Varanasi : My home from my eye

I am from Varanasi, which is one of the oldest cities on earth. People came to live here in 1200 BC. The city gets its name from two rivers, Varuna and Asi, which pass through the city and meet the Ganga. People know my city with several names - Kashi, Benares or Banaras - depending on where they come from.

The name Varanasi has its origin possibly from the names of the two rivers Varuna and Assi, for the old city lies in the north shores of the Ganga bounded by its two tributaries, the Varuna and the Asi, with the Ganges being to its south. Another speculation about the origin of the name is that the river Varuna itself was called Varanasi in olden times, from which the city got its name. This is generally disregarded by historians, though there may be some earlier texts suggesting it to be so.

Through the ages, Varanasi was variously known as Avimuktaka, Anandakanana, Mahasmasana, Surandhana, Brahma Vardha, Sudarsana, Ramya, and Kasi.

In the Rigveda, the city was referred to as Kasi or Kashi, "the luminous one" as an allusion to the city's historical status as a centre of learning, literature, and culture.Kasikhanda described the glory of the city in 15, 000 verses in the Skanda Purana. In one verse, God Shiva says,

The three worlds form one city of mine, and Kasi is my royal palace therein.

Some call it City of Temples has nearly 100 ghat, for we have thousands of them, and some the City of Learning, as Varanasi apparently has great place to study. I simply call Varanasi my Home.

According to legend, the city was founded by the Hindu deity Lord Shiva, several thousand years ago,thus making it one of the most important pilgrimage destinations in the country. It is also a general belief that it stands on the weapon "The Trishool" of Lord Shiva. It is one of the seven sacred cities of the Hindus. Many Hindu scriptures, including the Rigveda, Skanda Purana, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata, mention the city.

There is an area in Varanasi named Gadholia, a place so noisy, you need to put cotton balls in your ears while roaming there, but with all so crowded a 'Banarasi' will get place to park his vehicle or move comfortably in the area. Gadholia , a place where numbers of ox in road will always challenge the number of pedestrians roaming. This Place is heart of Varanasi Shopping, well situated near to Banks of river Ganga. So if the crowds of Gadholia becomes too much to take, you can run to the ghats and sit by Ganga and watch the temples, boats and holy river, it will give you a lot of energy to get back to that place and find a move for you.

Varanasi's "Old City, " the quarter near the banks of the Ganges, has crowded narrow winding lanes that are flanked by road-side shops and scores of Hindu temples. As atmospheric as it is confusing, Varanasi's labyrinthine Old City is rich with culture, and a deservedly popular destination for travelers and tourists. 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 is full of opportunities for every age groups. Better schooling for children, IT( to be IIT), IMS (BHU ) (are one of best institutes in India for engineering and medical respectively) for young students, lots of rotary and cultural group for art loving group, more than thousands of temples for devotees and old age and fortunately or unfortunately famous for after death also, which is Manikarnika Ghat ,it is one of the oldest and most sacred Ghats in Benaras. According to the Hindu mythology, being burned here provides an instant gateway to liberation from the cycle of births and rebirths. Lying at the center of the five tirthas, Manikarnika Ghat symbolizes both creation and destruction. At Manikarnika Ghat, the mortal remains are consigned to flames with the prayers that the souls rest in eternal peace. There is a sacred well at the Manikarnika Ghat, called the Manikarnika Kund. Manikarnika Kund is said to be dug by Lord Vishnu at the time of creation while the hot ashes of the burnt bodies makes one remember the inevitable destruction of everything in the world. So as a summary there is a lot for a human being from birth to death in Varanasi.

From a long time Varanasi is well known for its spiritual highs, but the younger generation coming out of shell are making good impact on every sectors like as engineering, medicals , cultural, spirituality etc, making this heritage city to add more gem in its name.

Some call my city beautiful, holy and spiritual- especially when we have to introduce it to foreign tourist. Also many call it filthy and a dump,but i don't think my city is dirty, It is the people who make it dirty.

Geographically my home is placed between DLW (Diesel Locomotive Works , a place well known for its locomotive engineering work, is a well organized and clean ,totally opposite to outside campus ) and BHU ( Banaras Hindu University, a place which is knowledge hub of Varanasi with its elegant and brilliant architecture, and one and only peaceful area in Varanasi ). So in total it is well suited for peaceful life.

The city has been a cultural and religious centre in North India for several thousand years. The Benares Gharana form of the Indian classical music developed in Varanasi, and many prominent Indian philosophers, poets, writers, and musicians resided or reside in Varanasi. Gautama Buddha gave his first sermon at Sarnath located near Varanasi (Kashi). Apart from cultural heritage Varanasi is home to four universities: Banaras Hindu University, Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth, Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies and Sampurnanand Sanskrit University.

Varanasi is one of the holiest cities and targets of pilgrimage for Hindus. As the place where Siddhārtha Gautama gave his first sermon to his disciples, Varanasi is the city where Buddhism was founded. It is the birthplace of Suparshvanath, Shreyansanath, and Parshva, who are respectively the seventh, eleventh, and twenty-third Jain Tirthankars and as such Varanasi is a holy city for Jains. Guru Nanak Dev visited Varanasi for Shivratri in 1507 and had an encounter which with other events forms the basis for the story of the founding of Sikhism. The city has a sizeable native Muslim population, it hosts the Roman Catholic Diocese of Varanasi, and has a significant Jewish expatriate community. Varanasi is home to numerous tribal faiths which are not easily classified and many denominations of the religions which are present.

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