Benares

City and sacred center (tirtha) on the
banks of the Ganges in the state of Uttar
Pradesh. Benares is an anglicized form
of Varanasi, one of the traditional Hindu
names for the city, as well as Kashi and
Avimukta. All three of these names are
used to designate the entire city, but in a
more specific context, they denote concentric sacred zones surrounding the
Vishvanath temple; Avimukta is the
smallest, then Varanasi, and finally
Kashi. As with all other pilgrimage
places on the Ganges, Benares is considered sacred because of its proximity to
the river, particularly because at Benares
the Ganges flows in a northerly direction, which is considered auspicious.
The Ganges is an integral part of the
identity of Benares, and much of the
city’s religious life centers around it.
The most important sacred presence
in the city, however, is the god Shiva.
Benares is the city of Shiva, his dwelling
place on earth, and the site he never
leaves, hence the name Avimukta
(“never forsaken”). Temples to Shiva are
scattered throughout the city—some
old, some new, some nearly forgotten—
but the most important is the
Vishvanath (“Lord of the Universe”)
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temple. Vishvanath is one of the twelve
jyotirlingas, a group of sites deemed
particularly sacred to Shiva. The original
Vishvanath temple was destroyed by the
Moghul emperor Aurangzeb, who built
a mosque on the site; the present
Vishvanath temple was rebuilt next to
the original location. Shiva’s eternal
presence makes Benares one of the
seven sacred cities, in which death
brings liberation of the soul (moksha).
At the moment of death, Shiva is
believed to come to the dying person
and impart his salvific wisdom. Shiva’s
presence is also evident at the cremation ground at the sacred site
Manikarnika Ghat, which is in the very
heart of the city rather than at the margin as in most other places. Here too
Shiva teaches human beings a lesson;
specifically, Shiva reminds them of their
imminent death. This is not to distress
or depress them, but to spur them on to
serious religious life.
The presence of the Ganges and
Shiva make Benares an ideal place to
die, or to immerse oneself in spiritual
life; what is often overlooked is that
Benares is also an unusually vibrant
place to live. It has a long history as a
trading center and market town, and it
remains so today even though the creaking wooden boats traversing the Ganges
have been supplemented by other
means of transport. Benares is famous
for its artisans, particularly weavers and
metalworkers, many of whom are
Muslim. It has also been renowned as a
cultural center for at least a thousand
years. Benares is still one of the most
important centers in India for all
branches of traditional Sanskritic learning, from grammar to astrology to medicine. It is likewise a center for music,
dance, and all of the arts and has been
home to a galaxy of Indian religious figures, including the poet-saints Tulsidas,
Ravidas, and Kabir. For a detailed exposition of the city and its life, see Diana
Eck, Banaras, 1999.