It was by sheer chance that I was able to tick off a few travel destinations from my bucket list this year. Kashi was certainly top of the list. The visit was an incredible experience. While of course the newly minted Vishwanath corridor and the amazing Ganga Aarthi catches attention, there is so much more that this city has to offer. 

For those interested in the Hindu scriptures and history, Kashi shines as one of the most important shining lights. From time immemorial so many great spiritual minds have visited this city and in fact so many great scriptures have been composed here. The ever popular “Hanuman Chalisa” which continues to be chanted by millions was composed on the banks of the river at the Tulsi Ghat.  It was impressive to see how the post-Mughal pre-British period rulers, particularly Ahalya Bhai Holkar had helped revive the Vishwanath temple. 

We had secured a hotel on the ghats itself. However we did not realize that to get to the ghats, the only way is to walk the last kilometer, that too through narrow winding gullies. We landed at night and it was a little intimidating to be told by the cab driver - “ now you need to walk to the hotel”. However with the help of google we were able to make it. After a couple of days in Kashi though, one feels completely comfortable. The people are really nice and friendly and the city grows on you. The gullies and the ghats start to become familiar. 

Early in the morning we took the “Sparsh Darshan” where you can “touch” the Shiva Linga in the temple. It requires you to be at the temple at 4:00 am. I was impressed to see how well organized everything was and was non-intimidating for an outsider. I had heard about the clean ghats and the beautiful Vishwanath corridor put in place in 2019. Considering the extraordinary number of people coming to the temple, I wondered how they could actually construct the corridor. ‘Covid helped ‘ came the response. When all was closed they worked aggressively to build the corridor. 

What is so special about Kashi is that it attracts a very diverse set of people - from all ages and from all over India. At the food court, I sat next to a young woman who was staring at the Dosa that Anil had ordered with such curiosity. She said she comes from a little village in Rajasthan and has never seen a Dosa in her life.  The food in Kashi lived up to its hype. The chat was amazing of course as were all the deserts. Interestingly the migratory birds were given “bhujia” and they seem to enjoy it very much . 

The Ganga Arathi is attended by over 70-80000 people. It was a site to see so many people singing the bhajans together. Once the Arathi was over, the cleaning crew was out and the ghats were spick and span. Despite the number of attendees the river still looked quite calm and serene. A morning boat ride on the Ganga was very therapeutic. 

Temples abound everywhere in Kashi. The Sankat Mochan Hanuman temple , Kalbhairav Temple, Annapoorni Temple and the Vishalakshi temples were a few of the famous ones. Coming from the south, I was surprised to see how small these temples actually were.The unusual Tulsi Manas Mandir with the entire Tulsi Ramayan on the walls and the unique Bharat Mata Mandir with the entire topographic map of pre-partitioned India was a special treat. Yet another special trip was to see the weavers that make the famous Benarasi Sarees. They are all Muslim and work in small homes. Watching the process of making the sarees was wonderful. They said that in the past few years, they have received much help from the government and their work is getting more visible. 

There is an important and special site watching the Pyres lit in the Manikarnika Ghat. On that  Ghat , almost every minute you can hear “Ram Nam Sach Hai” and the bodies being continuously brought. The Ghat surely makes you lose the fear of death and makes you realize the concept of “Maya”, where no matter who you were during your life the end is the same. 

How people live in the gullies and how Kashi actually works is hard to imagine. But the magic is that it works ! There must be something truly special about the place that so many enlightened souls from time immemorial came here and shared their message!