Indian culture is deeply rooted in spirituality, folklore and myth, details of which are narrated in the two great epic poems of Indian literature, The Ramayana and The Mahabharata, believed to have been written in Varanasi.
Varanasi, Benares or Kashi – all names of the the world’s longest continuously inhabited city -- is situated along the banks of the Ganges, a river believed to be the eternal abode of Lord Shiva, one of the most important deities in the Hindu pantheon of gods and goddesses. Hindus on pilgrimage travel here from all over India to do "puja" in the hundreds of temples spread throughout the ancient "old city" and to cleanse themselves of impurities by bathing in the waters of mother Ganga. The river banks are the site of "burning ghats" where bodies of the deceased are placed upon funeral pyres of wooden logs, then set ablaze for cremation. The ashes are placed in the river as it is believed that this allows Lord Shiva to hastily carry the soul to the next life.
The nearby city of Sarnath is important to the world's Buddhist as the site where the Buddha is known to have given his first teaching on the existence of suffering, offering a practical way out of suffering which is described as The Eightfold Path. Many Buddhist traditions have located temples and monasteries in Sarnath.
Varanasi embodies all the mysticism and beauty of incredible India and has become one of my favorite places to visit.
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