Varanasi

Varanasi

Varanasi is a city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh dating to the 11th century B.C. Regarded as the spiritual capital of India, the city draws Hindu pilgrims who bathe in the Ganges River’s sacred waters and perform funeral rites. Along the city's winding streets are some 2,000 temples, including Kashi Vishwanath, the “Golden Temple,” dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva.

Varanasi  city on the banks of the river Ganges in Uttar Pradesh, india320 kilometres (200 mi) south-east of the state capital Lucknow, and 121 kilomtres (75 mi) east of allhabad. A major religious hub in india, it is the holiest of the seven sacred cities (sapta puri) in Hinduism and Jainism, and played an important role in the development of Buddhism and Ravidasi.  Varanas  along national highway and is served by Varanasi junction railway station and Lal Bahadur Shastri international Airport.

The city is known worldwide for its many ghats, embankments made in steps of stone slabs along the river bank where pilgrims perform ritual ablutions. Of particular note are the Dhashmadev Ghat, the Panchganga Ghat, the Manikarnika  the ghat andHarishchandra Ghat, the last two being where Hindus cremate their dead and the Hindu genealogy  register at Varanasare kept here.

Tulsidas wrote his epic poem on lord Ram life called Ram charit manas in Varanasi. Several other major figures of the Bhakti movement were born in Varanasi, including Kabir and Ravidas Guru Nanak visited Varanasi for Maha Shivaratri in 1507, a trip that played a large role in the founding of Sikhism.

In the 16th century, Varanasi experienced a cultural revival under the Mughal emperor Akbar who patronised the city, and built two large temples dedicated to shiv and vishnu though much of modern Varanasi was built during the 18th century, by the Maratha and Brahmin kings. The kingdom of banaras was given official status by the Mughal in 1737, and continued as a dynasty-governed area until Indian independence in 1947. The city is governed by the Varanasi Nagar Nigam (Municipal Corporation) and is represented in the parliament of India by the current Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi, who won the  in Lok sabha elections 2014 by a huge margin. 

Silk weaving, carpets and crafts and tourism employ a significant number of the local population, as do Disel locomotive.

 Silk weaving, carpets and crafts and tourism employ a significant number of the local population, as do the Disel locomotive Works and bharat heavy electricals Varanasi Hospital's foundation stone was laid by the then governor kaninya Lal Maneklal. in 1954 and it was inaugurated by former president S.Radhakrisnan  in 1964.

Jai mahakaal