Best Travel Highlights from Varanasi

by Ravi K. Content Writer

Throwing a trip to Varanasi is a must for anyone interested in visiting India’s most well known religious destinations. Also known as Benaras and Kachi, it is amongst the seven most important sacred cities for Hindus. Varanasi is believed to have been established around 5000 years ago by Lord Shiva himself. Whatever be the truth, the fact is that Varanasi also remains one of the oldest cities across the world to have remained inhabited continuously. Besides, it has found mention in old scriptures such as Skanda Purana, Ramayana, Mahabharata and Rigveda. For an understanding of the destination’s top attractions and for a quick insight into the nearby places of Allahabad and Vindhyachal, take a look at this short Varanasi travel guide.

Visit to Kashi Vishwanath Temple

The top highlight of a Varanasi tour for most travellers is to offer prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath temple. Kashi Vishwanath is a manifestation of Shiva and Varanasi’s chief deity. The temple is the site of Vishwanath Jyotirlinga, which is amongst India’s twelve highly revered Jyotirlingas. Built by Indore’s Rani Ahilyabai in the 18th century, the temple overlooks the entire city from the banks of the Ganges. Belief goes that a darshan of the Vishwanath Jyotirlinga makes for the most sacred moment in the person’s life. Undoubtedly, the Kashi Vishwanath temple plays a major role in the burgeoning Varanasi tourism.

Varanasi Ghat Tour

Whenever you travel to Varanasi, make sure that you check out the different holy ghats the city is so well known for. There are around 100 ghats at Varanasi with some of the oldest and holiest ones being Dashashwamegha Ghat, the Manikarnika Ghat and the Harishchandra Ghat. Some of the ghats were built by celebrated Hindu kings such as Jaipur’s Jai Singh, Amber’s Man Singh, Gwalior’s Peshwas and Malwa region’s Ahilya Bai Holkar. Quite a few of the ghats have interesting legends and mythological anecdotes connected with them. For instance, it is said that the Tulsi ghat was the spot where poet Tulsidas composed Ramcharitramanas, Lord Rama’s poetic story. Visiting these ghats will definitely make your Varanasi travel planner itinerary worthwhile.

Sightseeing Tour of Ramnagar Fort

Your Varanasi travel need not just be restricted to visiting temples and religious sightseeing. The city also has a fine medley of interesting historical sites and one of the most popular of such places is the Ramnagar Fort. The fort was built in the 17th century by Maharaja Balwant Singh on the banks of the holy Ganges. Originally, it served as the royal palace of Maharaja of Kashi, alternately known as Raja of Benares. Even today, the fort is home to members of the royal family. This marvellous structure is an astounding example of fusion Indian and Islamic styles of architecture. Brilliantly shining marble and precious stones have been lavishly used in its construction. The top attraction here is the Durbar Hall or the hall of public audience. In short, if you want to add a dash of historic sightseeing to your Varanasi trip, go ahead and plan a trip to the fort.

Tourist Places near Varanasi

A couple of interesting tourist places near Varanasi are Allahabad and Vindhyachal. Here is how you can go about framing a travel planner to these destinations from Varanasi.

Trip to Allahabad

The Varanasi to Allahabad distance is approximately 120 km and some of the most popular attractions at the destination are Prayaga or the confluence of the Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati rivers, Khusro Bagh and Allahabad Fort. Fares for Varanasi to Allahabad trains start at about Rs 130 and it takes about 2 hours 30 minutes to complete the journey. If you take a Varanasi to Allahabad bus, it will take about 3 hours.

Trip to Vindhyachal

The trip from Varanasi to Vindhyachal is a short one as the distance is hardly 60 km. A couple of popular sightseeing attractions at Vindhyachal are Sitakund and Ashtabhuja Temple. This journey can be completed by train as well as by utilising the Varanasi to Vindhyachal bus services. By road, it will take you about an hour’s time for the journey. Train fares start at about Rs 130. You can easily go from Varanasi to Vindhyachal by car. For a detailed Varanasi to Vindhyachal road map, click on the following link and scroll down when it opens.