BANARAS GULLYS and GHATS WALK - AN AUDIO GUIDE by HopOn India

BANARAS GULLYS and GHATS WALK - AN AUDIO GUIDE by HopOn India

The walk through the HopOn India app that covers the serpentine gullys for which Banaras is so popular. This is where you will notice how Banaras celebrates both life and death with equal fervor. It is a do-it-yourself app

The most special features of this experience are : 1. The App opens up new places and new stories for you in the same old cities 2. Each walk is crafted like a masterpiece to offer an immersive experience to the traveller with the correct mix of history, culture, myth, food , through professional narration, with background scores of music, qawalli or sound affects, here and there 3. There is no need for you to depend on a guide - the traveller can take the walk anytime as per will, at his/ her own pace 4. The content is developed by domain experts and curated with utmost care, leaving no room for dependence on the guide's knowhow 5.You pay once for three months and need not pay the guide repeatedly.

On the way we also cross some iconic street food joints.

Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product

Stop At: Girjaghar Crossing, Misir Pokhra, Sidhgiribagh, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221001, India

We are at the very busy

Girjaaghar Chauraha. The noise here can be

disorienting, so take a moment and get your

bearings. The crowd may probably disorient you

even more. To enjoy the walk, I suggest you take the

time to get used to both the crowd and the noise. It

is in this din that you will discover the real Banaras.

I hope you have good-quality head phones. And do

increase the volume on your device if you need.

We are about 150 meters away from the mighty

Ganges. If you are standing facing the Church, the

lane to your left will take you to the famous

Dashashvamedh Ghat on the banks of River Ganga.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: St. Thomas Church, Girja Ghar, Ramapura Luxa, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221001, India

It is believed that Saint Thomas, one of the twelve

Apostles of Jesus Christ, came to Banaras sometime

between 52 and 72 AD, and as it happens with

everyone who visits this place, he too fell in love

with it. According to some Christian historical

treatises, more than 1900 years ago, Saint Thomas

reached Banaras from the South Indian city of

Chennai. This place was but a forest then. He

erected a cross and prayed here. Then, this fact

remained lost to humanity for centuries. In the

seventeenth century, a soldier named George, who

was working for the East India Company,

rediscovered this place. He had read St. Thomas’

accounts of his travels and was keen to find the

place where the revered saint had worshipped

Christ.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Kashi Chat Bhandar, D.37/49 Godowlia Road, Girja Ghar Chauraha, Badadev, Godowlia, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221001, India

While religion may provide food for thought here,

no trip to Kashi can be complete without savoring

its gastronomical delights. For street food is in

reality a delight here. Just a few warning bells

though: The food here can be spicy and is typically

fried. It is ideal to drink only bottled water. Also,

keep your portions small as there are just about so

many recommended eating joints here. Small

portions will let you sample at more places.

To begin with, let me introduce you to Banaras’

heavenly specialty in the world of food: Chaat. The

word "chaat" itself is connected to the act of licking

one’s lips! "Chaat" is the name given to a huge

variety of savoury snacks that are consumed in

every corner of India. You can think of Chaat as the

Indian equivalent of the Spanish Tapas.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Godowlia ( Four Way ) Crossing, D 36/190, Godowlia Rd August Kundaas, Godowlia Rd, August Kundaas, Godowlia, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221001, India

now. This is the

main crossroads of Banaras, so the crowd of tourists

here can be maddening.

The name is inspired by the River Godavari that

flows in Southern India and is called the Ganges of

the South.

We will continue walking straight ahead from

Godowlia. Right on the crossroads, to your left is

The Marwari Hospital. We have to cross the road in

front of us and keep walking straight, keeping the

Marwari Hospital to the left. This road leads to the

famous Dashashvamedh Ghat, the main ghat of

Banaras. The market around you is also the busiest

market in Banaras. You will find an array of shops

selling Banarasi saris. The Banarasi Sari is a fast-

disappearing piece of Varanasi’s heritage. Banarasi

Saris were originally made of high quality silk, and

had elaborate brocade or zari work in threads of

gold and silver. These saris were the work of highly

skilled artisans, but they are now threatened by

machine-made saris that use lower-grade silk. If

you find an authentic seller, do consider supporting

them by buying a sari.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple (Golden Temple), Lahori Tola, Varanasi 221001 India

We will keep on walking towards Viswanath Gully Entrance from Gowdoliya Chowk. There is hardly an hour when these gullys are not full of people, both the well dressed and half naked.

Some walking with a purpose, some mindful of their

surroundings, but many lost in their own thoughts

and those blocking the narrow lanes as if they own

them.

This is the real Banaras, the city of lanes. These

gullys may remind you of Venice! This city does have

a similar carefree attitude and you may find that the

Italian saying of “Dolce far Niente” or the sweetness

of doing nothing applies to us too. A walk through

these gullys brings you closer to the character of

Banaras.

