Kashi Day 3 Evening

 

5 April 2026

*Day 3* Evening Floating on the Ganga.

हर हर गंगे 🙏🏽🌼🌸

We reached the Ghats of Varanasi by 4 pm excitement building up and looking forward to do the many things planned for the evening. 

Our first experience of the Ghat was enough to convince us that of the 88 ghats of which 84 are named could be explored best by floating on the Ganga past them. See how most seniors in our group descended the ghat. I came down the steep steps using the sideways stance to descend. 

We were put on to a 50 seater launch. The upper deck was perfectly set with plastic chairs. Every one obeyed instructions and stayed in their seats so the boat was balanced. 

Viewing the Ghats of Banaras at dusk is the most popular and touristy thing to do but what an experience! We move on the Ganga at slow speed as the sun goes down as we go from the last Ghat from where we boarded the Namo Ghat. It gets its name from the many Namaste 🙏🏽 art installations on it. But my guess is as good as yours it is actually an acronym for Narendra Modi. This is his constituency and he has done quite good work to modernise this ghat whose old name was Khidkiya ghat. Floating right across Dashashwamedh, Manikarnika, Assi etc. The scenes at Manikarnika are not for the weak hearted. We could watch the funeral pyres burning 🔥 I would have never been able to go from land-side to see it ever ! 

The scenes of Varanasi the oldest living city that we have seen in so many movies came alive in front of us the tilted mandir, the many gopurs rising above other buildings that give the city its character. The steep steps of the ghats. I wondered aloud how people would be managing daily lives going up and down those steps. 

On the return journey the lights had lit the silhouette of the city. The night still not dark enough. Varanasi looked luminous. The historic buildings telling stories of virtuosity, faith and bloodshed too. Our Local tour guide pointed out to a mosque on the top of one ghat and said इसको गिराना है ! 

We returned in time for the Ganga Aarti at Namo ghat. The archaks were dressed for the performance and looked the part. The Aarti gaan was calming and definitely created a pious ambiance. Even if this is a recent culture it is worth the experience to sit at the ghat and attend the Aarti. Namo ghat being one of the last ghats in Banaras it was less crowded and we enjoyed the experience. 

After the Aarti many people floated Diyas and flowers in the Ganga ji. In my opinion as a qualified Environmental Technologist this is a very irresponsible act. I tried telling some people not to do it but I could not stop a crowd 😢

A very memorable evening in Banaras memories of which will linger long. 

Kashi Day 2 Evening

4 April 2026

*Day 2 * Kashi Evening A fun adventure 😃

On this day as per itinerary there was a lecture scheduled but I didn’t want to waste my time holed up in an auditorium. I stepped out of the hotel and took an auto instead. 

I requested the auto driver to take me around Varanasi. 

First to the Tulsi Manas mandir. It was the whole reason I had come to Varanasi. After my Baba’s passing away my mentor had guided me to start reading RamCharitManas. I have been doing parayan for last 4 years. It had created a longing in me to visit the birthplace of RamCharitManas. 

It is in this mandir that the original manuscript of Tulsi RamCharitManas is preserved. Tulsidas the saint from 1500s wrote it in this very place. In his honor this mandir is built. It’s a huge marble building inaugurated in 1964. On the ground floor resides Shree Ram Laxman Sita in the center. On the left is Devi Annapoorna and on the right SatyaNarayan.

On the first floor is a statue of Goswami Tulsidas in the central location. There is a gallery of various print copies of RamCharitManas. On this floor along the walls is a museum with animated dioramas showing scenes from the Ramayan. It is delightful to watch these. Some are moving puppets. Zoom on the pictures to enjoy the scenes. 

I enjoyed visiting this Manas mandir for its cleanliness. The lovely puppetry and its importance as the place of creation of RamCharitManas!

Next on my wish list was the Darshan of my favourite Maruti Rai ❣️ at Sankatmochan Hanuman mandir which is on the same road but just a little ahead. 

It was a Saturday evening and as expected there was a huge crowd for Darshan of the abolisher of problems. I saw some mithai shops along the way. However in crowded mandirs carrying offerings puts you off-guard. So I decided I will buy Prasad after Darshan which I did.

 I asked the seller what is Sankatmochan’s favourite mithai? He said the Besan laddoo are the most favourite चढ़ावा ! So that is what I chose.

After this Darshan I told the autowalla to take me to a good Chaat shop. There are many famous ones but he said  Gopi chaat is convenient as the taste is decent and mainly it isn’t overcrowded. Also the best part is they have seating available. 

I asked the Owner cum server to recommend what is his best? Ofcourse it matched with Tamatar chaat on my wishlist of things to do and try in Banaras. If you want a review of it I may post it on my food blog AnnaParabrahma. Good idea ?

My second choice and on his recommendation was Dahi ke golgappe or what we call Dahi puri in Mumbai. These were way better! 

He obliged by being my photographer too. yay 🙌🏽 

That’s the whole proof of my adventures in Banaras ! 

Hummm it did not end there. I came back to the Hotel rested then went down for dinner.

