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GHATS
The most distinguished ghat of Banaras is the Dashash-Wamedh Ghat.
This is
one of the five holy bathing ghats and was constructed by Peshwa Balaji Baji Rao.
It is believed that in the second century A.D after the defeat of the Kushans,
the Bhavashiva kings made a sacrifice of ten (dash) horses (ashwas) which gives
the ghat its name. At the southern end is the Assi Ghat which leads to a series
of ghats, ending in the Adikeshva ghat in the north. It is said that after
striking down demon Shumbha and nishumbha, Durga's sword fell and created a
curved ditch, which later became the Assi Channel. Nearby is the Tulsi Ghat,
where Goswami Tulsidas lived till his death in 1623A.D. Adjacent to the Dashash
Wamedh ghat is the Man Mandir ghat built by Sawai Raja
Jai Singh of Jaipur in 1637A.D. To the north is the Jalasayi ghat which is the
main cremation ghat of Banaras. The other important cremation ghat is the
Hirishchandra ghat, named after the king Harishchandra who worked as a dom at
the cremation grounds. Another ancient cremation ghat is Manikarnika ghat. It is
believed that cremation at Manikarnika ghat ensures a safe place in Heaven, as
the doms of this ghat have the patronage of Shiva. Their chief is called the
'Dom Raja' (chief cremator).
Burning pyres, people getting their hair shaved off, the chanting of sacred
slokas, giving of alms to Brahmins and whispering holy words into the ears of
the cows before being gifted away to Brahmins are the common sight at these
ghats.
SEAT OF LEARNING
Banaras has been a seat of learning since the ancient days. Foreign visitors
have admired the zeal of Brahmin teachers who sacrificed worldly comforts at the
altar of learning. Sanskrit education came to decline by the end of 12th
century. Revival came in early 16th century. The present Samparnanand Sanskrit University is the old Sanskrit Pathshala
and it has about 150,000 rare ancient manuscripts. The most important education
centre is the Banaras Hindu University (B.H.U) founded by Pandit Madan Mohan
Malviya in 1917A.D. At the entrance, there is the grand statue of its founder and
the Vishwanath temple in its centre. It is the largest residential University in
India. In the cool and calm surroundings of B.H.U is the Bharat Kala Bhavan which
has established in 1920A.D and has a vast collection of paintings, sculptures
and other materials of archeological studies. In the main hall of the Bhawan,
there is
a figure of a man standing on one leg and one hand on his hip and lifting a mass
of stone above his head, with one hand. The figure is said to be of Lord Krishna
lifting Govardana. In the halls of the Bharat Kala Bhawan, there are many rare
images that testify to the existence of Krishna cult in Kashi in 15th and
16th century Gupta
period.
RAMNAGAR
Ramnagar Fort which was built in 1750A.D by the Maharaja of
Banaras, is on
the right bank of River Ganga. Built of red stones, it provides strength and
stability to the city. The strong river current is smoothly diverted away from
causing any mishap. Because of the Fort's giant solid wall, the city has escaped
the sand deposits on its banks. The palace is an astronomical and astrological wonder. Inside the giant walls
of the palace, there is a big clock. Besides showing year, month, week and day,
it baffles the onlooker with astronomy of the sun, moon and constellation of
stars. This wonder clock or Dharam Ghari was made by the court astronomer of
Banaras in 1852A.D. The palace has a temple dedicated to Ved Vyas and a museum
set up by the last Maharaja of Banaras, Vibhuti Narain Singh. The museum has a
collection of brocade costumes, palanquins, weapons and has expensive coaches
made of ivory. The palace is decorated majestically and it vibrates with colour and life, during
Dussehra festival. The celebrations comes to an end on Vijayadashmi, when the huge
effigies of demon king Ravana and his kinsmen are sent up in flames, signifying
the victory of good over evil.
SARNATH
Buddha preached his companions his first sermon, explaining the Four Noble
Truths and eight Fold Noble Path in a park called the "Deer Park"
which later came to be known as 'Sarnath'. Sarnath which is about 9kms away from
the Banaras city has become a premier centre for Buddhism. Emperor Ashoka after
famous Kalinga war was touched by the misery of the people and he got converted
to Buddhism. He built two stupas - the Dhameka (or Dharma Chakra) and the Dharmajajika at
Sarnath. The famous Ashoka Pillar with the lion capital at the top has become
the national emblem of India. It is now kept inside the Sarnath Museum. Inside
the museum various poses of Buddha, carved beautifully, stare at the onlooker.
The most famous one is of the Buddha, sitting cross-legged, with his hands in a
teaching pose, eyes downcast, half shut in meditation. Below the seat, on which
he sits is the wheel (chakra) and the six kneeling figures. Sarnath has a very big Buddha temple, built in 1931A.D, by the Indian Maha
Bodhi society. Built on the ruins of the monasteries, it is popularly called
Mulagandhakuti Vihara and is the main shrine at Sarnath. It has a very large
image of Buddha, along with some sacred relics. Besides these, there is a series
of exquisite wall paintings, depicting the birth of Buddha.
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