North India - Uttar Pradesh - Part 1

There are so many wonderful places to visit in the northern part of India. Of course, it is difficult for anyone to cover all of them in a single blog. Today, I will take you through some of the places in the most populated state of India - Uttar Pradesh.

Uttar Pradesh (UP) - meaning north region, is home to a lot of mythological and historical places. The mighty river Ganga, flows through the state, making it one of the most fertile lands. The best time to visit UP is during October to March as the temperatures here will be pleasant. Let's jump in and travel through a few of the places in UP. I will be covering the southern and eastern regions of UP in this blog.

VARANASI:

Varanasi or Benaras or Kashi is one of the oldest cities in the world. It is one of the seven sacred cities in India, the others being Mathura, Ayodhya, Dwaraka, Kanchi, Haridwar and Ujjain. Religiously, the city is said to be found by Lord Shiva and thus is known to be sacred.
The mighty Ganga flows through the city and this is the only place where the river flows in the north direction. The name Varanasi is derived from 2 other rivers - Varna and Assi which are both tributaries to Ganga. Along the banks of Ganga, are the famous 'ghats' where many religious traditions are followed. It is said that if one dies in Varanasi, he is cleared of all sins and he attains Moksha or liberation. One can find many sadhus or sages waiting for their death in Varanasi. It is also said that there is no sin to whoever cremates any dead person, so there is no castism in the city.
Varanasi also hosts the BHU - Banaras Hindu University, which is one of the oldest universities in the country

(Ghats view from the river Ganga)

With this brief history, let us visit some places around.

1. Vishwanath Temple
Kashi Vishwanath temple is one the famous temple in the world. It is one of the 12 Jyothirlingas - Holiest Shiva temple - spread across the length of the country. The main deity is Lord Vishwanatha, a form of Lord Shiva. As I said before, a visit to this temple and a bath in the river Ganga will lead to Moksha or Salvation.  The people believe that this place is holy and sacred because Lord Shiva is always present in this location. They do have a proof for this. Normally, when a leaf is thrown into water, it floats. However, in Ganga, if you a throw a leaf of Bilwa patra or Bhel plant, it sinks. Lord Shiva likes the leaf of this plant and is worshipped throughout with these leaves. That is the importance of the temple and the river.

(Kashi Vishwanath Temple)

As per history, Aurangzeb, a Mughal king, invaded this temple during his reign, with an aim to destroy this temple and the idol used for worshipping. However, the worshippers, in order to protect the idol, threw it into a well inside the temple. Aurangzeb could not find this idol and had to go back empty-handed. The idol was later retrieved and re-instilled. 

There are quite a few temples nearby. Among them are the Annapurna temple - dedicated to the God of food and Kala Bhairav temple. The Annapurna temple is sacred and is worshipped as it is believed the God is responsible for providing the food. The Kala Bhairav temple, it is said that, if you get a child to this temple, all the fears of the child are gone.

2. Sankat Mochan temple

Another important temple is the Sankat Mochan temple dedicated to Lord Hanuman. This temple was found by the great poet Tulsidas. There are two specialties of this temple. One - the offering to the deity is besan laddoo, a form of a sweet savory which the Lord relishes. And two - people here chant the Hanuman Chalisa continuously- a hymn dedicated to Hanuman.

(Sankat Mochan temple)

3. Old Kashi

Around 5kms from the Vishwanath temple, is the town of Old Kashi.  From here, the king Kashi Maharaj used to rule the city. From this king, the city gets its name as Kashi. The palace still exists here and is now converted to a museum, which holds all the arms and ammunition used by the king.

(Entry to the Kashi maharaj palace)

4. Sarnath

About 8kms from Varanasi, is another place with historic importance - Sarnath.

This place is more important to Buddhists, as this the place where Lord Buddha preached his first disciple. In another sense, Buddha after attaining enlightenment at Bodh Gaya, travelled to Sarnath and it was here that he gave his first teaching. There is a Buddha temple here which reminds this.

