Varanasi (also called Benares or Banaras), in India, is the holy
city of the Hindus, who believe that their souls will be saved if their bodies are burned beside the nearby Ganges
River.
Varanasi stands on the high outer
bank of a long curve of the Ganges. The bank is steep and terrace upon terrace of temples and palaces rise from the water’s edge. Along the water-front, which is walled with stone, are quays of carved masonry. The landing places and flights of steps up the terraced river-bank are known as
ghats. On some of the ghats funeral pyres are built, like bonfires. Every year hundreds of thousands of Hindu pilgrims come to Varanasi to wash away their sins in the
sacred river.
The streets that lead upward from the ghats into the city are so narrow that a cart cannot pass through them. The houses are often painted deep red and covered with designs of gods, men, and beasts. They are taller than the little Hindu temples, of which there are about 1,500 in Varanasi, some of them housing the sacred monkeys. It is one of the oldest cities in the world, dating from before 2,000 BC. The largest building in the city is the Muslim mosque of Aurangzeb (who was one of the Mogul emperors). Varanasi is a city of learning and has a Sanskrit
University and also the
chief university of India, the Banaras Hindu University, which has a women’s college.
The city’s brasswork is still famous, but the chief industries are those producing silk brocade, gold and silver thread, and lacquered toys. Varanasi has a population of about 1,000,000.
More summaries about the Varanasi