“So you belong to the holy city of Varanasi famous for its temples and ghats!” is the common response I get when I tell people that I am a native of Varanasi. But, beyond ghats, temples, pundits, orange chaddars and wooden chappals, the city has much more that makes it so famous. Some of the other specialties of this city are:
1. The narrow by-lanes (commonly called ‘galis’) bustling with humans and cows in almost equal numbers.
2. Some of the famous galis, like the Vishwanath gali, are supposed to be a shopper’s paradise, selling everything from silk sarees to colorful bangles, wood and lacquer sindoor holder, traditional perfumes, brass statutes, hand-woven carpets, handicrafts, and the list goes on…….
3. The silk shops in banaras are not restricted to selling just silk sarees but a whole range of other products made of banarasi silk, to name a few – brocades, scarf, shawls, jackets, cushion covers and wall hangings.
4. There are a good number of eateries in the city but the most delectable are those fresh kachoris with aloo sabzi and the lip-smacking jalebis. Breakfast can’t be better!
5. The banarasi ‘chaat’ with its tangy and spicy flavor of chutneys is always ready to play with your taste buds.
6. The fragrant 'Banarasi paan' that is often added with aromatic essences such as that of rose and 'supari' seems to be a part of the cultural identity of the people there. Yess, “Khai ke paan banaras waala, khul jaye band akal ka taala……”
7. Monkeys and langoors can be seen in abundance in the city jumping from one terrace to the other. In fact, the Durga temple and the Sankatmochan temples are commonly called Monkey temples because of the huge number of monkeys there.
8. Some of the ancient festivals like Bharat Milap and Ram Leela are still celebrated in the city with traditional fervor and gaiety.
9. Kite-flying is another tradition of this city and every evening scores of kites of all shapes, sizes and colours dot the sky.
10. The common mode of transportation here is either manual rickshaw or auto-rickshaw which reminds of the age-old civilization.
Mark Twain once remarked about Varanasi that "it is older than history, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together." - How very true!!
1. The narrow by-lanes (commonly called ‘galis’) bustling with humans and cows in almost equal numbers.
2. Some of the famous galis, like the Vishwanath gali, are supposed to be a shopper’s paradise, selling everything from silk sarees to colorful bangles, wood and lacquer sindoor holder, traditional perfumes, brass statutes, hand-woven carpets, handicrafts, and the list goes on…….
3. The silk shops in banaras are not restricted to selling just silk sarees but a whole range of other products made of banarasi silk, to name a few – brocades, scarf, shawls, jackets, cushion covers and wall hangings.
4. There are a good number of eateries in the city but the most delectable are those fresh kachoris with aloo sabzi and the lip-smacking jalebis. Breakfast can’t be better!
5. The banarasi ‘chaat’ with its tangy and spicy flavor of chutneys is always ready to play with your taste buds.
6. The fragrant 'Banarasi paan' that is often added with aromatic essences such as that of rose and 'supari' seems to be a part of the cultural identity of the people there. Yess, “Khai ke paan banaras waala, khul jaye band akal ka taala……”
7. Monkeys and langoors can be seen in abundance in the city jumping from one terrace to the other. In fact, the Durga temple and the Sankatmochan temples are commonly called Monkey temples because of the huge number of monkeys there.
8. Some of the ancient festivals like Bharat Milap and Ram Leela are still celebrated in the city with traditional fervor and gaiety.
9. Kite-flying is another tradition of this city and every evening scores of kites of all shapes, sizes and colours dot the sky.
10. The common mode of transportation here is either manual rickshaw or auto-rickshaw which reminds of the age-old civilization.
Mark Twain once remarked about Varanasi that "it is older than history, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together." - How very true!!
