President prays at Varanasi’’s Kashi Vishwanath Temple

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President prays at Varanasi''s Kashi Vishwanath Temple
                   By Girish Kumar Dubey

Saturday, March 14, 2009 4:07:37 PM by ANI (Be the first! )

Varanasi, Mar 14 (ANI): President Pratibha Patil on Saturday worshipped at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi.
President Patil performed special rituals with her husband Devisingh Shekhawat and other family members.
She performed "Dugdhabhishek" (milk-bathing) of the Shivalingam with 50 litres of milk. She also performed special "Shodashopachar Pujan" (worship) under the supervision of Pandit Harihar Kripalu Tripathi, the chairman of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust and Pandit Chandramauli Upadhyay, a trust member.
Before leaving for Delhi, the President did "pradakshina" (circumambulation) of the sanctum sanctorum.
President Patil arrived here on Friday to address the 91st convocation of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU). (ANI)

Varanasi hails Holi amid revelry

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Varanasi hails Holi amid revelry

                                                           By Girish Kumar Dubey

Sunday, March 08, 2009 1:52:50 PM by ANI ( 0 Comments - Be the first! )

Varanasi, Mar 8 (ANI): With the vibrant spring festival of "Holi" round the corner, people here offered prayers at the Kashi Vishwanath Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva and usher the colourful event in a gala manner.
People took out a procession singing songs and chanting hymns of Lord Shiva on Saturday. Enroute, people in the procession sprayed colours and exchanged greetings.
"We celebrate the festival offering prayers to the divine family of Lord Shiva with great excitement every year," said Duryodhan Mishra, a devotee.
In Varanasi, the locals prepare for the "Holi", soon after celebrating "Mahashivaratri" that marks the marriage of Lord Shiva with Goddess Parvati and which is around a fortnight ahead of the festival of colours.

"Holi" would be celebrated on March 11 this year.
"Holi" is a festival of joy, mirth and buoyancy, and is celebrated when both man and nature cast off the winter gloom. "Holi" heralds the arrival of spring, the season of hope and new beginnings and marks the rekindling of the spirit of life. (ANI)

Tourists visiting Varanasi least worried by terrorism

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Tourists visiting Varanasi least worried by terrorism

                                                   By Girish Kumar Dubey

Thursday, September 18, 2008 5:05:02 PM by ANI ( Comments )

Varanasi, Sep.18 (ANI): Though there is concern and outrage across the country against terrorism, foreign tourists arriving in Varanasi are not perturbed by terror incidents.
A growing number of foreign tourists are of the view that terrorism related incidents keep happening in different parts of the world, irrespective of country or city.
"It''s not for the first time that I am coming to Varanasi. I love this place. This place is scenic and beautiful, it gives solace to your mind and body, and I am fascinated with this place. I am not at all bothered about this terror attack. I hail from northern Spain and this kind of attacks happen there too," said Yeshga, a Spanish tourist.
Tourists here contend that they are more interested in enjoying their holidays in memorable places like Varanasi and are not worried about terrorism.
"Tourists mostly start coming to India from September 15 and they stay here till April. They are not bothered about terrorist attacks, as these things don"t bother them. They come here to enjoy and they are least concerned about any such attacks," said Anil Singh, a tourist guide.
"Majority of Spaniards visit Varanasi, and they are very bold people. They think that such incidents can happen anywhere in this world," said Shiva, another tourist guide.
It''s said that one who hasnt watched the beauty of dawn and dusk in Varanasi, has surely missed something actually wonderful.
Varanasi is one of the most important pilgrimage places in India where the Kashi Vishwanath Temple dedicated to Lord Shiva attracts devotees from all over India and abroad too.
This city on the banks of River Ganges, also known as Benaras, is famous for its numerous Ghats (riverbanks). Tourists have always felt drawn to Varanasi, as they believe it offers eternal happiness and salvation. (ANI)

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Sex workers dance till wee hours at cremation ground for salvation in Varanasi

Sex workers dance till wee hours at cremation ground for salvation in Varanasi

                                           By Girish Kumar Dubey
Tuesday, March 23, 2010

VARANASI - As part of their age-old ritual, a group of sex workers danced through the night till the wee hours here on Monday at a cremation ground for salvation and a better life in their rebirth.

The ritual was held in Varanasi, the holy city of the country, coinciding with the Navaratri festival.

The sex workers wearing 'Ghungroos' (belt anklets with tiny bells) on their unshod feet and with garish make-up on their faces sang hosannas and danced into the wee hours of the night.

Called "Nagar Vadhus" or, city's brides, these sex workers are generally forbidden to enter temples, as they are considered 'impure'.

"This is a very ancient tradition and has been re-instated by Baba Shamashan Nath (the Godman of the cremation grounds). This ritual has been going on from the era of Raja Mansingh, when this temple was first built. 'Nagar Vadhus' come here to dance and take part in rituals to attain salavation. They come here to appease Lord Shiva, so that their next life can be better," said Gulshan Prabhu, organizer of the event.

Hundreds of people turn up at the venue where the funeral pyres rage on one side of the cremation ground and the loud music and revelry on the other.

However, the participatig women consider it a blessing to be able to perform the nearly 450 years old annual festive affair and believe they will be reborn as high caste women.

