Why Is The City of Varanasi, India A Global Attraction?

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Why Is The City of Varanasi, India A Global Attraction?

It feels good to add an extra dimension to any visit embarked on around the world. The Holy City of Varanasi is no exception. This is where ancient sites and beautiful growing cultures continue to pull modern-day visitors. There are several consecrated grounds around the world but Varanasi seems a bit unique. This is a significant pilgrimage center for Hindus. It is very famous for various reasons and has been always been connected with the mighty sacred river, one of the faith's most important symbols of religion. This is where Pilgrims in India walk barefoot through the crowded streets of the sacred river and meet other foreign tourists in the area. Believe it or not, going deep into consecration, the holy city of Varanasi is the most holiest city amongst seven holy cities of India. Must Read: Top 10 Places Around Delhi for Weekend Trip


It is believed that when you perform a ritual ablution, you cleanse yourself from your sins and evil spirits. Expect thousands of people who have infinite faith or believe in the river. Out of the ordinary, Buddhism was instituted at the nearby city, Sarnath around 528 B.C. This was when Buddha orated his first religious discourse. According to the chronicle of Varanasi, there is no reason not to participate in the study of this holy city, because it is the oldest and one of the most densely populated cities in the world. Brief About India There is no doubt that India's tourism industry has been phenomenal in the last decade. Authorities in charge of this sector do not underrate the power of tourism and the revenue derived from it. Therefore, there is a huge focus placed on the sector. So much investment has gone into it. Hence, there is a great instreaming of tourists from across the globe who have been extremely attracted, to the point that they can't help but fall in love with the rich culture, heritage, and incredible natural beauty of India. Besides the above mentioned, India offers beautiful foggy hills, beaches, historic sites, a golden desert, peaceful monuments, numerous chapels and wildlife.


Currency: Indian rupee (Rs.) Population: 1.252 billion Area: 3.287 million km 2 Capital: New Delhi Official Language: Hindi, English

What About Varanasi? You may have read about or watched videos of this city, but until you get here, you'll never experience the emotional arousal that comes with it. Back in 1000 B.C, archaeologists discovered fired ceramic wares and damaged masonry from as late as A.D. 1500. From their calculations, they clearly pointed out that people settled here for 2,500 years.

Varanasi was actually ruled by Muslims for three (300) hundred years which began from 1194. Then came an enthusiastic emperor. He reestablished the long delayed religion to Varanasi which has still remained a hub of activities for Hindus. At present, everything that


was lost at the time which include education, culture, arts and religion and others have evolved and now thriving. It is a city of beautiful temples, with the gold-plated Vishwanath sacred to Shiva being the talk of town. It's simply beautiful!. It is however clear and a convincing evidence that Varanasi is one of the most lively and vigorous places to visit in India. From the men who look smart in their wrappers to the women who are clad in their bright saris, you are assured of an exciting scene. You cannot talk about Varanasi without mentioning the sacred river of India and Bangladesh. It has hundreds of species, as well as 2525 km of rivers flowing through India and Bangladesh.


A large number of people that reside along the river rely on it for everyday use. The river was once the port of animals such as tigers and lions, but as the number of people performing the necessary rituals increased, these animals gradually disappeared into the air in the area. What is interesting about this river is the cremations done on the river bank. Hindus believe that such a service is organised to free from dead from all misdeeds and to guarantee the possibility of reincarnation at the end of each life. You're always forewarned not to take photos of funeral ceremonies at this cremation grounds. It is spiritually wrong to do that as it comes with it's own effects.

