of the river Ganges (Ganga) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, dating back thousands of years and contemporaneous with the Sumer civilisation.^[3] The city is called Kashi, "the luminous" in the Rigveda.^[4] It is often also referred to as "city of temples and learning."^[5]

The culture of Varanasi is deeply associated with the river Ganges and the river's religious importance. The city has been a cultural and religious center in northern India for thousands of years. Varanasi has its own style of classical Hindustani music, and has produced prominent philosophers, poets, writers and musicians in Indian history, including Kabir, Ravi Das, Munshi Premchand, Jaishankar Prasad, Acharya Ram Chandra Shukla, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Hariprasad Chaurasia and Ustad Bismillah Khan. Varanasi is the home of Banaras Hindu University. Tulsidas wrote his Ramcharitmanas here, and Gautam Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath near Kashi. The language spoken in Varanasi is Kashika Bhojpuri which is closely related to Hindi.

Contents 1 Geography 1.1 Climate 2 People and culture 2.1 Holy city 2.2 Temples 2.3 Art 3 Economy 4 Demographics 5 Transport 6 Civic administration and utility services 7 Education 7.1 University education 7.2 Basic and special education 8 Tourism 9 Varanasi in popular culture 10 See also 11 Notes 12 References 13 External links

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. The "Varanasi Urban Agglomeration" — an agglomeration of seven urban sub-units — covers an area of 112.26 km² (approximately 43 mi²).^[6] The urban agglomeration is stretched between 82° 56’E - 83° 03’E and 25° 14’N - 25° 23.5’N.^[6] Being located in the Gangetic plains of North India, the land is very productive for agriculture for low level floods in the Ganges continually replenish the soil.

On a local level though, Varanasi is located on a higher ground between rivers Ganga and Varuna, the mean elevation being 80.71 m.^[7] The main land is relatively stony, which with the absence of small distributaries and canals, provides a continuous and relatively dry land, which must have been perfect for forming settlements in ancient times.

It is often difficult to ascertain the original geography of Varanasi, due to conflicts between descriptions provided in old texts and the city's current location. It is often said that Varanasi is the land between two confluences: one of Ganga and Varuna and other of Ganga and river Assi. The statement gets its weight from the fact that the distance between these two confluences is around 2.5 miles, and a round trip to between these two places is considered holy by Hindus, and is called the Pancha-kroshi Yatra (the five mile journey). At the end of this journey, Sakshi Vinayak Temple is located where devotees go on to complete the circle.

But while Varuna and Ganga do exist as rivers, Assi exists only in the form of a nullah. Also, there is no evidence that Assi ever was a very large river.

Varanasi has a humid subtropical climate with large variations between summer and winter temperatures. Summers are long-stretching from early April to October-with the monsoon season in between. Cold waves from the Himalayan region cause temperatures to dip across the city in the winter from December to February. The average temperature is 32°C–46 °C (90°F–115 °F) in the summers and 5 °C–15 °C (41 °F–59 °F) in the winters.^[7] The average annual rainfall is 1110 mm (44 in).^[8]. Fog is common in winter while hot dry winds, called loo, blow in the summers. The city is relatively free from air pollution.^{[citation needed]}. Recently, due to water pollution, upstream dams, and increase in the local temperature, the water level of the Ganges has gone down significantly and small islands can be seen in the middle of the river.

Regions near the banks of the Ganges are extremely crowded and house several Hindu temples, narrow winding lanes and road-side shops. The main residential areas of Varanasi (especially for the middle and upper classes) are situated in regions far from the ghats; they are more spacious and less polluted. Varanasi has nearly 100 ghats, most of which are bathing ghats, while some others are for cremation. According to Hindu belief, dying at Kasi ensures release from the eternal cycle of birth and rebirth. Many of these ghats were built when the Marathas controlled the city and the Scindias, the Peshwas, Holkars and Bhonsles stand out as patrons of present day Varanasi. Even today many of the ghats are privately owned. Shivala or Kali ghat is still owned by the former Maharaja of Kashi.

