The cultural gem of Uttar Pradesh- Varanasi is a city of many names, many people and a spiritual hamlet. Banaras, Kashi, whatever you call it- The city that holds on beside the holy river of Ganges is a place of holy worship , spirituality and probably the closest observations to human belief of supernatural and spiritual entities and also a colourful city with a rustic charm. While this city paints an image of just a boat and a river beside it, it’s surely more than that for the offbeat traveller and here’s what the city is all about.
- Buddhism
While the city of Varanasi hails for Hinduism, some of the most important chapters of the Buddha calmly reside in the teeny tiny village of Sarnath that is blessed with the aesthetic Buddhist sanctums and constructions. Be it the Sivali Vietnamese Buddha Temple or the famously called Pink Temple, being the place that in 5th or 6th century BC (almost 2500 years ago) that Buddha gave his first sermon.
- Tomb of Lal Khan
What makes the tomb special is the place and the history with it. Dating back to as old as the year 1773, this piece of art was chiselled up to commemorate the memory of Lal Khan – A Mughal Noble and thus emblazoned with the ever beautiful and charming Mughal Architecture with a sparkling view of the Ganges and the Ghats are worth the visit
- The Ghats
While there are a gazillion ghats in the holy city, the Nandeshwar Ghat is the most famous and probably the most photogenic of them. With banyan trees that perch overlooking the small temples below them and the cleanest ghats that allow you to walk in peace and the place that’s been the choice for some of the most iconic shots for the movies like Ranjhanna , Masaan this surely is going to ring a bell.
- Lolark Kund
While you might not be a firm believer in the lores of the ancient, this place known since the olden times as the Lolark Kund is a place of some of the strangest beliefs. The lore goes that people bathe in the holy Kund and pray to the Lord Sun for quenching their desire of birthing a child and this lore has travelled from as old as the18th century wherein the King of Cooch Bihar State was healed of the skin disease after taking a dip in this holy kund and ever since then there is a conventional belief that the worshiper may get rid of any kinds of skin diseases here.
- Leaning temple of Varanasi
While everyones out there admiring the leaning tower of Pisa, we do have that covered here at the Ratneshwar Mahadev temple that is way stranger and actually more appealing than the leaning tower. This temple leans at an angle of 9 degrees whereas the tower of Pisa is hyped just at 4 degrees and this temple thereby surely is going to surprise you. Built in the 19th century, the temple holds the mystery of who built it so close to the river Ganges or why the temple has a lean till date.
- Cremation Ghats
While this place doesn’t sound much of a cheerful sway, the city of Varanasi is a blend of the spirituality between life and death that is treated as equally important. This probably makes for one of the dark and macabre types of sites that holds an equally important belief among hindus.Every day at Manikarnika Ghat, the largest and most auspicious cremation ghat, around 100 bodies are cremated on wooden pyres along the river’s edge.It is said that cremation here is a chance at attaining eternal salvation. Watching the sunset on a boat with the pyres burning in the foreground pushes you to have a different perspective of the life and death cycle.
- Ancient Astronomy
Almost all of us get excited about how days and time were measured in the olden days without clocks and calendars. That brings us to the invention of the Sun dial- A perfect invention of Science and Astronomy- Jantar Mantar is an observatory that was established in the gold and olden times of 1737 and the branches of these are scattered in the one thats famous in Delhi and Jaipur, Ujjain and Mathura which are built by the same royal King – Maharaja Jai Singh II of Jaipur and makes for one of the most underrated offbeat spot in the city.
- Sunrise from the waters
While there are places you get to trek to watch the sun rise, or some places where you get to watch it from the comfort of your offbeat abode, Varanasi chimes of a beyond picture-perfect and a soothing view of the sunrise. Hop on to a boat down the holy river of Ganges in the early time of the dawn and slowly row in the calm waters while the rays of sun paint the sky into a plethora of orange-ish red and make for one of the best sunrises you will ever get to witness.
- Foodie retreat
While there are loads of places in the country that serve chat, the Banarasi one is something you would not want to miss for the sake of your taste buds at least. gol gappe, tamatar chaat, palak chaat, kachori, papdi chaat..the list of street food and drinks goes on and on. Consider the lassis of the streets to washdown and smoothen your tummy for a refreshing end of a meal.