(Buddha Temple at Sarnath)

(The Buddha idol)

(Idols showing Buddha preaching his disciples)

Apart from this, Sarnath holds great importance during the reign of King Ashoka. It was here that the king erected the Ashoka Pillar or the Lion symbol which is used as an emblem till now. Although, the pillar was broken during Turks invasion, the emblem is still stored at the Sarnath Museum. There is an architectural site next to the Buddha temple, where there is a Stupa, called the Dhamek Stupa and the pillar was excavated. Now all that can be seen is the remains. Next to this, is the Sarnath museum which hold many findings from Sarnath.

(Remains at Sarnath)

(The Ashoka pillar which is now broken)

(Dhamek Stupa)

5. River Ganga

One of famous traditions that is followed from time immemorial is the Ganga Aarthi. This happens every day at dusk on the Dashashwamedha ghat on the banks of the river. Several priests hold a lamp or 'deepa' and rhythmically move it up and down. This is a way of offering prayer to river Ganga. The aarthi is a spectacle to watch.

(Dashashwamedha Ghat)

(Ganga Aarthi)

Food and Accommodation:

Varanasi is a heaven for foodie lovers, especially sweets. The milk sweets are utterly delicious and mouthwatering. The Rasgullas and Rajbhogs are famous ones here. One should also not miss the Lassi. The curd is thick here so the lassi is famous and once can find different types of lassi like Malai Lassi (Lassi with cream). The chats are also very different from the normal ones. The breakfast is usually Kachori or Puri baaji and Jalebi, all served hot. Another one dish famous here is the khullad chai, where milk tea is given in an earthen pot. The small pot varies in different sizes and shapes. It is said that, in Varanasi, once you drink from a khullad, you must not take it away and must be thrown. These are eco-friendly and one-time use and the tea remains hot.

Since Varanasi is a big city, you can find many hotels around. This attracts foreign visitors so there are 5-star hotels as well. There are a lot of mutts, from other states who have established themselves here, around the Vishwanath temple. Here, one can get accommodation at a very low price.

Ways to Reach:

Varanasi is well connected by road, rail and air transport. There are direct flights from New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata. One can catch a train or a bus to Varanasi from other cities in the state like Lucknow, Kanpur etc.

GAYA:

About 250kms to the east of Varanasi, is the city of Gaya.

Gaya lies in the state of Bihar and on the banks of the river Phalguni. This city is also one of the oldest cities in the world. It is said that Lord Ram and Sitha performed the last rites of his father Dasharath here. Since then, many people come here to perform the last rites so that their ancestors could attain salvation. There are 2 main temples here - Mangala Gauri temple, which is one of the 108 Shakthi peeth temples and the Vishnupad temple - where the footprints of Lord Vishnu are present and worshipped. The story of the river Phalguni is also interesting. The water on the river always flows underground. Only duing the monsoon season, one can see the water. Due to a curse, the water is always underground, and one can see only the riverbed. If one digs it, water will erupt from the bed.

(Enrty to Mangala Gauri temple)

About 15kms from Gaya is Bodh Gaya. This was here that Lord Buddha attained enlightenment under the Bodhi tree or the peepal tree. There is a huge temple here and one can see many foreigners from Buddhist countries like Sri Lanka, Thailand etc.

(Temple at Bodh Gaya)

A lot of buses ply to Gaya from Varanasi. There are good number of trains too, connecting major cities to Gaya junction.

PRAYAGRAJ (ALLAHABAD):

Prayagraj, previously and better known as Allahabad, is another important and big city, historically and economically. It is one among the most populous cities in the country. It is said that the Mughal emperor Akbar found this city. There is a fort along the banks of the river Yamuna.

However, the main thing why this city is important is because of Triveni Sangam. 3 rivers, Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati join here which makes the place very scared. One can see only 2 rivers as the third river - Saraswati cannot be seen. Some say the river flows beneath while some say the course of the river was changed and it flows west ward to join the Arabian sea in Dwaraka, Gujarat. Nevertheless, the place is still sacred. Every 12 years here, a fair happens on a large scale called as Khumbh Mela. This happens during the months of January - February. Here, prayers are offered to the rivers and taken bath. It is said, that one dip in the river during that time and especially in the Sangam relieves you of all your sins.

