Varanasi: a walk through the ancient city
Are you thinking about planning a trip to one of the oldest cities in the world? Well then you don’t have to look very far. You have Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, which is the perfect tourist destination for you!
There are plenty of attractive features that make Varanasi one of the most sought-after tourist destinations in the world. People from far and near, visit this city to experience the life and pulse of this place. In fact, Varanasi is one of the oldest living cities in the world. This city has been mentioned time and again in various religious scriptures as well as the two Indian epics, but under different names, mostly as Kashi. This city has had a tradition of welcoming guests for a very long time, since it had been the seat of Hindu learning in the ancient times and hence even today, finding the perfect Varanasi hotel that will be fit for your stay, will not be a problem at all!
Varanasi is a city that is best explored on foot. All you have to do is walk along the ghats (all the ghats are connected) and you can travel to different parts of the city). So, if you are thinking about planning a visit to this city, then here are some of the places that you should explore on foot when in Varanasi:
- The first place that you must visit is the DashashwamedhaGhat. It is one of the most popular ghats in the city and it is here that the famous evening prayers of Varanasi are held. The evening prayers are a sight to watch. Devotees gather and make themselves comfortable on the steps leading up to the ghat by 6 and Brahmin priests offer evening prayers to the river. This is a very ancient practise which has continued till date. In fact this evening prayer, also knonw as the sandhyaarti is held at the ghat adjacent to the DashashwamedhaGhat as well.
- Another place to visit in Varanasi is the famous ManikarnikaGhat. It is believed that a piece of Sati’s body, her earrings, had fallen on this holy place. There is even a temple to commemorate the spot and people believe that one becomes clean of one’s sins if they take a dip in the river and pray here.
- From any one of the hotels at Varanasi head out to visit the JantarMantar which is actually an observatory that had been built by Sawai Raja Jai Singh of Rajasthan. Though most of the instruments have become faulty with time, it is a great place to check out.
- Next on your walking list ought to be the various food stalls that line the city. Do try out the ones near Godulia Chowk which are known for their kachoris, jalebis and more importantly rabri and malai. Try out the dairy products of the city, for which Varanasi is famous.
- And last but not the least you can visit the TulsiGhat as well which is believed to be the place where Tulsidas had composed the Ramcaritmanas, a derivation of the Ramayana.
So, these are some of the places of the many that you ought to check out when talking a walk through this ancient city.
