STATES AND UNION TERRITORIES OF INDIA
UTTARPRADESH
Varanasi trip
- Aparna Rajagopalan
17 Mar 2026
Landed in Varanasi on the 8th of Dec afternoon. After resting for a
couple of hours took an auto to the ghats. From there a boat which took
us along the ghats, from one end to the other. The boatwala was giving
commentary on each ghat. We watched Ganga Aarti at Dasashwamedh ghat
from a distance, on board the boat, one of the several dozens bumping
into each other.
Namo Ghat - the 85th and newest ghat in Varanasi
Next morning went straight to Shivlay Ghat. Ganga Mayya was shrouded in
the fog/smog, with so many boats plying and birds flying around. The
water was ice cold, did ganga snaan and arghyam. There are sets of 2 x 2
feet cubicles where one can change from the wet to dry clothes. I
successfully wrapped the 9 yards in that small space, gave
pitru tharpanam at the ghat. After pitru tharpanam at the ghat,
changed again and started the day, clocked around 20k steps by the end
of the day.
A 12-foot-high, 35-ton statue
of Adi Shankaracharya, crafted from chlorite schist, is installed at
the Kashi Vishwanath Dham corridor in Varanasi. This statue, sculpted by
Arun Yogiraj, was installed as part of the temple complex expansion
inaugurated around December 2021
Statue of Bharat Mata or Indian mother made with black marble at the temple of baba kashi vishwanath in Varanasi.
Vishwanath Mandir
First visited VishwanathJi mandir, had good darshan.
From there went to Bhairav Baba mandir. The queue was looooong
winding thru the tiniest gullies of Kashi. Even there people were riding
huge bullets while people are queueing up. Had a good darshan.
Visalakshi mandir was almost empty, only 2 women in front of us. The
pujari gave one flower each to those women from the malai (garland) on
amman’s neck. When my turn came he handed me the whole garland.
When we came back the same route saw a long queue where there was none.
Blessing.
From there went to Annapurani mandir, it was closed for alankaram and
we were asked to wait for 1.5 hours. So we decided to do pradhakshinam and
leave. As we came around, a guy who was carrying handful of old flowers
came out from the sannidhi and left the door open. We saw Annapurani
amman clearly as no flowers were covering her.
Durga Mandir
Went back to the place where we had left our bags in a locker. There was
a small shivalay nearby under a banyan tree. It was closed and the guy
there said Mahadev aagya bina koi bhi darsan nahi kar sakte. I just went
up the steps just to see the temple and realised the rear door was open
and only the pujari was there reciting some sloka. Went in and sat
there in the calm silent temple for a few minutes.
Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple
Had lunch and then walked along the ghats, entering the temples here and
there. The perpetually burning pyres at Manikarnika Ghat and
Harishchandra Ghat was a sobering sight, making us realise the fleeting
nature of life.
From there to Sankat Mochan Hanuman mandir. The queue was verrrry
long. So decided to see him from the mandap a few meters away. Lovely
darshan of Anjees for about 15-20 minutes. From there to the Banaras
Hindu university. New Vishwanathji mandir was so quiet and calm. Was so
satisfactory to see the students who looked studious, not woke.
From there to Assi Ghat, to watch Ganga Aarti. Sat on the steps right
behind the stage. One person came and asked whether we were a married
couple, out of the 100s of people sitting there. We were intrigued. Once
the arrangements were in place, the guy asked us to leave our slippers
and come to the front, a pujari gave flowers in our hands and asked us
for our Gotra, name, star etc for a sankalpa, made us do Ganga Aarti,
gave us prasadam and a shawl each. Then saw the Ganga Aarti performed - a
satisfactory day.
We came back to the hotel and washed the slippers well as UP-wale spit
all day long, everywhere as if it is their bounden duty on this earth.
Conmen everywhere trying to rip you off, AQI was around 300 making every
breath laboured, cough inducing dust everywhere, traffic was atrocious
and cacophonous…. Despite all this there is a pull that attracts one to
the city. The city gives a sense of grounding and inner peace like
nowhere else. I can sit on the ghats (filled with monkeys), under the
banyan trees looking at Ganga all day long. Even while looking at the
photos I took, I want to go there again.
Heard last year an Australian Doctor couple went on a vacation to India,
planned to have a long stay in Kerala houseboats after visiting Kashi.
But they spent the entire time in Kashi, came back to Melbourne,
resigned, took their kids out of the school, sold their house and moved
to Kashi. I was aghast then, wondering why would anyone choose to live
in a city that is so old with crumbling infra, dusty, dirty, chaotic….
Now I can see how Ganga can pull people to be by her side with impunity.
Started for Prayagraj the next day morning.
Dakshin Kedar
Along the Ghats from the boat at night, by walk during the day. There is
Mahadev everywhere, in the gullies, in small niches on the walls, along
the steps.... Rani Ahilya Bhai Holkar installed the Lingam at
Viswanathji mandir. The lingam reached her hands while she was bathing
in Narmada River. We did go to the Manikarnika Ghat, the temple in an
angle is right next to it at Scindia Ghat. Out of respect to those who
passed on we did not take any pictures there. The temple with சிவ சிவ is Dakshin Kedar.
(Dakshin Kedar - Gauri
Kedareshwar Temple: It is one of the five sacred ghats in the city
(along with Dashashwamedh, Panchganga, Manikarnika, and Adi Keshav).
Taking a holy dip in the Ganges here is believed to hold the same
spiritual merit as visiting the Himalayan Kedarnath.)
Ganga Aarti
Started from Varanasi on Dec 10th, on the way out, went to Bhatuk
Bhairav temple. (There are 8 bhairav temples on 8 directions of Kashi,
we got to visit only 2) About 2 hours drive to Prayagraj. The river beds
were being prepared for Magh Mela. Tents and temporary power
connections to th boot. hoped people appreciate this and keep the area
clean.
Reached Triveni Sangam and immediately were mobbed by boatmen quoting
exorbitant amounts to take us to the confluence in the middle of the
river. After much haggling hired a boat, watched the confluence of Ganga
and Yamuna. Ganga was yellowish and gurgling wildly past the calm and
quiet bluish Yamuna. Saraswati was invisibly present there. Loads of
migratory Siberian gulls were flying around squawking.
The boatman said he was from Shringverpur which is considered the place
where Nishad Guha helped Rama, Lakshmana and Sita cross the River Ganga.
Bharadwaj Ashram was somewhere along the shores in Prayagraj where the
trio stayed before heading off to Chitrakoot.
Akbar’s palace on the shore is massive, since it is currently being used
by the army, no entry for civilians. Went to the Bade Hanuman mandir, A
huge Lete Hanuman. There were construction work everywhere around the
temple. Soon ot will be a big complex rather than a small building now.
We got caught behind the loooong queue from TN who were there as a part
of Kasi Thamizh sangamam. It was evident most of them were enjoying the
free trip and weren’t even least interested in visiting temples (🙄🙄).
Right on the shores of Triveni Sangam there is this beautiful Kanchi
Kamakoti peetam’s branch. Construction work was going on there too.
Next stop was Alopi Devi temple, which is the last of the 18 Shakti
Peetams. Here Sati Devi’s right hand/fingers fell and she disappeared
from the worldly realm (that’s why the name Alopi)
In this Temple there is no murti for Ambal, only a cradle which hangs on
top of a well. There is a Maha meru inside the well apparently. Since
Sati Devi vanished, the empty cradle is worshipped. The water from the
well is supposed to be medicinal.
From there straight to
Ayodhya…..
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