Banaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together. The city illuminates truth and reveals reality. It does not bring new wonders into the scope of vision but enables one to see what is already there. Where this eternal light intersects the earth, it is known as Kashi.
Many people think they cannot have knowledge or understanding of God without reading books. But hearing is better than hearing, and seeing is better than hearing. Hearing about Banaras is different from reading about it, but seeing Benares is different from either hearing or reading.
Here religious feeling reigns supreme, and no sensual thought ever seems to assail these beauteous mingled forms. They come into unconscious contact with each other but only heed the river, the sun, and the splendor of the morning in a dream of ecstasy.
Enlightenment and the death which comes before it is the primary business of Varanasi Life is everywhere in the cremation grounds of Varanasi.
Banaras is famous for an array of things — from being the museum of temples to its elegant saris to its culinary delights. But the one thing that particularly stands out about this city is its ghats, especially Manikarnika Ghat. Here’s what makes this destination stand out.
Like any other component present in the city of light, the ghats are very religious and considered a platform for liberation and the end of human misery. There are around 84 ghats. If the blessings of life start at Dashashwamedh Ghat, then it ends at Manikarnika Ghat; a unique combination of life and death in the desire of salvation attracts the pilgrims. Paradoxically, it is the only city on earth that is famous for death and redemption.
“Even after a thousand cycles of life and death, one is not sure if he gets salvation or not.” It is attainable in a single birth in Kashi (Banaras). This is an excellent saying for Kashi.
It is believed that if the dead body is cremated here, then the deceased human’s soul finds salvation/Moksha. So, it is actually a place where the elderly across the world visit and spend their last days enjoying the ghat’s charisma. It is believed that death is even painless at this ghat.
It is said that in Manikarnika ghat, Lord Shiva himself directs the soul of the dead to crossover the world towards the path of salvation by speaking the ‘Taraka Mantra’ in the ears of the dead. This belief is the lifeline of the ghat, which makes it a special place for cremation.
While in India, the cremation ground is generally on the periphery or outside the area of human settlement, in Kashi, it is at the very hub. Just as India is said to be the navel of the world and Kashi is India’s navel, so Manikarnika is the navel of Kashi.
Many have called Varanasi home for years — it’s one of the oldest continually inhabited cities globally — but many more come here just to die.
In the end, I would say It is a strange city where you can feel like a dweller and an alien at the same time. It is ancient, modern progressive, and sometimes regressive, all at once.
