By sagnika sinha
Varanasi is often called the spiritual capital of India! What could be a better way of visiting Varanasi if not with your family? I visited Varanasi with my parents to seek blessing from Lord Shiva, one of the three Principal deities of the Hindus.
The popular temple, Sri Kashi Vishwanath Temple is an ode to Lord Shiva, Mahadev. According to Mythology, the city of Kashi or Varanasi was founded by Shiva, and he lived here. Apparently, it was his winter abode as he lived in the upper regions of the Himalayas!
I have always been drawn to Mahadev and follow myths, stories, and folktales related to him. So, when I proposed a family travel to Kashi to my parents, they readily agreed. The city is ancient, and it holds immense religious and spiritual significance for humans! It is also a perfect solo travel destination!
Furthermore, the planning, bookings for accommodation, transportation and travel itinerary were so smooth that it felt like we were blessed by Mahadev himself! When you visit Kashi, you will realize that it is not just Hindus, but people from around the world who visit Shri Vishwanath!
A spiritual journey to Varanasi
The more I researched Varanasi, the more I fell in love with the cultural history and religious significance of the place. They say you cannot visit Kashi, if Mahadev does not want you to! Kashi, Varanasi or Benaras is one of the oldest cities in the world!
When you visit Varanasi, you feel like you have gone back in time, learning about stories of deities who lived on the land. Even the river Ganga, called Maa (Mother) in Hindi reverberates with chants and hymns on the Ghats by Sadhus, Yogis, and Sanyasis!
With this trip, my parents celebrated their 33 years of togetherness while I felt enlightened visiting the spiritual ghats and temples! I listened to myths and legends from other pilgrims and witnessed marriages organized on the banks of the river Ganga with the blessings of Mahadev!
We saw temples that were submerged in the Ganges, dating back to the 9th century BC. These indicate an archeological collection that is very old, creating a fascinating story of civilizations long gone by! You must have Varanasi as one of the travel destinations on your bucket list.
Day 1 – Evening Ganga Aarti with Dashashwamedh Ghat
On the first day, we traveled from Kolkata to Varanasi, a 1 hour 20-minute flight. I booked a cab from the government taxi stand to reach our hotel, Hotel Saffron, 10 minutes’ walk to Dashashwamedh Ghat. We checked in and then left for the ghat after having some food!
The name of the ghat came from the sacrifice Brahma made with ten Ashwamedha (horses) sacrifices. It is an event that will take your breath away.
One of the most vibrant ghats, we attended the Ganga Aarti in the evening. It is a fire ceremony, popular globally, the aarti is performed by priests performing rituals in complete synchronized movements.
Hindu Mythology states that Lord Brahma organizes a fire sacrifice, a yagna to welcome Lord Shiva from exile at the ghat. Apparently, the aarti symbolizes the same holy fire ritual with incense, devotional songs, conch sounds and fire.
It was a mix of emotions, devotion and heartfelt prayers. We then went to Manikarnika Ghat, bodies getting to cremate all around. Another holiest ghat, you must visit the ghat if you go to Kashi! Hence proved, Kashi is perfect as one of the places to travel for family vacation!
After the completion of the aarti, we went to eat street food like tamatar chat, samosa chaat and lassi. Finally went back to the hotel, done for the day. The welcome was ethereal in one word!
Day 2 – Visiting the Gatekeeper of Kashi
I made a detailed family travel plan for this day as I wanted to visit several temples! We first went to worship one of the oldest Shiva temples in Varanasi, India, Kaal Bhairav Mandir, also known as the Dwarpal or gatekeeper of Kashi.
It is said that you must start with Kaal Bhairav before you worship Kashi Vishwanath! I made a deal with an auto driver who would take us to 5 temples for Rs. 750/-. He then took us to DurgaKund temple, a vermilion red temple with a huge pond with it.
The sanctuary is considered sacred as the divine power protects Varanasi. According to the legends, the temple is at the place where Goddess Durga won over demon Mahisasur. Henceforth, the place has both cultural and spiritual significance.