"We come here and pray to the Baba (the Godman) to help us attain blessings for a better life in our next birth. We pray that our life is less hassled and to achieve that we come here once every ear, to dance of our own accord," said Neetu, a sex worker.  (ANI)

Varanasi holy men demand scrapping of dam projects on Ganga

Varanasi holy men demand scrapping of dam projects on Ganga

                                          By Girish Kumar Dubey
Sunday, May 9, 2010

VARANASI - Hundreds of holy men in Varanasi held a rally on Saturday and demanded scrapping of dam projects on the River Ganga to save the livelihood of people.

They also say that the Ganga River, which flows through Gangotri in Uttarakhand, is much more cleaner than the river that flows Varanasi.

"We want that every dam project should be scrapped. Ganga should be clean because livelihood of ten to 20 crore people is linked with Ganga. The Indian Constitution says that a government should not do anything that hampers the livelihood of a person. That's why, now we are asking the government politely that such projects should be scrapped," said Swami Narendranand, a Hindu pontiff.

"We are also taking help of acts like RTI (Right to Information). Besides that, we want to know what would be an alternative solution for the issue. For example, looking for an alternative way of producing energy is a legal outlook; similarly there is a constructive prospect as well. Therefore, every step would be taken to create awareness. We would also pressurise the ministers for this," said K N Govindacharya, a former leader of BJP.

The Ganga is one of the main rivers of the Indian subcontinent, which rises from the Himalayas and drains into the Sunderbans delta of Bay of Bengal. (ANI)

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Batashas witness high demand on Diwali in Varanasi.

                                         Byline:By Girish Kumar Dubey

Varanasi, Oct.17 (ANI): On the occasion of Diwali, the festival of lights, Batashas or, the traditional candies, used mostly on religious occasions, were in high demand.

Prepared from boiling sugar syrups Noun 1. sugar syrup - sugar and water and sometimes corn syrup boiled together; used as sweetening especially in drinks
sirup, syrup - a thick sweet sticky liquid , these Batashas have their own significance and distinct taste.

On Diwali, as people worship Goddess Lakshmi and Lord Ganesha at their homes, offices and shops on this auspicious aus·pi·cious  
adj.
1. Attended by favorable circumstances; propitious: an auspicious time to ask for a raise in salary. See Synonyms at favorable.

2. Marked by success; prosperous.
..... Click the link for more information. occasion, Batashas are distributed among all after the prayers on this occasion as tradition sweets.

"These sugar candies hold lot of significance during Diwali. It is one of the essential offering made to the god on this occasion," said Kamakhaya Gupta, a maker of sugar candies in Varanasi.

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Available in several shapes and sizes nowadays, they attract children a lot. They are one of the essential divine offerings during Diwali, considered pure by the devout de·vout  
adj. de·vout·er, de·vout·est
1. Devoted to religion or to the fulfillment of religious obligations. See Synonyms at religious.

2. Displaying reverence or piety.

3.  Hindus.

"I have come here to buy sugar candies. As you know, these present days sweets that are made from Khoya (a milk product) are not good for health. Most of the Khoya is adulterated a·dul·ter·ate  
tr.v. a·dul·ter·at·ed, a·dul·ter·at·ing, a·dul·ter·ates
To make impure by adding extraneous, improper, or inferior ingredients.

adj.
1. Spurious; adulterated.

2. Adulterous.  these days. Hence I suggest that people must consume," said Arun Srivastava, a customer of Batasas, Varanasi.

Deepavali or Diwali is a five-day festival, celebrated across India on Kartik Amavasya (the new moon day), in Kartik month as per Hindu almanac almanac, originally, a calendar with notations of astronomical and other data. Almanacs have been known in simple form almost since the invention of writing, for they served to record religious feasts, seasonal changes, and the like. .

It is also known as Naruka Chaturdashi when Lord Vishnu destroyed the evil Narakasura.

Legend has it that Lord Rama entered Ayodhya on this day after 14 years in self-exile. People of Ayodhya lit lamps to welcome Lord Rama's return, and hence Diwali is observed.  (ANI)

Varanasi Muslim lady makes idols of Hindu gods

Nice example how devotional service is above bodily designation.

Varanasi Muslim lady makes idols of Hindu gods
                                             By Girish Kumar Dubey

http://www.newstrackindia.com/newsdetails/9110
Varanasi, Wed, 30 Jul 2008 ANI

Varanasi, July 30 (ANI): Despite occasional conflicts in the name of religion, there have been so many examples of communal harmony between Hindus and Muslims when people have risen above communal considerations and emerged clear winners.
One such winner is Nanhi Begum, a resident of Varanasi, who despite being a Muslim earns her livelihood by making idols of Hindu gods.
 

She has been making the idols of Hindu gods for the past 15 years after she lost her husband. In fact, it was her husband who introduced her to the art of making idols. She took to it as a vocation after her husband's demise. She feels proud that even after being a Muslim she is making idols of Hindu gods.

"My experience has been really good. I love carving these idols. I feel proud that I do such a noble deed. This is even what our culture teaches us; to stay untied," said Nanhi.
In this endeavour, she has full support of her family and peers. They help her in everyway from giving finishing touches to taking the products to the market.

"We feel proud that even after being a Muslim, we do this work," said, Maykash, a relative.
That idols of Hindu god's made by a Muslim lady and worshipped by Hindus with full faith clearly indicates that religion is not a dividing force.  (ANI)