The Weather There are regular baths and cultural traditions at performed at dawn. Located in northern India, Varanasi is also known as Benares or Kashi. Undoubtedly, Varanasi is an exciting city. It has more than 100 names because of it's popularity. I can imagine what the rainy landscape will look like when it appears in the midst of ceremonies and pleasures. In general, the weather map will change over time. Sometimes they are not friendly. Therefore, it's always fair to read the time before embarking on the trip. In all these historic scenario, groups of enlightened scholars believe that the story of Varanasi is mysterious. In their opinion, it goes beyond the surface and should be considered by a group of renowned scholars together to go deep into it. Varanasi's Tourism Income The UN World Tourism Organisation statistics has long held that


tourism can be a key agent in the fight against poverty. Across India, tourism accounts for a little over 10 per cent of the Gross Domestic Product ( GDP), and is one of the largest foreign exchange earner. Currently, almost 2.5 million people including tourists around the world visit Varanasi every year. So you can imagine the national income generated by India every year. One benefit of the tourism industry is that it goes a long way to even engage the unskilled in diverse ways. Meanwhile, some experts are more sceptical, arguing that tourism’s value is overstated. And that, it only creates menial and seasonal jobs that mainly benefits the skilled elite. In Varanasi, most people depend on tourism to make a living. The Scholars of Varanasi There may be other ideologies in which spiritual cleansing always plays an important role. But this city has a different story. Never underestimate Varanasi when it comes to how well the people are educated. Surprisedly, Varanasi is a city with lots of scholars and prominent personalities who also visit the river for cleansing. There are a lot of universities located here with brainy and ambitious students. Varanasi is the home base to Asia's largest universities. Great legends and scholars live here! The Big Bath Swimming in the holy river in India is very important not only for Hindus, but also for many other purposes. People call this pair of mountains in the Southern India as the Ghats. I could recall when the Ghat was submerged by flood waters in Varanasi, India, in August, 2016. Large parts of the town of Varanasi were destroyed keep-


ing away thousands of Hindu devotees.

As important as the bath is, the faithful do not play hob with this holy ceremony. Faithfuls take their bath before the main follow-up prayers. Records show that, Varanasi has close to 110 ghats, with the largest being Dasashvamedh and Assi Ghat respectively. Assi rivers is actually deemed the holiest. The mound of earth and stone along the sacred river is the centre of attraction on a daily basis particularly in the evenings. Both localists and the religious travelers perform the all- important ablution ceremony which is very vital in the process. Travelers have the opportunity to move on hired boats to watch priests at Dashashwamedh Ghat perform the Hindu ritual called the aarti. The Aarti ceremony lasts for close to 30 minutes, during which priests perform rituals involving flower petals, bells, incense and smoking pots. They are accompanied by spiritually oblique chanting songs that also praises Mother Ganga.


During the performance, fanatic admirers help put thousandfold of candles or floating lamps on the river in dedication to the mighty Lord Shiva. According to reliable sources, Lord Shiva induced the Ganges from the knot of his hair after he walked here with his wife Parvati at the beginning of time.

Celebrated Festivals & Periods Varanasi: March and October Good over Evil Celebration: September/ October Festival of Lights: October or November Gangs Festival: November

Lets Talk About The Ghats The Ghats are simply the pair of mountain ranges in southern India. And these ghats were built after 1700 AD. The Indian Ghats has a great ally with extraordinary past events and the collection of myths of the people of India. It looks so stunning as you take a comfortable boat ride along the river shore. The scenery is clearly beautiful! Besides this, come let's learn about the famous Shiva temple that


plunged into the water during the construction of the ghat in 1830. Folks!, It's a learning experience. The Ghats come with a special ambiance. During your tour, you are obliged to come in contact with lots of people with different work lists. Some are seen busily trading whilst others are begging for alms for unknown reasons. Pilgrims are moving around and global tourists are also having a field day. Children are not left out in the fun. They jump from one boat to the other selling snacks and other stuff. The streets are always packed with multitudes. People bump into others while in motion. Others push aside the vulnerable just to make their way through. Everything here is virtually put on sale and you may not recognise a known person due to the numbers here. It's all about fun mixed with faith and religion as tradition and celebration of Hinduism meet. The Setback For a recognised global site attraction like the Holy City of Varanasi, one would've thought that everything here is complete. Unfortunately, the story is the reverse. In recent years the river has drawn attention to poor pollution. Investigations reveal that measures are being taken to halt the spate of filth around this holy ground. It is however not surprising to see this social error, considering the large number of people who constantly call on the Holy City on a daily basis. How can you travel to India without a visit to the Holy City of Varanasi. Your trip will be meaningless if you don't head to this exciting but busy city of spiritual purity.

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