Varanasi : The spiritual City of India,
Old City : The ancient city of Varanasi
The old City is a maze of countless winding alleys. Most of them are so narrow that there is just enough space to walk. There is no way for a rickshaw to get through here, and it is not uncommon to have to squeeze past a sacred cow with its back to the wall of the house. At every corner you will find a temple or Shiva lingam, small window niches turn out to be stuffed souvenir stores and the Vishvanath temple, located in the middle of the old town, is considered the holiest temple of the city. It is also called the Golden Temple because of its bell-shaped tower and dome, which are covered with richly decorated gold plates. Entering the temple is forbidden to non-Hindus, but it is worthwhile to walk around here among the small stores selling offerings and observe the hustle and bustle.
Since the city has been conquered and razed to the ground several times, almost all of Varanasi’s important buildings date only from the 18th or 19th century. The Gyanvapi Mosque in the old city was built by the Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who previously destroyed the Vishvanath Temple of Raja Man Singh, originally built there. The stones of the Hindu temple were used for the walls of the new grand mosque.
The Bharat Mata temple, on the other hand, presents a very unusual picture: inaugurated by Mahatma Gandhi, the temple was dedicated to “Mother India” and instead of figures of gods, the simple building contains a huge marble relief embedded in the floor, representing the Indian subcontinent.
Sarnath : The Place Where the Buddha Delivered His First Sermon
Sarnath is one of the four most important pilgrimage destinations for Buddhists. Monasteries of various Buddhist countries have settled here and a huge stupa was erected at the site of the first sermon. If you have enough time you should also visit Sarnath, about 10km north of Varanasi. In the deer garden there, Buddha is said to have given his first sermon in 560 BC after his enlightenment.