Banaras Cultures
Situated on the banks of river Ganga, Varanasi attracts thousands of Hindu pilgrims every year.The idea of Varanasi as a religious site traces back to the earliest creation myths of the region. One myth, that gained popularity with the rise of Hinduism, states that the Varuna and Assi rivers flowed out the first person when the world was created. Guided by this story, Varanasi (the area between the two rivers) came to be regarded as the holiest area of land.
Known in different eras as Avimukta, Varanasi and Kashi, meaning “where the supreme light shines”, this great north Indian center of Shiva worship has had more than 3000 years of continuous habitation. Few standing buildings are older than the 16th century, however, as Muslim armies raiding from the 11th century onward destroyed the ancient Hindu temples and erected mosques on their foundations. Qutbuddin Aibak's armies were said to have destroyed more than a thousand temples in 1194, and Shan Jahan, the builder of the Taj Mahal, had seventy-six temples demolished. The city's primary Shiva shrine, the Jyotir Linga Visvanatha or ‘Golden Temple’, was rebuilt in 1776 across the road from its original location (now occupied by the Jnana Vapi mosque). Adjacent to this mosque is the Jnana Vapi well, the ritual center and axis mundi of Banaras. The Jnana Vapi, or Well of Wisdom, is said to have been dug by Shiva himself, and its waters carry the liquid form of jhana, the light of wisdom. The imposing Alamgir mosque stands on the site of another of Kashi's most ancient and sacred shrines, the temple of Bindu Madhava.
Geographically, Banaras only occupies a strip of land along the banks of the Ganges approximately three miles long, but has millions visiting the holy site annually, making it an extremely densely populated area. It is situated on the west side of the Ganges where the Varana (on the north) and Asi (on the south) rivers join. The river flows north to south at this location, back towards its source in the Himalayas, placing Banaras in a very auspicious location. Banaras’ location near the Ganges also makes it an incredibly beautiful site, especially while the sun rises over the river at dawn. It was this incredible beauty that captivated Siva’s imagination and drew him to Banaras to make it his home (Eck 95). Other relations the city has to Siva is that the area is roughly shaped like the crescent moon that is placed over Siva’s head, and in the cosmological frame the city lies on the Trident of Siva [On the cosmological frame, see Singh and Rana (2002)].
The vision of Varanasi as a religious center was further enhanced by the Hindu idea that the city was the site where the Hindu god Shiva spent his time. Devout Hindus who complete pilgrimages to the region believe that by bathing in the rivers, Shiva will aid in wiping clean any mental or emotional impurities. It is also believed in the Hindu faith that by dying in the city of Varanasi, a soul can effectively bypass the reincarnation process. The idea behind this concept is that Varanasi is so holy, that any soul who leaves a body in its borders is naturally pure enough to enter the afterlife without the purification process of rebirth. Essentially the city is thought to endow its inhabitants, whether dead or alive, with the highest form of spiritual purity. Over a million pilgrims voyage to Varanasi annually to take part in the cleansing associated with the city.
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