A beginner's guide to visiting ancient Kashi and it's spiritual significance
A short introductory guide to give you a head start!
Kashi, which translates to light in Sanskrit, is the oldest continuously lived city in the whole world. It is the centre of Vedic hindu civilisation and one of the last places you can feel that it is still alive. Pretty much every enlightened saint has had their presence in Kashi, from Adi Guru Shankaracharya, to the valiant Hindu Maratha kings and genuinely realised saints like Lahiri Mahasaya and Trailing Swami. Kashi is just as full of mystical stories as it is full of temples, so let’s take a look at some of the basics to get you started if you are visiting Kashi as a spiritual seeker.
When Shiva and Parvati came down from Mount Kailash to appreciate their creation (Shrishti) they first came to Anandvan, which is the first name of Varanasi. At that time it was a forest, and Shiva and Parvati bathed in the kund at Manikarnika ghat which was created by Shree Vishnu with his Sudarshan chakra. The fire at Manikarnika ghat is on 24 hours and has been since thousands of years.
Kashi is home to Baba Vishwanath who is the main deity, and lives with his whole family of deities here. This includes the 56 Vinayakas, 8 Bhairavs, 12 Adityas, 9 Durgas and more; hence every deity of Hinduism can be found here in Kashi. In fact, Kashi is the body of Shiva. And all of these temples are mentioned clearly in the Kashi Khand of the Skanda Purana which is our ancient scriptures. So you can see just how detrimental it is if these temples are razed down to create modern infrastructure. Because they are not just temples, it is the live consciousness of the last remaining ancient civilisation on earth. And being in this consciousness activates our own. This is one reason why Kashi holds so much significance as a teeth in Hindu dharma.
Kashi is also one of the Sapt Moksha Puris (7 hindu pilgrimage cities for attaining moksha). This means it’s sacred significance is not just as a dharmic teeth, but also a bridge between the material and the divine. It is not just a place but a cosmic portal that dates back as old as time. The glory of ancient Kashi is well described in ancient Vedic scriptures; and this light has drawn people from all corners of the world to seek spirituality and ancient traditions.
Kashi is split into three different Khandas, which are also outlined the Skanda Purana - and the whole of Kashi exists on Shiva’s trident. The three Khandas are Vishweshwar Khand, Omkareshwar Khand and Kedar Khand. The sacred Ganga river here flows in a particular direction, which is why it is so important for us to protect the ecology as this is directly linked with the energy of the teerth itself.
Lastly, one of the names given to Kashi is ‘Mahasmashaan’ which means ‘Great Cremation Ground,’ which you can hear the traditional pandits chant in the sankalp at the start of every ritual, invoking the deities and energies of the land. Manikarnika Ghat is considered one of the most auspicious places for a Hindu person to be cremated. Furthermore, it is said that anyone who passes away in Kashi attains Moksha, and Shiva whispers a ‘Tarak mantra’ in the ear of the passing soul as they transition from this realm to another. Although Manikarnika ghat holds a lot of awe for outsiders, it’s important to respect them as sacred indigenous sites.
How do you do a Kashi yatra?
Now, this is a big question and the level of depth will depend on who you are and what you are seeking. There are not one but actually several formats of yatra. Yatras are an integral part of Hindu dharma, to collect cosmic energy as well as provide reciprocity to our ancestors, our natural origins, deities and attain things we want in life. Every Hindu must visit the four dhams once in their life; and the teerth yatra process is not only significant for this birth but our whole evolution of soul through the cycles of life and death. To understand the significance of a teerth yatra in Hinduism, I recommend watching this video by Upword which explains it so nicely, the video link is here.
Starting off with the practicals, if you are visiting Kashi then you must first take the blessings of Kaal Bhairav baba who is the Kotwal or gatekeeper of Kashi. The main Kaal Bhairav temple is situated near Panchganga ghat. If you are a foreigner or don’t belong to a hindu lineage, always check the restrictions for entry out of respect for religious sites. Kaal Bhairav is a ferocious form of Shiva who is also responsible for handing out karma, it is customary to take his blessings first (and for some reason if you can’t first then definitely do visit this temple once in your journey).
After this, there is the main Visalakshi Shaktipeeth which is one of the 51 Shaktipeeths of Bharat. After taking her blessings, you are now ready to visit the main Baba Vishwanath temple. The main temple used to be surrounded by many ancient puranic shivlings and the small galis. Due to the construction of the tourist corridor, many puranic temples were razed down (watch here). Whilst economic development is necessary and welcome, it’s important to understand the damage caused by such unconscious development both to our environment and sacred ancient sites.
Here is one ancient map of ancient Kashi highlighted in the Kashi Khand of the Skanda Purana.
The main Baba Vishwanath temple still has the original Nandi which is facing the old site where Baba Vishwanath was situated. During Islamic invasions, Kashi was attacked over 17 times and each time was defended by Hindu warriors. Residents saved the puranic temples by building around them, yet the original site of Baba Vishwanath still has a mosque over it. The story goes that once when Mughals attacked, one of the pandits of Kashi Viswanath mandir jumped into the Gyanwapi kund (well) with the jyotirling to save it; both the pandit and jyotirling were never found again. You can still see the Gyanwapi kund and drink water from it, be sure to take a circle around the kund and offer prayers to Baba Vishwanath!
It is customary for devotees to first take a Ganga dip at Dasaswamedh ghat, and then bring the Gangajal to Baba Vishwanath at the main temple. Taking a Ganga dip has great spiritual significance, as does making flower offerings and diyas.
