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Varanasi (Banares): the first city

"Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together"

Mark Tven.

Indian scriptures take up the position that Varanasi is the first city on Earth, built by gods. According to indian historical chronicles from this place the creation of the Universe started.

Later gods were living in Varanasi together with people, in our days they went to Himalayas.

How it was in sober fact we don't know. But anyway this city is very ancient. Accordint to archeology it is the oldest continously inhabited place on Earth.



One can travel on the boat here in Ganga.



It is a common knowledge among hindu that death in this city is very auspicious - one can receive moksha. But only if he will die on one side of a river - therefore the other side of Ganga is totally uninhavited. However land there is quite slumpy.

The name of the city comes from two rivers which join Ganga right before and after the city - Varuna and Asi. Another name of a cityt is Banaras. British conquerors couldn't pronounce its name and renamed a city into "Benares". The fird city name is Kashi, ie "Cresset", "Lamp".

Here is video which we made when we were in Varanasi in 2005:



Not far from Varanasi there is Sarnath, the place, where Shri Budda preached. Not there you can find a tree planted from seeds from Boddhi tree under which Shri Budda received a self-realization.