Varanasi

Varanasi, the most popular pilgrimage site for the Indians, is also known by the names of Kashi and Benaras. This city is also known to be one of the twelve jyotir Linga sites in India. Situated on the banks of the river Ganges this place is aid to wash away the sins and get an instant gateway for rebirth. It has been a discussed and also the most visited holy place in north India for over a thousand years now.

Varanasi has a very unique culture and thus is a major destination for foreign tourists. It had become a independent Kashi kingdom in the eighteen century and since then it is a commercial and also a religious center. Kasha Vishwanath temple, also known as the golden temple, was built in 1780 by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar. Another temple is the Durga temple which cannot be missed. The reason is because the statue of goddess Durga has not been set up by anyone but it is believed to have appeared on its own. This temple is multi-tiered and is in color red which is the color of goddess Durga. There are also a few other temples which you can visit while you are on a tour: Vyasa temple, the New Vishwanath temple, Tulsi Manas temple, Bharat Mata temple and many more.

14 kilometers from Varanasi, situated on the opposite of river Ganges, is the Ramnagar fort. This was earlier known to be the ancestral home of the maharaja of Banaras. It was built in the eighteenth century by Maharaja Balwant Singh and it was in redstone. Ved Vyasa stayed here for a long period and thus in the vicinity of this fort is the temple and a museum dedicated to Ved Vyasa. Here you can also take a look at the museum which displays the royal collection of the vintage cars, swords, old guns, ivory works and also antique locks. In this palace is a huge wall with a clock that doesn't just display time, date, year, month,  but also facts about the sun, moon and constellatios.