Places to See
River
Front (Ghats)
The Ghats of Varanasi truly embody the real essence of this timeless city.
As the first rays of the sun set the gently flowing Ganga afire, thousands
of devout take the ceremonial dip and the Ghats come alive to people from
all walks of life…. Each performing rituals the way they were done, centuries
ago. To a visitor it is a charming preview into the character of a holy city,
unchanged, unspoiled by the vagaries of time.
Gyanvapi Mosque
Gyanvapi Mosque was built by Emperor Aurangzeb adjacent to the Vishwanath
temple.
Durga Temple
Dedicated to Duga, the goddess of power, it is one of the most important temples
in the city. Constructed during the 18th century in Nagara style of temple
architecture, its shikhara or spire is formed of small shikharas, one atop
the other.
Bharat Mata Temple
A novel temple dedicated to Mother India, which, instead of the customary
gods and goddesses, houses one of the most perfect relief maps of India carved
out of marble. The temple was gifted by the nationalists Babu Shiv Prasad
Gupta and Shri Durga Prasad Khatri, leading numismatists and antiquarians.
Starting with five at the base, they converge into one at the top, symbolizing
that this world of five elements has ultimately to merge with the Supreme
(The Brahma).
The Kashi Vishwanath Temple
It is a gold spiraled temple rebuilt in 1776 A.D. by Rani Ahilyabai Holkar
of Indore and dedicated to Lord Shiva. The gold spire is covered with a ton
of gold plating donated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh of Punjab in 1835. A.D. It
is popularly known as the Golden Temple.
Tulsi Manas Temple
Constructed in 1964 by a philanthropist family of Varanasim this temple
is dedicated to Lord Ram. The temple is situated at the place where the
great seer of the medieval ages, Goswami Tulsidas lived and composed the
epic poem ' Ramcharitmanas' expounding the history and deeds of Lord Ram.
New Vishwanath Temple
Situated in the premises of Banaras Hindu University, it is managed by the
reputed industrialists - the Birla family.
Annapurna Temple
Situated in Vishwanath Lane, this temple has an idol of goddess Annapurna.
Manmandir
An observatory made by Raja Mansingh of Jaipur
Bharat Kala Bhawan
Inside Banaras Hindu University. Open 10a.m. - 5 p.m.
Alamgir Mosque
Popularly known as 'Beni Madhav Ka Darera', it was built by emperor Aurangzeb.
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