Various legends are associated with the ghats and it is believed that Dasaswamedh Ghat is where Lord Brahma sacrificed 10 horses in a yajna. Manikarnika Ghat is the place where Lord Vishnu dug a pit with his Chakra and, while performing various penances, filled it with his perspiration. While Lord Shiva was watching him, his earring (Manik) fell into the pit, and hence the name. According to another legend, in order to keep Lord Shiva from moving around with his devotees, Goddess Parvati hid her earrings and asked him to find them, saying they had been lost on the banks of the Ganges, so as to make Lord Shiva stay at the place and search forever. It is said that whenever a body gets cremated at the Mani Karnika Ghat, Lord Shiva asks the soul whether they have seen the earring (Mani Karnika). Other interesting ghats are Man Mandir Ghat built in 1770 CE by Maharaja Jai Singh of Jaipur, the intrepid astronomer who built his observatories here, Mansarover Ghat built by Man Singh of Amber. Bachraj is frequented by Jain devotees for it has three Jain temples near the banks of the river. Tulsi Ghat is where Tulsidas wrote Ramcharitmanas. Lalita Ghat was built by the late King of Nepal. Darbhanga Ghat was built by Maharaja of Darbhanga.

Varanasi is a holy city in Hinduism, one of the most sacred pilgrimage places for Hindus of all denomination. The Hindu God Shiva supposedly once lived there making many Hindus want to go there on a pilgrimage. More than 1,000,000 pilgrims visit the city each year. Here is the holy shrine of Lord Kashi Vishwanath, (an aspect of Lord Shiva) and one of the twelve revered Jyotirlingas of the Lord Shiva. Hindus believe that bathing in the river Ganga will remit sins and that dying in the holy city of Kashi (Varanasi) circumvents rebirth. This holy city is worshipped as one of the Shakti Peethas where Divine Mother Sati's earring fell and so devotees believe that on that spot stands the present Vishalakshi Temple.^[9]and Hindus of the shakti sect come to the city because the river itself is said to be shakti (goddess) itself. It is here that Adi Shankara wrote his commentaries on Hinduism, leading to the great Hindu revival.

Varanasi is also considered one of the holiest places in Buddhism, one of the four pilgrimage sites said to have been designated by Gautama Buddha himself (the others being Kushinagar, Bodh Gaya, and Lumbini). In the residential neighbourhood of the city lies Sarnath, the site of the deer park where Gautama Buddha is said to have given his first sermon about the basic principles of Buddhism. The Dhamek Stupa is one of the few pre-Ashokan stupas remaining, although only the foundations remain. Also remaining is the Chaukhandi Stupa commemorating the spot where the Buddha met his first deciples, dating back to the fifth century or earlier and later enhanced by the addition of an octagonal tower.

Varanasi is also a pilgrimage place for Jains. It is believed to be the birthplace of Parshvanatha, the twenty-third Tirthankar. Vaishnavism and Shaivism have co-existed in Varanasi harmoniously.

The city has also been influenced by Islamic culture. There has been some degree of continuous tension between different religious communities in the city, which despite its centrality to multiple religions contains relatively few ancient sites.

Varanasi is a city of temples. Almost every road crossing has a nearby temple. Such small temples form the basis of daily local prayers and other rituals. But there are many large temples too, erected at different times through out the history of Varanasi.

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. It is said that a single view of Vishwanatha Jyotirlinga is considered to merit more than that of other jyotirlingas. A Naubatkhana was built up in front of the Temple by the collector Mohammed Ibrahim Khan at the instance of Governor General Warren Hastings in 1785. In 1839, Punjab Kesari, the Sikh Maharaja Ranjit Singh, the ruler of Punjab donated gold to cover the two domes of the temple. On January 28, 1983 the Temple was taken over by the government of Uttar Pradesh and its management was transferred to a trust with Late Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh, then Kashi Naresh, as president and an executive committee with Divisional Commissioner as chairman.^[10]. The official website of the Shri Kashi Vishwanath templeKashi Vishwanath was launched on 23rd Jul 2007 and gives details about temple activities as well as facilities for online booking of various sevas and pujas.

The temple was once destroyed by the Muslim Emperor Aurangzeb who built a mosque over it. It was later resurrected at a location near the mosque, and is many times a cause of local strain among Hindus and Muslims.^[11]

Durga Temple, also nicknamed "Monkey temple," was built at some point of time in 18th century by a Bengali Queen. 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. Non-Hindus can enter the courtyard of the Durga temple but not the inner sanctum.