(Seagulls at the Sangam)

(2 rivers can be seen distinctively - the black one is Yamuna while the brown is Ganga)

There is another of the 108 Shakthi peeth temple here - Alopi Devi temple. The fingers of God Sati are worshipped here.

Prayagraj is also the place where Jawahar Lal Nehru stayed. His residence, Anand Bhavan, still exists and is now converted to a museum and holds a planetarium too.

(Anand Bhavan)

Food, Accommodation and Ways to reach:

Prayagraj is a big city, so one need not worry about food and accommodation. A lot of restaurants are available which cater to all types to people. Similarly, many hotels are present so finding a lodge is not a difficulty. But one should be careful if he is visiting the place during Khumbha Mela. Due to huge number of people attending this, find a place to stay is impossible.

Prayagraj holds a domestic airport and has direct flights from New Delhi, Mumbai. As for railways, it is one of the major junctions. Many buses ply here from different parts of the state.

CHITRAKOOT:

Around 140kms from Prayagraj, along the border of MadhyaPradesh, is Chitrakoot. Very few people know about this place, but this place is important mythologically. There are so many places around the town that one can visit. It is said that Lord Ram, after leaving Ayodhya, spent most of his time here.

Chitrakoot lies on the banks of the river Mandakini. Many trains ply here. However, the nearest airport is Prayagraj. One can catch a cab from Prayagraj and reach here.
As I mentioned before, the town lies on the border of UP and MP. Once can easily recognize which state they are in, as the river serves as a border. One side of the river falls in UP while if you cross to the other side, you are in MP. There are a lot of fancy boats, which ferry from one side to the other side of the river. The boats are highly decorated with lots of pomp and show, with music systems etc. They are a treat to watch.

(Decorated boats on the river)

Lets visit some of the places around here.

Bharat Milap:

When Lord Ram left Ayodhya, for 14 year of exile, his brother Bharat did not want to rule the kingdom. He went to meet Ram to persuade Ram to come back. Instead, Bharat returned to Ayodhya with Ram's sandals and he installed them as the ruler and ruled on Ram's behalf. This is the place where Bharat met Ram and got his sandals. The temple here is very calm and peaceful.

Ram Ghat:
This is at the heart of Chitrakoot, on the banks of Mandakini river. All the fancy boats can be seen here. It is place where Lord Ram, Sita and Lakshman appeared in front of the great poet Tulsidas and this is where he wrote the Ram Charithra Manas - a hymn comprising the story of Ramayan.

(Lord Hanuman statue at Ram Ghat)

Gupt Godavari:

Gupt Godavari is a pair of caves, where Lord Ram, Sita and Lakshman stayed inside. There is a water stream flowing inside the cave and no one knows the source of it. Hence the name Gupt Godavari - the secret river. This is a must visit place and is located at about 10kms from Chitrakoot. One should wade through the waters inside the cave to reach the end.

(Gupt Godavari entrance)

(Water inside the caves)

Hanuman Dhara:

Hanuman Dhara is the name of the spring which sprouted from a rock when Lord Ram shot an arrow into it to calm down an enraged Hanuman when he came to this place to extinguish the fire that was caught in his tail after he returned from burning Lanka. It is situated on a hill.

Sati Anasuya Ashram:

Sati Anasuya was the wife of the great sage Atri. Legend says that once the Trinity - Lord Brahma, Lord Vishnu and Lord Shiva decided to test her sanctity. So they changed themselves to sages and came to her home begging for arms. In this pretext, they asked her to serve them food undressed. In order to protect her sanctity, she sprinkled holy water on them, made them as babies and fed them. She is worshipped all over the country for this. It is also said prayed to God to end famine in this region and that's when the river Mandakini was blessed here.

(Sati Anasuya Ashram)

I have covered a few places in the southern and eastern part of the state in this blog, mainly keeping Varanasi as the center place. So, travelling to these places from Varanasi is quite easy. I will cover the northern part in the next blog. Until then sayonara.