Sightseeing in Varanasi:-


The Vishwanath temple, or Golden Temple, is the most sacred temple in Varanasi and is dedicated to Vishveswara-Shiva as lord of the universe. The original temple was destroyed by the Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb, and the present temple was later restored by Rani Ahilyabai of Indore in the 18th century. 800kg of gold plating on the towers, which gives the temple its colloquial name, was provided by Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Lahore some 50 years later.

Nepali Temple
This temple is situated on Laita Ghat and made in Nepali style .This temple is devoted to Lord Shiva, it is assumed that the lingam there replicates the famous Pasupatisvara at Kathmandu.. In this temple very good work on wood can be seen , carving on wood depicts some erotic scenes.


Benaras Hindu University

Founded by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya as a centre for education in Indian art, music, culture and philosophy, and for the study of Sanskrit & it is considered to be the largest residential university in Asia. Varanasi has long been a centre of learning and that tradition is continued today at the Benaras Hindu University( BHU) built in 1917. The five sq kms campus houses the Bharat Kala Bhavan which has a fine collection of miniature paintings, sculptures from 1st to 15th centuries.



Bharat Kala Bhavan lies within the sprawling grounds of Benaras Hindu University. Its outstanding collection of sculpture, paintings and textiles began with the private collection of the enlightened Raj Krishnadasa.

The sculpture collection includes terracotta and clay objects, stone and bronze and cast metal objects. Ancient terracotta varying from ritual icons to toys to utilitarian objects date to the Indus Valley Civilization, Mauryan, Sunga and Gupta periods. A large and impressive collection of textiles contain precious examples of Benaras silks and brocades, embroidered shawls from kashmir and rare chamba, rumals.

Ram Nagar Fort Museum
On the opposite bank of river, this 17th century fort is the home of the former Maharaja of Benaras. It looks most impressive from the river, though the decrepit planking of the pantoon bridge you cross to reach it is somewhat of a distraction. During the monsoon access is by ferry. The interesting museum here contains old silver & brocade palanquins for the ladies of the court, gold-plated elephant howdahs, an astrological clock, macabre elephant traps and an armory of swords and old guns.

Annapurna Temple
The Goddess Annapurna is looked upon as the provider of food and the sustainer of prosperity. Legend has it that Shiva made an agreement with Goddess Annapurna that she look after life before death, ensuring that no one went hungry in the sacred city, while he would ensure they received moksha (freedom from the cycle of birth & death).

Sakshi Vinayaka Temple
About 56 temples dedicated to Lord Ganesha, spread all over the city; some of them are Sakshi Vinayaka Temple, Sidda Vinayaka, Manikarnika Ghat, Kark Vinayaka, Lalak Kund, Bhadeni, Durga Vinayaka, Abhayapad Vinayaka, Sakchhi Vinayaka. Ganesha - the elephant-deity riding a mouse - has become one of the commonest mnemonics for anything associated with Hinduism. This not only suggests the importance of Ganesha, but also shows how popular and pervasive this deity is in the minds of the masses.

Durga Temple
The Durga temple is one of the most important temples in Varanasi and is built in the 8th century by Bengali Maharani and is stained red with ochre . This temple is built in north Indian Nagara style with a multi-tiered shikhara(spire). The shikhara of the temple is formed by many small spires which are built one on top of the other. Durga is the 'terrible' form of Shiva's consort Parvati, so at festivals there are often sacrifices of goats. Non-Hindus can enter the courtyard but not the inner sanctum. It is commonly known as Monkey Temple due to many frisky monkey that have made it their home.

Tulsi Manas Mandir
Next to the Durga temple is this modern marble sikhara-style temple. Built in 1964, the walls of the temple are engraved with verses and scenes from the Ram Charit Manas, the Hindi version of the Ramayana. This tells of the history and deeds of Rama. Its medieval author, Tulsi Das, lived here while writing it and died in 1623. On the 2nd floor you can watch the production of moving and performing statues and scenes from Hindu mythology. If you are at all familiar with figures from the Ramayana or Mahabharata, you will find a visit here very enjoyable. Wonderful landscaping around the temple adds to its appeal. Non-Hindus are allowed into this temple.

Bharat Mata Temple
A novel temple dedicated to 'Mother India', which instead of the customary gods and goddesses ,houses one of the perfect relives maps of India carved out of marbel, The map is said to be perfectly in scale, both vertically and horizontally. The temple was gifted by the nationalists Babu Shiv Prasad Gupta and Sri Durga Prasad Khatri ,leading numismatists and antiquarians & was opened by Mahatma Gandhi. Starting with five base ,they converge into at the top, symbolizing that this world of five elements has ultimately to merge with Supreme the Brahma).