There are multiple Aartis which happen throughout the day in the main temple. From the morning mangala Aarti at 3am to the Saptrishi Aarti, there are multiple options. The Saptrishi Aarti invokes the seven Rishis and offerings are made on their behalf to Baba Vishwanath. The seven brahmin pandits who conduct it are performing this since generations through the ancestral lineage to the times of the rishis themselves. You can get a ticket to sit in this Aarti which is a beautiful combination of mantra chanting for Baba Vishwanath. There is also the last evening Aarti in which the pandits of the temple put Baba Vishwanath to sleep, along the lines of Vedic lullabies. This is also a beautiful experience.
There is much more to say about the particular sites you can visit in ancient Kashi, their significance and formats of yatras too, but that will be left for my complete Kashi yatra guidebook. Now let’s move onto some of the practicalities.
What about stay and food?
Stay is always the number one question when it comes to travelling to Varanasi. A good central place for travellers to stay is in the Bangali Tola area, which is where foreigners tend to stay when they visit Varanasi. You have a range of options for guest houses and safe, hygienic accommodations. Two guest houses I can recommend are Banaras Rest House and Paradise Inn guest house in Bangali Tola.
As for food, you have some small cafes in the Bangali Tola area as well. There are also options for local Bhojanalayas which you can find near Gowdolia and the Dasaswamedh ghat road which connects it. One famous place is Jaipuria Bhavan situated just near Gowdolia! It opens at 8pm and they have the best traditional meals, a full plate of Rajasthani delicacies. You will have no shortage of good food here.
The street food of Kashi is indeed famous and you may have heard of Kashi chaat bandar, Dina chaat bandar and other places. Since I am mostly a satvik food eater, I can’t advise much on that. However the local street food of Kashi is readily available when you traverse the small galis. For example during the morning hours from 8/9-12 you’ll get the typical breakfast of Puri-Kachori. During the winter season you’ll get the fluffy air-like delicacy called Malaiyo and if you’re looking for authentic South Indian food, look no further than Bangali Tola where you have VSR (an Andhra food joint) and multiple South Indian food stalls near the Andhra Ashram.
Is it safe to travel alone?
Honestly, in my experience it is completely safe as a solo female traveller in Varanasi as long as you are taking care of basic safety procedures and good planning beforehand. Many foreigners come to travel here without any prior research and for the most part, are totally fine. For your safety if you are a solo female, don’t wander in the ghats at night alone because the nature of tourists coming in, drinking and doing other things which contradict the whole meaning of a sacred teerth can be troublesome. During the day it’s completely fine, and in fact you get a whole different experience of Kashi if you wake up early and experience the energy there.
As a solo female traveller since 2015, I would always advise solo females to take care when interacting with strangers. Be confident and speak to locals, ask questions and learn about the culture and location. But be careful not to be dragged too deeply into any space that you don’t want to. It’s great to make friends while you are travelling but you also have to protect your energy and for the most part it will be from other male tourists. Never hesitate to say ‘no’ if you are done talking to someone or want your space. When it comes to the topic of solo female travel I will have separate guides on this on my website for both India travelling and abroad.
What can I do in Kashi?
If you are travelling to Kashi, you are most likely coming for darshan of Baba Vishwanath which is one of the 12 jyotirlings of Bharat. Here are a few ideas that can get you started, and if you’re keen to join one of my 4 day guided yatra trips then do fill my form here for details. Here are the details of my Kashi group trip.
Ganga Aarti happens on Dasaswamedh Ghat at approximately 6pm, if you reach a little earlier, you’ll get a good place to sit and watch. You can watch the Ganga Aarti from the ghat or you can also hire a boat and watch it from the Ganga too.
You can walk along the ghats or take a boat ride, to see how each ghat has been built by different Hindu kings and their ancient architecture.
You will find the ancient puranic temples in the small galis, this is more of a seeking journey. Some of the main mandirs to visit also include Sankat Mochan Hanuman temple, Durga Kund, Kamakhya Devi temple and Bindu Madhav mandir.
Take care when visiting Manikarnika ghat, because of the razing of temples the energy has changed. It is good to chant Aum Namah Shivaya in your head. You can visit the Mashanath Mahadev temple right in the Manikarnika ghat, and take some bhasma from the havan kund. Here in Manikarnika ghat you can also see the kund where Shiva and Parvati had bathed, as well as the feet of Shree Vishnu.
Definitely take a Ganga snaan at one of the ghats, you can also take a snaan at Panchganga ghat where 5 different rivers combine.
Visit the Lahiri Mahasaya ashram which is called Satyalok, they also do 4 day initiation programs in to Kriya Yoga here 3 times in a year. This ashram is run by the direct descendants of Lahiri Mahasaya and so it different from the global organisation.
If you love Indian classical music, don’t miss the Dhrupad Mela which starts 4 days before Mahashivratri and happens on Tulsi ghat. Dhrupad is the oldest form of Indian classical music, and also Sankat Mochan Sangeet Samaroh - another classical devotional event inside the temple, which starts in the evening and ends in the morning.
These are some introductory points, apart from which you may read more in my upcoming guidebook + join my group trips!
What’s the best time?
Well, apart from the peak summer heat which starts at the end of April (I ended up staying until May last year), and the monsoon where the Ganga comes all the way inside and covers the ghats, you can travel to Kashi whenever you feel. Monsoon also has it’s own beauty, however the best times are from September - April.
May the blessings of Mahadev Baba Vishwanath shower upon you.
जय विश्वनाथ, हर हर महादेव
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