The architecture is of Nagara Style, which is typical of North India. The temple is accompanied by a rectangular tank of water called Durga Kund. ("Kund" meaning a pond or pool.) The temple has multi-tiered spires and is stained red with ochre, signifying the red colour of Durga. The Kund was earlier connected to the river itself thus refreshing the water. This channel was later closed, leading to locked water which is replenished only by rain or drainage from the Temple. Every year on the occasion of Nag panchami, the act of depicting Lord Vishnu reclining on the coiled-up mystical snake or "Shesha" is repeated in the Kund.

Sankat Mochan Temple is dedicated to Lord Hanuman and is very popular with the local citizens. It is a place for many yearly religious as well as cultural festivals. On March 7, 2006, one of the three explosions carried out by Islamic militants hit the temple, while the aarti, in which numerous worshippers and wedding attendees participated, was in progress.

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.^[12] Planned by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya, the temple is part of the Banaras Hindu University, and stands for national revival. The temple is open to people of all castes and religions.

A holy city, Varanasi does not take a backseat when it comes to fine arts and literature. Great Indian writers have lived in this city from Kabir, Ravi Das, and Tulsidas to Bharatendu Harishchandra, Jayshankar Prasad, Acharya Ram Chandra Shukla, Munshi Premchand, Jagannath Prasad Ratnakar, Devaki Nandan Khatri, Hazari Prasad Dwivedi, Tegh Ali, Kshetresa Chandra Chattopadhyaya, Vagish Shastri, Baldev Upadhyaya, Vidya Niwas Mishra, Kashi Nath Singh, Namvar Singh, Rudra Kashikeya, Nirgun among many other notables.

Art lovers and historians like Rai Krishnadas, his son Prof. Anand Krishna, musicians like Pt. Omkarnath Thakur,P t. Ravi Shankar, Ustad Bismillah Khan, Girija Devi, Siddheshwari Devi, Dr. Lalmani Misra and his son Dr. Gopal Shankar Misra, Dr. N. Rajam, Dr.Rajbhan Singh, Pt. Anokhelal, Pt. Samta Prasad, Kanthe Maharaj, Pt. M. V. Kalvint, Sitara Devi, Gopi Krishna, Pt. Kishan Maharaj, Rajan and Sajan, Mahadev Mishra, Girija Devi and numerous others have kept the city alive to the spiritual aspect of fine arts apart from their ability to entertain. Numerous festivals are celebrated that preserve traditional styles of classical and folk culture. All night, open music concerts like ones organised at Sankat Mochan Temple, Hori, Kajri and Chaiti Mela, Budwa Mangal, are annual features that draw connoisseurs from all over.

Varanasi has several small cottage industries, including Silk sari making, the production of textiles such as hand-woven carpets, and handicrafts. The Banarasi Pan (betel leaves) and Banarasi Khoa (a milk product, somewhat similar to cheese) are popular, and the related small-scale industries employ many people. Indian Railways runs a major diesel locomotive factory in Varanasi, Diesel Locomotive Works (DLW). According to Macaulay, Varanasi was the "city which, in wealth, population, dignity and sanctity was among the foremost in Asia". He described the commercial importance saying "from the looms of Benaras went forth the most delicate silks that adorned the halls of St. James and of Versailles."^[9][13]

The population of Varanasi urban agglomeration in 2001 was 1,371,749; the sex ratio was 879 females every 1000 males.^[14] However, the area under Varanasi Municipal Corporation has a population of 1,100,748^[15] with the sex ratio being 883 females for every 1000 males.^[15] The literacy rate in the urban agglomeration is 61.5% while that in the municipal corporation area is 61%.^[15] Approximately 138,000 people in the municipal area live in slums.^[16] 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.^[17]

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.

Varanasi is well connected by air, rail and buses with all the main Indian cities. Its distance from Delhi is 776 km. The Babatpur airport is about 25 km from the city center (about 45 minutes by taxi) and it is well connected to Delhi, Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata, and Nepal. All the major domestic Indian carriers, including Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines, Indian, Spicejet, and Alliance Air operate from here.

