Varanasi is a city on the Ganges River in northern India that has a central place in pilgrimage, mourning, and death in the Hindu world, even as the traditions are transformed in the face of modernization, generational changes, and emigration. This city has a beautiful tradition of Muslim artisanship that underpins its tourism.
According to Hindu logic, Varanasi was founded by Shiva who was one of three principal deities along with Brahma and Vishnu. During a fight between Shiva and Brahma, one of Brahma’s five heads was torn off by Shiva. It was a sign of his bravery. A bridle was also put into the mouth and Shiva thus dishonored Brahma’s head and kept it with him at all times. When he came to the thither of Varanasi in this state, the hanging head of Brahma dropped from Shiva’s hand and disappeared into the ground, and Varanasi is therefore considered an extremely holy site.
This city has the finest river frontage in India, with miles of steps or ghats for religious bathing; an array of temples or shrines and palaces rises tier on tier from the water’s edge. The inner streets of this city are winding, narrow and impassable for motor traffic.
