“BENARUS IS OLDER THAN HISTORY, OLDER THAN TRADITION, OLDER EVEN THAN LEGEND AND LOOKS TWICE AS OLD AS ALL OF THEM PUT TOGETHER”
Banaras or Varanasi or Kashi is said to be the oldest living civilisation. This place is home to the famous Kashi Viswanath Temple, one of the twelve Jyotirlingas.
This is a short blog post about our 2 days family trip to this holy city in the month of November 2022.
We had reached Banaras by road from Ayodhya. The road conditions were not great and what was more surprising was the lack of options for any eateries along the way. We had chosen to stay in Seth AnandRam Jaipuria Dharamshala, near the bustling Gowdolia Chauraha. Surprisingly, this place is not that well known among online travel booking websites but it is very conveniently located near the temple and places of major interest. The only catch is that motor vehicles are not allowed beyond the chauraha and you might have to drag your luggage for the last hundred meter or so. But the hassle is worth as the place serves really sumptuous veg thalis which is a must try!
Day 1
We started with what could arguably is banaras famous for – street food and especially chaats! Some must-try items on your list should be – Tamatar Ki Chaat and Chura Matar which is somewhat unique to this place.
As it was still time for the evening Ganga Aarti, we decided to head over to the famous Lakshmi Chai for the tea and toast. Its a small shop near temple, slightly difficult to locate, and only serves these two things!
Post that we headed to see the Aarti in Dasaswamedh Ghat, best way for which is to rent a private boat as it gets very crowded around this time. It is an easy 500 m walk down to the ghat from the main chowk.
We had our dinner in the same place where we stayed. Remember to check for dinner coupons with them before hand to not get disappointed last minute.
Day 2
There is a hidden gem in the city, very less talked about, which is Subah-e-Banaras Aarti in Assi Ghat. Contrary to the other more popular evening Ganga Aarti, this happens before sun rises and hence relatively less crowded. We left our stay very early in the morning and took a tuk-tuk to reach Assi Ghat to witness this event.
After this, we headed to Kashi Viswanath Temple which arguably is one of most managed temples in India. You can book darshan tickets online and one pujari will escort you throughout. The entire experience was hassle free and we were able to perform darshan and come out before breakfast time.
Our next gastronomical stop was Sreeji sweet shop for their famed Malaiyo, a dish which is only available during winters and morning time!
We decided to go to Ram Bhandar for the breakfast but to our luck, they were all sold out by then. With no choice left, we settled on a nearby shop for puri-sabzi and jalebi breakfast which was very delicious, although we dont have a basis for comparison.
By all this time we got no more appetite left and decided to give another item on our list a miss, which was Blue Lassi, near Manikarnika Ghat.
We went to Assi Ghat and hired a small boat to sight see all the ghats at a distance. You get to see hundreds of ghats, each with their unique history.
We took a flight out of Varanasi in the late eve for Bangalore.
GB Hacks
- Temple and most of the famed places to eat are all located within 500 m distance of Gowdolia Chowk.
- Walking is best followed by hiring a rickshaw as motor operated vehicles are not permitted in the periphery of temple and major ghats.
- There is another temple Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple near Assi Ghat equally revered and visited by folks.
Kedia's Travelogue 