Kashi, the oldest city of India, was destroyed by several muslim rulers, but in the era of 17th & 18th century, the redevelopment of temples was at its peak. Queen Ahilyabai Holker was renowned for her work, and she redeveloped Kashi. In Santan Dharma, it is said that Kashi is the home of Lord Shiva, and you feel the presence of Lord Shiva in every bit of Kashi.
I celebrated my birthday at Kashi with my beloved family and we enjoyed the silence of ghats at night, the birds chirping in the morning, coldness of devi ganga, peace at Kashi Vishwanath Temple, and seeking blessings of some famous temples. The best part was “Kashi ki Galiyan”, I almost lost myself in those “galiyan”.
Let’s begin the journey………… The places I will be mentioning in this blog were covered in 3 days, so 3 days to Kashi is enough to capture the major places.
Kashi Vishwanath Temple
Kashi Vishwanath (Baba Vishwanath) is one of the twelve Jyotirlinga of Lord Shiva, situated at holy ganga river. Everyday thousands and thousands of devotees visit to seek blessings of Lord Shiva, so the queue is too long. Now the temple is constructed in a splendid way which depicts our architecture, and the services and security of the temple is amazing.
Image Credit: Google (Mobile was not allowed for photography)
To avoid long queues, we woke up at 3:00 am and took an e-rikshaw to reach the temple. In the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, you are not allowed to carry mobile phones, cameras, any kind of electronic device and cosmetics. The local “Prashad Stalls” has a locker, you can keep your bag and shoes over there, it’s totally safe. You can also keep your devices and bags at the temple locker also, whichever is feasible. To be honest, the queue was still there but we sought lord shiva’s darshan in around 40 minutes. There are many other small temples there, where you can seek blessings.
If you want to touch Lord Shiva’s Idol, then there are two timings, morning 4 to 5 and afternoon 3 to 4. To avoid long queues, you can book “Sugam Darshan” tickets through both online and ofline mode. For online booking either for “Sugam Darshan”, “Aarti”, “Mahadev Pooja” or “Rudrabhishek” you can click https://shrikashivishwanath.org/frontend/home/poojaList
Annapurna Devi Temple
We took entry from Gate No. 1 and during our entry to the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, the Temple of Devi Annapurna is situated. I was standing in a queue with my parents, and we decided to take darshan one after another, so that we couldn’t break the queue also. It took around 5 minutes, and we had a good darshan of devi Annapurna. The Prashad we got was very different from other temples, we got raw rice in Prashad from a priest. It is believed that if we keep this prashad in our kitchen, there will not be a shortage of food.
Kaal Bhairav Temple
After the beautiful darshan of Baba Vishwanath/ Kashi Vishwanath Temple, we took a sip of Tea – “Kulhad wali chai”. Then moved towards Kaal Bhairav Temple which is only 4kms away from Kashi Vishwanath Temple. The queue in morning was less, so it took around 30 minutes, and we had a good darshan.
You can’t miss darshan of Kaal Bhairav, otherwise your Kashi Vishwanath Darshan will not be fulfilled. It is said that Kaal Bhairav is Guard of Kashi and without his permission no one can enter or leave Kashi.
Kaal Bhairav accepts a very different kind of leave, and the smell of this leave is amazingly attractive. The pouch of oil is in very small quantity, so before giving this to lord bhairav, carry the oil pouch in your right hand and rotate 7 times clockwise. It is believed that while doing so, Kaal Bhairav takes all your worries. One last thing is a black thread, I took the bracelet like thread which you can wear in your hand after pooja.
Sankat Mochan Hanuman Mandir
The temple is situated in a huge area and mobile phones, or any electronic devices are not allowed in the temple. The lockers are placed to keep stuff which is free of cost. You will be amazed to hear that in this temple, sweets served to Lord Hanuman and Coconut are banned, because of the blast that happened earlier.
We were reached when aarti was performed and the spiritual aura took me into the world of spirituality. The idol of Lord Hanuman is facing towards Lord Ram which represents the devotion of Lord Hanuman.
Tulsi Manas Temple
The temple is situated in a huge area, and it’s completely made of white marble with gardens at both sides of the temple. The two-storey temple depicts the life of Tulsidas ji and the walls of the temple “Ramcharitmanas” are embroiled.
At the 1st floor of the temple, “Jhanki” was showcased at the charge of Rs. 10/- per person. The Jhanki represents the life of Shri Krishna, Birth of Lord Ram, Tulsidas Ji’s life and various other incidents related to Lord Ram and Lord Krishna’s Life.
