Varanasi: The City That Cleanses, Transcends and Evolves

Innumerable Ghats. Majestic Temples. Vibrant Festivals and Delicious Cuisine.

The land of Sadhus, Mystics and Music. The Intangible Heritage of Ganga Arati.

Varanasi, is a city and living heritage in itself. With a written history traceable to as far as 2500 years ago, it is one of the few iconic landmarks that has witnessed all three phenomenon of life: generation or development, operation or existence and destruction or fall.

Interestingly, it has embraced all three of these and evolved.  Evolved into a vibrant, cosmopolitan heritage loved by people for its culture, festivals, food, music and even saris.

Varanasi, is a city that is full of heritages, intangible assets and unparalleled majesticity.  Here are some of the fascinating facets of this majestic land, that few know about:

1.  A City that Cleanses and Inspires

Varanasi is the city that cleansed Mahadeva himself. According to a legend, in a fight between Brahma and Shiva, Shiva struck a head of Brahma. As a result, the head got stuck on Mahadeva’s hand. This caused Mahadeva great distress and he went on wandering.

It is believed that it is Varanasi, where the head dropped off and Shiva got emancipated from the sin of Brahmahatya.  So, Varanasi is the city that brought liberation to Mahadeva himself!

Similarly, it is also believed that Pandavas visited Varanasi to get rid from the sins of Brahmahatya and fratricide after the Kurukshettrya war.

It is also believed that the founder of Sikhism Guru Nanak visited the city in 1507, a trip which many consider played a vital role in the founding of Sikhism.

2.   A City of the Past, Present and Future

Varanasi has a rich past that dates back to thousands of years. At present also, it is one of the liveliest cities full of intangible heritages like the Ganga Arati, beautiful Ghats and enchanting culture and cuisine.

Buddhists text state that the city will be vibrant even in the future. According to Buddhist texts, Varanasi will be the fabled kingdom of Ketumati in the time of Maitreya.

Varanasi in a sense is a city that links the past, present and future. There is a rich past, a vibrant present and aspiration of an even beautiful future. Few cities in the world offer all three dimensions of life together.

3.  A City That Evolves  

Varanasi is a city that has evolved and keeps on evolving without losing its spiritual charm and authenticity.

Mahadeva added the sense of holiness and liberation to the city, Guru Nanak the inspiration, Saint Kabir infused it with mysticism, while Ravi Shankar and Bismillah Khan made it famous as the land of “Traditional Music”.

Across different eras and spans of time, Varanasi has evolved to inspire, ignite, and transform. From Music to Mysticism, from Shehanais to Sarees to “Kaike Paan Ra Benares Wala”, Varanasi has inspired, led and enriched South Asian culture and heritage.

4.   A City that Transcends Borders

When Mark Twain visited Varanasi, these were his words: “Benares is older than history, older then tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all them put together.”

Varanasi is the city that is considered to the sister city of Kathmandu, the cultural, economic and political capital of Nepal and Kyoto of Japan.

Similarly, it is the city visited by the celebrated Chinese traveler Xuan Zang.

As the city of Moksha, it holds a special place for Hindus and Buddhists regard it as the fable kingdom of "Ketumati".

One of the few cities in the world that houses temples, gurudwaras, Jain mandirs, churches, mosques and Buddhist Bihars, the is also home to mystic Kabir and legendary musician Bismillah Khan.

It is a city that connects, transcends and evolves.