My First Trip to Varanasi

by Ravi Chak (India)

Making a local connection India

Kashi the old name of the City of Varanasi, is derived from the name of a cotton robe that is traditionally worn by ascetics and sages of India. The cotton cloth known as Kasahay was manufactured in Kashi. The new name Banaras is a derivation of the later Sanskrit name Varanasi. They say that this city on the banks of pious river Ganga has 80 ghats. The figure 80 is pronounced as Assi in Hindi this perhaps becomes the reason for the new nomenclature of the city often known as Kashi, Varanasi and Banaras simultaneously. I took a UP roadways Bus from Raebareli to Allahabad. It was a hot summer day of May 2019. The temperature of day time was somewhere around 40 to 41 degrees Celsius. The air which was coming from the window of non Ac bus was dry and hot. It was a long haul of being driven for a good 5 to 6hours. As soon as I reached Allahabad bus station I was lucky to find another non AC bus ready to move towards Varanasi. I jumped aboard and talked to my family members who were reaching there by train. Thankfully I had packed a few extra bottles of water and some extra food in my backpack. So I relaxed and started eating some homemade food. After a couple of hours while it was 5 o clock in the evening but there was still Day like light in the sky. I reached Varanasi and took an auto riksha for the hotel which was already booked online through a popular website. All the family members also reached there and we checked in to well furnished rooms. We all thanked lord Shiva that he allowed us to come this far to his own City. Shiva and his trident have an important part in the story of this city. City of Kashi is situated on the Trident of Shiva. Therefore in Kashi aka Varanasi you get salvation from the cycles of rebirth again and again, life after life. The next day we went for prayers in Bhairav Mandir and then to Shiva Temple of Kashi Vishwanath. Later we went for boating in Ganga River. And the day after that we went to the Hanumaan Temple of SankatMochan. It was during my visit to the great temple of Sankat Mochan that I felt immense peace and gratitude for everything that the Lord Shiva has bestowed upon me. In a consecrated place all your worries and tensions just fall off and you become cleaner and calmer version of your own self. If you talk about temples then the limit of 700 words will probably be too limiting as the city has a great number of temples. Food is an important aspect of Varanasi. Of course the main branches of the cuisine are vegetarian and non vegetarian. I think that I found very delicious Lassi in Pahalwan ki lassi shop which is very close to SankatMochan temple. I took vegetarian dishes in both lunchtime and dinner and was very happy with the food quality in vegetarian restaurants. As my entire family is vegetarian so for trying some local meat dishes I had to move alone. This led me to a few popular food joints which were close to the Railway station. I found out that the religious city's people are very lucky because Mutton Preparations were particularly very good in the two restaurants that I tried in. People are friendly and soft spoken. I found that many people are bilingual and they speak English and Hindi both. Lastly I would recommend that if you happen to be there in Kashi, don't miss the Ganga Arti by any chance. And if you have heard about cremation grounds and rituals that accept death as a part of the cycle then you have more of a reason to go there. The city has antiquity and novelty in its vicinity. You get good hotel rooms within your budget. And Weather you are a fun loving or peace seeking person you can find both in Varanasi. Best time to visit is from January to April. Good walking shoes and three four shorts are a must to pack. Parking space is scarce so I would suggest that hire a cab with a driver.