Vacation Travel

One of the most amazing places I have travelled is Banaras, also known as Varanasi or Kashi. My nana-nani stay there. My grandparents live in Ramnagar. It is about 14 kms away from the main city. There, I visited Ramnagar Fort, which is on the eastern right bank of the Ganga River.

Varanasi is the city of ghats and temples. These ghats offer a beautiful view of the river Ganga. I visited Shri Kashi Vishwanath temple, a sacred attraction which is situated in the heart of the city. It is dedicated to the Hindu deity, Shiva (the creator). In the evening, one can attend Ganga arti near the temple ghat.

Banaras Hindu University (BHU) is very near to my grandparents’ house. It was established by Shri Madan Mohan Malaviya and is one of Asia’s largest residential universities.

Among city’s numerous temples, I also visited Sankatmochana Temple, dedicated to the monkey god-Hanuman.I loved the ‘Besan’ Laddu ‘prashad’ there.Temples like Tulsi Manas Temple and New Vishwanath Temple (which is located in the campus of BHU.) is a must visit. Tulsi Manas Mandir is dedicated to Lord Ram. The wall of the temple is enscribed with different ‘Chaupayees’ and ‘Dohas’.

‘The Bhole baba ki nagri’ has been blessed with food items that can provide you with ultimate salvation.It is Varanasi that can serve you with the thickest and the creamiest of ‘Lassis’. You can go and have ‘malai markey’ experience. ‘Banaras aake thandai nahi piye, toh kya kiye !’ I grabbed a glass of ‘thandai’ at Godowlia’s Thandai Ghar. A winter speciality of Varanasi is ‘Malaio’ or ‘Makkhan Malai’. It’s a must try recipe.‘Rabri’ and ‘Launglata’ are another famous delicacies of the city. Banaras has its own version of ‘chaat’, which is popularly called ‘Tamatar Chaat’. It is served in a ‘Dona’, which is a bowl made of ‘Palash’ leaves. Your visit to Varanasi will go futile if you fail to have the ‘Banaras ki shaan’ – ‘Banarasi Paan.’

Historically speaking, Varanasi was the capital of the kingdom of Kashi during the time of the Buddha who delivered his first sermon at Sarnath. The city has been a centre of religious, educational, and artistic abode.