Durga Mandir
The ancient Durga Mandir is a walkable distance from Durga Mandir. We went during the time of Navratri and the temple was filled with devotees. Inside the temple, there were some shops which sell items related to Pooja in different metals.
Sarnath
Sarnath is approx. 10 kms from Banaras and the temperature was too hot in April. The Monastery and the Deer Park are beside each other. In the Monastery you can click photographs of beautiful nature. There is a museum also, which is a must visit in Sarnath.
Cruise Ride
On our first day, we took an evening tour of 84 ghats in “Bhagirathi Cruise” which was an amazing experience. We had booked tickets in advance which cost Rs. 900/- per person which covers the tour, tea/coffee, cookies and a water bottle. At the end of the tour the cruise reached Dashshvemedh Ghat where we experienced “Evening Ganga Aarti”. The online ticket booking link is https://alaknandacruise.com/Home/Bhagirathi
On the last day of the trip, my sister reached Kashi and we decided to take morning tour as we had trains to catch. This time we booked “Alkhananda Cruise” which cost Rs. 1000/- per person which has the same facilities. I feel the upper deck of Bhagirithi Cruise has more space in comparison to Alkhananda. The experience of different timings was amazing, and the best part was introduction of Kashi when we reached at cruise. The online booking link is https://alaknandacruise.com/Home/Alaknandafleet
For any cruise experience the boarding point is Ravidas Ghat where you have to reach atleast 15 minutes early because the ship starts on time. We found our way before and decided to explore Ravidas Park which was a good decision.
Ghats of Kashi
In the evening, we reached Dashahwamedh Ghat and from there we took a walk beside Ganga Ji. The stalls were there which served good food, and lemon tea. We walked ahead and reached Manikarnika Ghat, I can say it’s a reality of life, ‘Death’. While on our way, I met a guy who left his multinational company and spent a saintly life in Kashi.
We got an opportunity to see Mahadev at tilted Kashi Temple, and Vishnu kund. When we were coming back from there we got lost in “Kashi ki Galiyan” and faced the truth of life.
Ganga Aarti
In the blog I had told you that we take a view of Dashashwamedh Ghat from the Bhagirathi Cruise. When my sister reached, we decided to experience the ganga aarti from the ghat itself. Thus, we reached Assi Ghat, half an hour before the Ganga Aarti, and luckily, we got the front seat. I can’t explain to you how beautiful it was, the best ganga aarti of India. To experience this, you need to plan a trip to Kashi.
Food at Kashi/ Banaras
Banaras is famous for the yummy food which we can’t get in other cities and during my trip I tried everything, I guess so. Here I am sharing the cuisine you should try on your trip.
- Malayiyo: I heard this for the first time, so did you. You won’t believe this; the taste was yummy, and I feel like trying it again, which I did. The Malayiyo Stalls near Kashi Vishwanath Temple serves tasty food. If you have any other best location, please ping me.
- Pahalwan ki Lassi: I think Uttar Pradesh is famous for Lassi, because I taste the best lassi’s in UP. If you are in Kashi, then try Pahalwan ki Lassi, it’s yummy.
- Kashi Chat Bhandar: This place has so many things to explore, we tried Tamatar ki Chat which was served in Kulhad and tasted good. But there is a huge rush, and the service is not so good.
- Laxmi Tea Stall: The tea of this tea stall was tasted by our Prime Minister Narendra Modi. So, you can understand how famous it is, so the taste was.
- UP 65 Restaurant: The ambience of this restaurant was so beautiful, though the food was. The service was also good, and the budget friendly restaurant has all in together.
How to reach Banaras/Varanasi
- Nearest Airport: Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport (VNS) and taxi/auto are available easily from the airport.
- Nearest Railway Station: Varanasi Junction/Banaras Railway Station. Both are connected to the cities and autos are available. If you are plying from Delhi, then Shiv Ganga Express is the best train which drops at Banaras.
- By Bus: Buses are well connected to Varanasi and highways are well maintained.
Final Thought
In the beginning of the blog, I had mentioned that a three-day itinerary is enough to explore Kashi. But do you know; a whole life is not enough to explore Kashi. I feel like my mind is lost in Ganga Aarti, Ghats, and the essence of spirituality. To feel the beauty of Kashi, to understand the home of Mahadev, plan a trip to Kashi/Banaras.
Pack your bag and explore the unexplored places with Hema…
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