Storyteller, Quizzer, Marcom Pro.
Storyteller, Quizzer, Marcom Pro.
The Doms is a community whose presence is inseparable from Varanasi’s cremation ghats. For centuries, they have overseen cremations at Manikarnika and Harishchandra, the two principal burning ghats on the Ganga. Their work is ritually central: arranging wood, building pyres,…
Did you know March, the third month of the modern calendar, derives its name from Latin Martius, meaning “month of Mars”? Mars was the Roman god of war, and March was originally the first month of the year in the…
At the northern edge of the Kashi Vishwanath temple complex in Varanasi stands the Gyan Vapi Well, a structure that has long shaped the identity of the precinct. The name comes from the Sanskrit jñāna (knowledge) and vāpī (well or…
Situated at Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi, the Ratneshwar Mahadev Temple is famous for its dramatic nine-degree tilt, which exceeds that of the Leaning Tower of Pisa. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, who is worshipped as Ratneshwar Mahadev, it is also called…
Hidden within the narrow lanes of Varanasi is the Kala Bhairava Temple, where Shiva is worshipped in his fiercest form. The name “Kala Bhairava” translates as time, death, and the color black, signifying the truth that all beings are subject…
Assi Ghat is located at the southern end of Varanasi where the small Assi stream meets the Ganges. An important spiritual and cultural landmark, the ghat derives its name from the Assi River, one of the two tributaries that lend…
Bheem, a humble potter, was an ardent devotee of Lord Venkateswara. Though his heart longed to visit the Lord’s temple at Tirumala, his meager earnings and daily toil kept him bound to his modest hut. Yet, his devotion never wavered.…
Harishchandra Ghat in Varanasi is one of the city’s oldest cremation grounds. It is named after the legendary king Harishchandra, whose life is remembered as a symbol of uncompromising truth. According to ancient texts, Harishchandra ruled the kingdom of Ayodhya…
Manikarnika Ghat in Varanasi is one of Hinduism’s holiest places, symbolically regarded as the meeting point of creation and destruction. As the busiest cremation ground on the banks of the Ganga, it is believed that a soul cremated here attains…
The Kashi Vishwanath Temple in Varanasi is among the most revered shrines of Hinduism. Dedicated to Lord Shiva, it is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, where Lord Shiva is manifested as a brilliant “column of light”. References in the Skanda…