Kashi Beckons

Soak into the Infinity as dawn nears and rays of the rising Sun paints the sky with heavenly hues,
Set your soul free amidst the Vedic chants, sung by little girls in an unfailing rhythm,
Join your hands in gratitude and worship Ma Gange as the morning Aarti begins at Assi Ghat.
This is Subah e Banares and how every morning begins at Kashi.

Morning Aarti of Maa Gange

Kashi, Banares or Varanasi as the city is called is one of the oldest, inhabited cities of the world.
Situated in the State of Uttar Pradesh in Northern India, the city traces back its history to that of the first Aryan settlement.

Kashi is the abode of The Divine, Baba Vishwanath, Lord Shiva. With His Blessings today, I am sharing some of the soulful moments spent in Kashi, the most visited and talked about city in the world.

My narrative here is not just about a trip to Kashi. These are my experiences in Kashi, around many seasons last year.
A city like no other has called me back so many times to discover something new.

This is the first segment of my travelogue, this is where I always begin my journey in Kashi.

Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple : The Beginning

Shikhar of Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple

It is believed that the first Jyotirlinga was manifested by Lord Shiva in Kashi. Through a trail of fire which emerged from earth’s crust and lit up the heaven, Lord Shiva announced His Supremacy over all Gods.
Hence, Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple also bears the name Shri Vishweshwar Temple.

As you walk inside the temple complex, you will hear stories of how Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple was destroyed and rebuilt several times. During the Mughal invasion, King Aurangzeb built a mosque in its place. When Aurangzeb decided to destroy the temple, the priests hid the Shiva Lingam in Gyana Vapi (Wisdom Well) to protect it from getting destroyed.

It is believed that Lord Shiva appeared in the dream of Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar and she restored the Shiva Lingam and built this temple in 1780 that exists today.

Gyana Vapi (Wisdom Well) at Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple

Even today, Gyana Vapi and the statue of giant Nandi stands in between the temple and the mosque, living the tale. There are priests who will willingly offer you the sacred water from Gyana Vapi Tirth as you quietly pray for an unfulfilled wish to come true.

Aarti and other rituals at Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple :

I feel so blessed to have attended many Aarti (religious ritual of worship) that take place at the Temple in praise and devotion of Baba Vishwanath.
As you sit at the doorstep of Baba and immerse yourself in the ritual performed by the priests, the power and energy in the air is bound to touch your soul.

The ones that I have always tried to attend is the Mangla Aarti which is the first Aarti that takes place from 3am to 4am every morning, an auspicious time to begin the day, an awakening of a different kind, hearing and chanting the name of Lord Shiva.
I have always spent some more time after Mangla Aarti in the Temple courtyard, to see the golden rays of the rising Sun blend with the golden Shikhar (Spire) of the Temple, a special moment to close your eyes and pray to Lord Shiva.

Mangla Aarti at Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple

Another Aarti which I rarely miss is Shringaar Bhog Aarti which is held every evening between 9 pm to 10.15 pm. This is the fourth Aarti of the day after Sapt Rishi Aarti.
As the rituals begin, I have seen how the priests thoughtfully arrange the ornamentation of flowers for Baba and the adornment is so magnificent.
Shringaar Bhog Aarti is also about the offering of evening Bhog (food) to Lord Shiva.

Shringaar Bhog Aarti at Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple

If you stay a little longer after this Aarti, you will see a stream of people gathering at the same place for Shayan Aarti. These are the local inhabitants who come from all across Kashi as they adorably sing the last prayer of the evening alongwith the priests in praise of Baba Vishwanath.

You can also offer your prayers and seek blessings through the Rudrabhishek ritual performed from 4 am to 6 pm at the Temple.
Rudra is another name of Lord Shiva. The essence of this ritual is the holy chant of Shri Rudram and giving a holy bath to the Shiva Lingam. This is one of the most powerful forms of worships in Hinduism and leaves behind a sense of fulfilment and peace.

You can your pre book any of the rituals online at Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple website (www.shrikashivishwanath.org)

Rudrabhishek ritual at Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple

Another chapter in the history of Kashi is in the making :

For the first time, in nearly 200 years, a huge transformation is underway, a few steps away from the Temple complex.

This is The Kashi Vishwanath Heritage zone which was inaugurated by Honourable Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi in March, 2018.
The project outlines a 20-metre-wide pathway that will be constructed, which will cover about 320-metre distance from the river to the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

The current plan is to develop a pilgrim centre, public utilities, library, museum etc. and most importantly, the pathway which will make access easier for pilgrims from the river bank to the Temple.
For all who have visited this place prior to 2018, you will remember the congestion, the dense buildings and the narrow lanes with barely space for 2 people to walk side by side through these lanes.

It was a daunting task for Shri Vishal Singh, CEO, Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust and Secretary, Varanasi Development Authority to get this project moving especially when the pathway had close to 300 buildings.
I consider myself fortunate to have walked the pathway with Vishal Sir right upto Manikarnika Ghat and have seen his tremendous determination to fight all odds and pace ahead.

Amidst the mountain of rubble, Vishal Sir showed us the most fascinating side of this project – Restoration of many ancient temples with spectacular carvings and structures which were hidden inside buildings for over hundreds of years, unknown to the world.
Unearthed now, every effort is being taken to ensure minimal damage to the age old architecture and craftsmanship which is also being supervised round the clock.

DID YOU KNOW?

67 Ancient temples have been restored in The Kashi Vishwanath Heritage zone.

Restored Temples at The Kashi Vishwanath Heritage zone

In the next few visits to Kashi, I did see an intense scale of work happening at the site and progress was astounding. It is definitely not surprising when you see people like Vishal Sir and his dedicated team working relentlessly with devotion, a positive difference is bound to be visible.

“To become great, one must be humble”, said Bhagavan Shri Ramakrishna.
And after meeting Vishal Sir, I have always left his office, believing much more in this core essence of life.

Experience Timelessness
84 Ghats and each has a story to tell
As Kashi Beckons
Capture every moment
And Discover the colours of Life
At The Enthralling Ghats of Kashi

Kashi Beckons : The Enthralling Ghats