Kāśī / Vārāṇasī

City of light · Gaṅgā, Uttar Pradesh

Kāśī, “the luminous”, also called Vārāṇasī and Banāras, lies on a crescent of the Gaṅgā between the Varuṇā and Asi streams. Its ghats stretch for miles along the river. Dying in Kāśī is traditionally held to bring liberation, and the cremation fires of Maṇikarṇikā burn day and night.

Visitors take a dawn boat ride, watch the Gaṅgā Āratī at Daśāśvamedha Ghāṭ and walk the old lanes to Viśvanāth (see the Jyotirliṅga section). Dev Dīpāvalī on Kārtika Pūrṇimā, when the ghats are lined with lamps, is one of the most beautiful sights in India.

The Kāśī Khaṇḍa of the Skanda Purāṇa tells how King Divodāsa once ruled Kāśī so righteously that even the gods were kept out. Śiva longed to return and sent many messengers — yoginīs, Sūrya, Brahmā, and finally Gaṇeśa and Viṣṇu in disguise — and each stayed on, enchanted by the city. At last Divodāsa gladly gave Kāśī back to Śiva.

Uttar Pradesh · Gaṅgā ghats · Dev Dīpāvalī · Kāśī Khaṇḍa

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