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. Dating to ancient times, the city was connected to cities like Taxila, Gazipur, Pataliputra, Vaishali, Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, Agra etc.

The city was connected by a single road from Taxila going through Pataliputra during the Mauryan 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. (source needed)

The traffic is slow inside the city.

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^[18] of sewer and 425 tonnes per day of solid waste.^[19] The solid wastes are disposed in one landfill site.^[20] 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.^[21] The city constitutes one parliamentary constituency. Indian National Congress won the constituency in Indian general election, 2004.

Varanasi was one the five cities where Ganga Action Plan was launched.

Main article: Education in India

Varanasi is the site of three public universities. Banaras Hindu University, which includes Institute of Technology and Institute of Medical Sciences, is among the top 3 largest residential universities in the world having more than 128 independent teaching departments.^[22] Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth University and Sampurnanand Sanskrit University are the other two universities.

Banaras Hindu University (1916) was founded by Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya with the cooperation of Dr Annie Besant. Its 1350 acre (5.5 km²) campus was built on land donated by the then Maharaja of Kashi.

Governor General Lord Cornwallis establish 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 Dr. J.R. Ballentien, RTH Griffith, Dr. G. Thevo, Dr. Aurthor Venice, Dr. Ganganath Jha, and Gopinath Kaviraj among others. After independence this college turned to in Sampurnanand Sanskrit University.^[23]

The Central Institute for Higher Tibetan Studies at Sarnath is a deemed university with a preference for the traditional Tibetan method of teaching within a framework of modern universities.^[24] Uday Pratap College, another rdeemed university, is the center of sports and science study for the suburban students of modern Benares. Varanasi is also noted for many private and public institutes that provide Hindu religious teaching. Since ancient times people have been coming to Varanasi to learn philosophy, Sanskrit, astrology, social science and religious teachings. In Indian tradition, Varanasi is often called "Sarva Vidya Ki Rajdhani" (capital of knowledge).^[25] The city also has the Jamiah Salafiah, a Salafi Islamic institution.^[26]

The schools are affiliated with the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), the Central Board for Secondary Education (CBSE), or the U.P. Board of High School & Intermediate Education. Under the 10+2+3 plan, after completing their secondary education, students typically enroll in a 2 year junior college (also known as a pre-university) or in schools with a higher secondary facility. Students usually choose from one of three streams — liberal arts, commerce, or science, though vocational streams are also available. Upon completing the required coursework, students may enroll in general or professional degree programs.

Probably 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 are present in the city. All sort of cuisines are available mostly as street food due to rich and hospitable culture of Varanasi.

Varanasi is a noted centre for 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. ^[9]

• The film Banaras - A Mystic Love Story (2006), is based on Varanasi's history, and it's role in Indian tradition.
• In Kurt Weill's "Benares Song" from the opera Rise and Fall of the City of Mahagonny.
• Bibhutibhushan Bandopadhyay's seminal Bengali novel Aparajito was partly set in Benaras. It was further immortalized by Satyajit Ray in his Apu Trilogy. A part of the film was shot in Varanasi.
• In Dan Simmons' Hyperion Cantos the barge, transporting the pilgrims to the Sea of Grass, was called Benares.
• Ian McDonald's novel River of Gods is partly set in Varanasi.
• In a song by Krishna Das entitled "Kashi Vishwanath Gange" on the CD Breath of the heart.^[27]
• In a song by Waterjuice entitled "Varanasi Space Station" on the CD World Fusion.
• Many Hindu's believe that Varanasi is the 'Center of Universe', and it is called Universal Capital Banaras.

• Varanasi District
• Most Holy Place
• Vishnu Sarma, the author of Panchatantra
• Ganges River
• Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple
• Kashi Mutt
• Dhamek Stupa at Sarnath
• Chaukhandi Stupa at Sarnath
• Central Hindu School

• Singh, Rana P.B. Varanasi as Heritage City (India) on the scale the UNESCO World Heritage List: From Contestation to Conservation. Swedish South Asian Studies Network.

• District Varanasi Official Website - Official website of Varanasi District and City
• Varanasi at the Open Directory Project
• Varanasi travel guide from Wikitravel
• WanderingScapes: A traveler's blog entry on Varanasi with comprehensive city information

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