Varanasi was the capital of the kingdom of Kashi during the time of Buddha (6th century BC), who gave his first sermon at nearby Sarnath. The Kingdom of Kasi or Benares was founded by Khsetravridha, son of Ayus, of the Somavansa dynasty of Pratishthana. The city remained a centre of religious, educational, and artistic activities as attested by the celebrated Chinese traveler Hsuan-tsang, who visited it in c. AD 635 and said that the city extended for about 5 km along the western bank of the Ganges.

It lost independance in 1194 and was ceded by the Nawab of Oudh to the British in 1775 who recognized Benares as a Family Dominion. Benares acceded to the status of State in 1911. The ruling family claims descent from the god Shiva and benefited greatly from pilgrimage to Benares. The modern name of Benares is Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh.

Its spiritual and religious culture has a three thousand-year history that predates even the first intimations of Hindu tradition. Well before the gods came to claim her for their own, Benares was there, high up on a plateau, skirted by the Ganga on one side and the Varuna river on the other. Around the city, to the south and west, spread the ‘Forest of Bliss’, a land of pools and jungle that harboured ascetics and their disciples.

Varanasi is associated with Lord Shiva since the beginning of time: Legends relate how, after his marriage to Parvati, Shiva left his Himalyan abode and came to reside in Kashi with all the gods in attendance. Temporarily banished during the rule of the great king Divodasa, Shiva sent Brahma and Vishnu as his emissaries, but ultimately returned to his rightful abode protected by his loyal attendants Kalabhairav and Dandapani.

Many of the great teachers have dispensed their wisdom in Benares. 25 centuries ago Lord Buddha preached his message of enlightment for the first time in Sarnath which is just 10kms away from Varanasi. Later Varanasi became a great Hindu center, but was looted a number of times by Muslim invaders from the 11th century on.

These destructive visits climaxed with that of the Mughal emperor, Aurangazeb, who destroyed almost all the temples and converted the most famous one into a mosque. Varanasi has also been known as Kashi and Benares, but its present name is restoration of an ancient name meaning the city between two rivers - the Varuna and Asi.

Parshvanatha, the first historic-ally dated master of the Jains, was born in the city in the eighth century BC. Patanjali came here in the second century BC, as did Shankara nearly a millennium later. Countless others have taught here. Today, all the major Indian monastic orders are represented in the city, and sadhus of every denomination are always to be seen along the river bank in the early morning. In some parts of India, even today, the initiation ritual for young men includes a symbolic pilgrimage to Benares.

Although invading Muslim armies forced Benares to move southwards from its original position, all of its shrines and temples were rebuilt on new sites, and the cosmic centre of the town took on different names and forms. Throughout history, Benares has been a physical expression of cosmic order.

Indeed, it is seen as the embodiment of heaven on earth, as Jerusalem has been for the Middle Eastern traditions. It is a cosmogram which weaves together nature, humanity and the cosmos in an intricate web of 56 pilgrim circuits.

The city contains exact, scaled-down versions of every major sacred site in India. The seven sacred rivers are all represented, as are all twelve major lingas, and the shrine of Badrinath. Benares is home to no less than seven replicas of the great temple of Ramesh-varam in Tamil Nadu.

The city has few buildings built before the late 16th century, but its site was occupied in ancient times by the kingdom of Kashi; to devout Hindus the city has always existed. It is to them the holiest of cities; Hindu pilgrims come to Varanasi from all parts of the world. Records of such pilgrimages date from the 7th century.

Large throngs gather along the banks of the sacred Ganges River, where terraced landings, or ghats, lead down to the water. Hindus believe that immersion in the Ganges water cleanses them of sins and that death on its banks leads to salvation. The level portions of the ghats are used for funeral pyres.

From Ramnagar, across the river, the city of Varanasi gives an impression of splendor that is dissipated on closer view. The narrow streets wind circuitously between painted and carved buildings, many of them with overhanging galleries. Among the more than 1500 temples, the best known are the mosque of Aurangzeb; the observatory of Raja Jai Singh and the Durga Temple, both built in the 17th century; and the holiest of all temples, the Bisheshwar, or Golden Temple.

Varanasi is also a center of learning, especially for the study of Sanskrit, centered at Banaras College (1791) and maintained by the government. Banaras Hindu University (1916) was the first denominational university in India under private control; it is now nonsectarian. Varanasaya-Sanskrit University was founded in 1958.

Besides being a pilgrimage center, it is considered as auspicious place to die, ensuring an instant route to heaven. To this day Varanasi is a center of learning, especially for Sanskrit scholars, and students flock here from all over India. The well - known novelist Prem Chand and the literary figure Bharatendu Harischand have played their parts in this development. Tulsi Das, the famous poet who wrote the Hindi version of the Ramayana known as the Ram Charit Manas, also lived in this city for many years.

Today the city is renowned for its silk weavers, who prepare the finest types of woven silk fabrics. A Banaras silk sari or shawl is traditionally a single colored textile with motifs and patterns woven in gold or silver threads. The technique is intricate, the procedure complex and demands great expertise. As the warp and the weft are interwoven on the loom, small, often minute shuttles with gold thread are introduced to form the motif. When the design of the motif is completed, a knot is made and the gold thread cut.

The weaving continues until the next design. The smaller the motif or the more intricate the design, the more complex the weaving skills required. Silk weaving in Banaras is a cottage industry and in many areas of the city, especially the Muslim quarters, one can see looms at work all day. Entire families are involved, children often pick up the art from the elders at an early age. There are shops in Banaras, and throughout India, that sell these fine silk fabrics.

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