In Mark Twain’s words "Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together". Get immersed in the oldest Hindu tradition in Banaras or Kashi or Varanasi. This quaint city is wrapped in spiritualism, mysticism, Sanskrit and yoga. The city thrives on music and dance and has given birth to many maestros such as Ravi Shankar, Ustad Bismillah Khan.
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In Mark Twain’s words "Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together". Get immersed in the oldest Hindu tradition in Banaras or Kashi or Varanasi. This quaint city is wrapped in spiritualism, mysticism, Sanskrit and yoga. The city thrives on music and dance and has given birth to many maestros such as Ravi Shankar, Ustad Bismillah Khan. Varanasi is home to the shrine of Lord Kashi Vishwanath and is also one of the 12 Jyotirlingas of Lord Shiva which attracts huge number of pilgrims from all across the world. When visiting the city, don’t forget to chew the famous ‘Banarasi Pan’, known for its special flavour.
History
According to legend, the city was founded by the Hindu god Lord Shiva, around 5,000 years ago and is one of the seven sacred cities of Hindus. Many Hindu scriptures, including the Rigveda, Skanda Purana, Ramayana, and the Mahabharata, mention the city.
Varanasi is generally believed to be about 3,000 years old. Varanasi was a commercial and industrial centre famous for its muslin and silk fabrics, perfumes, ivory works, and sculpture. During the time of Gautama Buddha (born 567 BCE), Varanasi was the capital of the kingdom of Kashi. The celebrated Chinese traveler, Xuanzang, attested that the city was a center of religious, educational, and artistic activities, and that it extended for about 5 km along the western bank of the Ganges.
Mahmud of Ghazni in 1033 CE followed by Mohammed Ghori in 1193 CE, raided Varanasi and pillaged several Hindu temples. At the be beginning of the 17th century, Mughal Emperor Akbar brought some relief in the destruction of Hindu temples, but towards the end of that century, Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb led a massive temple destruction and renamed the city to Mohammadâbâd. Due to the massacre during the years of Mughal rule, learned scholars of Varanasi fled to other parts of India until Marathas came to the rescue of the city. The Marathas restored the peace, sanity and pride of the city under their patronage.
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