There was Batti chokha, Dal khichadi with papad and moong dal ka halwa. I will not critique it because on getting bored with Punjabi dishes for 3 meals I had requested the restaurant manager बनारस का खाना खिला दो ! 

Tadah !

Kashi Day 2 Morning

 

4 April 2026 

* Day 2 * हर हर महादेव 🔱 🙏🏽 🌼

Kashi Vishweshwar or Kashi Vishwanath is where Shiva the lord of the Universe resides in Varanasi and grants Moksha. This mandir is the epicentre of Sanatan Dharma! 

As much as it is important it has a deeply painful history of destruction and rebuilding many times over. First time is was destroyed by Qutub ud din Aibak  in 1194 CE then rebuilt by Raja Todar Mal, Akbar’s finance minister in 1585 after 391 years. 

The Current Mandir was rebuilt by Virtuoso Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar in 1780 after the last destruction by the psychopath Aurangzeb in 1669. She restored it to its glory after 111 yrs with a gold plated Gopur ! 

Later Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab added the gilded dome. He donated 1 tonne of gold for creating the dome and maintaining the gopur too. 

I was so angry to see the Gyanvapi Masjid which Aurangzeb built over the temple of Vishwanath. Could this have been the original Kashi Vishwanath temple? Pooja is performed in the cellar and I saw a Nandi there. One cannot be blind to the pillars of the mandir and the cellars Sanatani structures and symbols in the masjid even today. The masjid tells a story of fanatical destruction. Currently it is separated from Kashi Vishweshwar mandir by a security grid. Here is a picture from the internet.

This sthan is so powerful inspite of this brutal history it still draws people of faith. The city of Varanasi continues to thrive since eternity! 

That is our Bharat group resting after Darshan. Our day began at 3.30 am. We reached the Mandir corridor and lined up for 1 hr 30 mins. *Shabdmrut had in total 200 persons. That is a huge number. They should reduce the group size to improve management. It creates a flood of people at the mandirs adding to the maddening crowd of other pilgrims.*

I had a blessed Darshan of the Shivlinga and since it is in a corner I could see it clearly. Some people were complaining that they did not see it clearly due to the crowd. We are not allowed to stay there for long so it’s only a glimpse that one gets as Darshan. I was satisfied with the Darshan factoring the crowd effect. 

Then took Darshan of the Annapoorna Devi. She has been brought back and reinstated in the Gold Annapoorna Devi mandir. 

“The Annapoorna Devi statue, an 18th-century idol stolen from Varanasi over 100 years ago, was repatriated to India from Canada in November 2021. While the return was a diplomatic effort involving the Government of India, the role of Divya Mehra was central to its recovery.” 

The Gold Annapoorna Devi is revealed only during Annakut parva. The Bronze idol is worshipped in daily Pooja. Built in 1729 by Peshwa Baji Rao. She is the Goddess that sustains the world. Read the story of how Parvati became Annapoorna Devi here. 

Post breakfast we went to see few different temples in Varanasi. The first was in the Banaras Hindu University built by the legendary Madan Mohan Malviya. 

As per the itinerary Shabdamrut had listed RamCharitManas mandir but they dropped it and instead took us to this stunning 11 mukhi Hanuman mandir in Varanasi Cantonment near the Devi mandir. 

This post is getting long so will make a separate post on the Day 2 evening which was an independent adventure that I decided to go on… are you excited to read ? 

Kashi Day 1

 

3 April 2026

*Day 1* जय काल भैरव बाबा!

I flew 🛫 from Mumbai to Varanasi. Landed at 12pm. We were received at the airport by the tour leads of Shabdmrut Paryatan शब्दामृत पर्यटन with a welcome drink. A ride to the hotel, a Punjabi lunch and a nap later we were ferried to the venue for an orientation to the Yatra. 

Pictures of my room with a lovely view of a neem tree swaying in the cool wet breeze from a drizzle. 

A talk by the firebrand speaker and actor @sharadponkshe 🧨 He mostly talked about How to bring Prabhu Shree Ram in our life and motivated to be a proud Sanatani in all spheres of our life. Never forgetting the teaching of our ancestors and sacrifices of our leaders like Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Veer Savarkar etc. 

Post the lecture and a Punjabi dinner. We were herded for Darshan to Kaal Bhairav mandir. Kaal Bhairav is considered the Kotwal of Varanasi. He is worshipped first and then Kashi Vishweshwar. 

Lining up in the serpentine lanes of Varanasi. We started around 9 pm and got Darshan at 12am just before the mandir closed down. It was a good 3hrs negotiating our way through filth in those claustrophobic lanes. Fraction of a second for a Darshan and you get pushed away. To say the least it was a traumatic experience 😰

 

Relieved to be back in an open space and breathing normally. We returned to the hotel for a short sleep as the next day was going to be an early start. I was doubtful if this is what I wanted to experience in this Yatra ? I had come with an open mind. Not really seeking spiritual peace knowing the history of Kashi. Not just me all other people were disgusted with the environment and there wasn’t even a trace of holiness. 🫤 Govt. needs to make drastic changes to this area so pilgrims don’t suffer. Come back to read what followed. Thankfully for the better !