Our next visit was to Tulsi Manas Mandir, not that far away from Durgakund temple. Another popular temple with religious and cultural significance, as you can find, is mentioned in the Ramcharitmanas.
Lastly, we went to Sankat Mochan Mandir, located literally close to Assi ghat. Devotion and faith are the pillars of this place as this temple was dedicated to the god Hanuman! He was a huge devotee of Shri Ram, an avatar of God Vishnu hence, the temple denotes prayers to him.
Once we were done with all the darshans, I took my parents on a boat ride. We were taken to see all the ghats from the river, a total of 88 ghats. The boat drivers asked us to buy food for the birds so that we could take pictures, it felt like a connection with them.
A natural way of connecting with these immigratory Siberian birds, the boatmen took Rs. 1200/- for a session of an hour and a half!
Day 3 – Bow to Sri Kashi Vishwanath Temple
Have you heard of the legends where the first Jyotirlinga manifested? Apparently, there was a fight between Brahma and Vishnu about their supremacy among all, Gods and humans! This was settled by Shiva, who proved his supremacy over all with the fiery pillar of light, the jyotirlinga breaking the Earth’s crust.
It reached heaven, while no beginning or ending was to be seen. Henceforth, Varanasi is one of the most sacred religious sites in India. ‘Moksha’ is another concept, receiving liberation from the cycle of rebirth, resolving all past actions.
Sri Kashi Vishwanath Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva, 1 of the 12 Jyotirlingas, we visited it early morning. It was the anniversary of my parent’s wedding when my parents and I took a boat to reach the temple around 7:30 in the morning.
We entered through the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham Corridor, the Ganga Dwar that has been constructed along the Ganges River, closer to the Manikarnika Ghat! The corridor has ensured that the temple has become more accessible to pilgrims.
In my recommendation, you should visit the temple between 6 a.m. to 9 a.m. because after that you have to stand in long queues and the crowd increases. There is a guarded locker room where you can keep your bags and mobile phones, as cameras are prohibited.
We then bought the prasad and ‘panchamrut’, a mix of ghee, yogurt, honey and milk to offer Lord Vishwanath. The darshan was spiritual and beautiful at its core, as we witnessed in the morning aarti.
We came out of the temple corridor from gate 2 and then went on to worship Maa Annapurna and Maa Vijayalakshmi! I enjoyed breakfast with my parents, hing ki kachori and Malaaiyo, the famous desert of Varanasi!
Day 4 – Knowledge in Sarnath Buddhist Temple
This was the last day of my family travel plan to Varanasi. I booked another auto (turtuk) for Rs. 500/- for a round trip. It is a very common transport in Kashi apart from public buses, cabs and rikshaws.
The auto driver took us to a great place to have breakfast, kachori sabzi and maalpua. Sarnath is a bit far from the main city of Varanasi, so it took about 35 minutes to reach via auto. We first went to the place of the sermon with the temple surrounded by trees and plants.
Inside the temple, there are several paintings that depict the teachings and life of Buddha. There are several statues and artifacts across the temple area while the Sarnath stupa is situated 10 minutes away from the temple. Based on the overall expenditure, I also feel we can plan a budget travel in Varanasi, will try next time.
If anyone in your family has knee pain, it is better to take the auto instead of walking. I got myself a ticket for Rs. 5/- and then checked out the remains of the Ashok Chakra pillar which is preserved inside a glass box. There is also a white color Buddha situated in the Garden area, beautifully decorated!
Cycle of Life and Death – Customize your family travel!
With increasing trends in domestic travel, family travel will be one of the most trending in this year. Even though I took my parents to visit Varanasi, it was more than just family travel.
It was a thrill-packed journey with several ups and downs! Be it a blocked motor in the boat in the middle of the river or getting lost in the evening when returning from Dashashwamedh ghat.
My parents were very sporty even though we had our fair share of arguments! Furthermore, I would ask you to make plans with your family and help you make some of the most beautiful and memorable moments in life.
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