Each gully of Banaras has a name and a story behind

it. You will walk on the Vishwanath Gully because it leads to

Kashi Vishwanath Temple, the most famous temple

of Banaras. As we come closer to the end of this gully, you will

find the gully splits in two parts. We have to take the

left gully. The gully to the right will take you to the

Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Kashi Vishwanath is one

of the twelve jyotirlingas, and hence highly revered

by the followers of Lord Shiva. The right time to visit

the temple is between 5am and 6am in the morning,

when you can also participate in the aarti.


Duration: 15 minutes

Stop At: Vishwanath Chat Bhandar, Nichi Brahmpuri, 11, 23, Vishwanath Gali, Kotwalpura, Lahori Tola, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221001, India

It will appear like any other street food joint eatery,

but appearances here can be deceptive. This shop

serves the best pani puris or golgappas in the world.

Take our word for it. The shop opens at 2 PM in the

afternoon and if you happen to be taking the walk

after that, I highly recommend trying out their fare.

After having the usual, do remember to ask for their

golguppa filled with curd and a final sookha or dry

golguppa.

Once you have had your fill, start moving again,

keeping the Vishwanath Chaat Bhandaar to your

right.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Varanasi Shri Kashi Math Samsthan, K 22/87 Brahma Ghat, Ratan Phatak, Ghasi Tola, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221001, India

With a temple at every nook and corner, you can

imagine the city’s heavy demand for flowers. We will start walking from from Bansphatak. This path will lead us to the oldest area of Banaras,

simply called the Chowk or a square. To our right is

the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. The Kashivishwanath Temple complex currently has

many small temples. In this walk, however, we will

not go to the temple. But I do recommend that you

visit the temple later.

The climb up the road must be about to end now. If

you now look to your left, you will notice the flower

market of Banaras, or as it is locally called, the phool

mandi.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Kachori Gali, 21, Tripura Bhairwi Rd, Rani Kuan,Chowk,Chowk Godowlia, Lahori Tola, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221001, India

The gully that we are passing through right now

leads us to the famous Kachori gully. Kachori is

arguably the most famous dish of Banaras. Made of

flour and spices, it is deep fried. It is tasty and sinful,

and you cannot leave Banaras without having one.

There was a time when this gully was famous for its

numerous kachori shops. Now just a handful remain,

and the quality of the kachoris served here leave a

lot to be desired. There are better places in the

Godowlia and Chowk areas to have kachoris. The

gully that we are now standing at leads us to the

famous cremation ground of Banaras - Manikarnika

Ghat. People eating kachori here are mostly part of

funeral processions and come here to grab a bite

after having cremated a body at the ghat. I wouldn’t

be surprised if you have already crossed a funeral

procession by now.

A warning before I tell you more about your

surroundings. The gullys here are a maze, and even

Google is unable to map the place properly. So

please feel free to ask people for directions. We are

headed to Manikarnika Ghat, and if you think you

are lost, just ask for directions to the ghat to get

back on track. We have also tried to map the route

on our App.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Shree Rajbandhu Sweets, CK 29, 9, Kachaudi Gali, Near Manikarnika Dwar, Govindpura, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221001, India

The sweet shop that you can see to your right is the

famous Rajbandhu Sweets. If you have a sweet

tooth, do try some of their delicacies.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Blue Lassi Shop, CK 12/1 Kunj Gali, Kachaudi Gali, Near Rajbandhu, Govindpura, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221001, India

As soon as you have turned right, you will see a lassi

shop located to your right. You may also observe a

lot of foreign tourists in this shop. This is the world

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famous Blue Lassi Shop of Banaras. The name may

intrigue you, but rest assured, they don’t serve a

blue-coloured lassi. The blue walls of the shop give

the shop its name. If you want to enjoy some fruit-

flavouerd lassi, this is a great place. For those of you

who don’t know, lassi is a sweet and thick yogurt-

based drink, good for the stomach in this tropical

weather. If you are going in, do pause the narration.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Manikarnika Ghat, Ghasi Tola Road, Varanasi 221001 India

Manikarnika Ghat is Banaras’s main cremation

ground. Are you wondering why we’re walking to a

cremation site? Well, in Banaras, death is

auspicious, and you cannot know the real Banaras

until you have visited Manikarnika Ghat.

Banaras is not just a city; it is a way of life—a

philosophy. Here, death is not considered

inauspicious a tragedy; in fact, it is said that dying

here frees the soul from the cycle of life and death.

Gaining this freedom or attaining salvation or

nirvana is the ultimate goal of life, and that is why

death here is nothing to be sad about. Banaras is

perhaps the only city in the entire world where

people view both life and death with the same eye.

On the one hand Banaras practices the philosophy

of living each moment in a carefree manner, and on

the other it shows you a way of embracing death.

Once you have understood this truth, then all of life

becomes a celebration. You may also find a funeral

procession that is accompanied by a musical band

here. A quick word of caution, though – it is not

advisable to take photographs here, for risk of

offending the people.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Scindia Ghat, Dashaswamedh Ghat Near Ganges, Varanasi India

This is Scindia Ghat.

You will immediately notice the ghat’s unique look,

with a large temple-shaped gate right in its middle.

As the name suggests, this Ghat has a connection

with the Scindia Dynasty of Gwalior. In 1835, Baija

Bai Scindia, the wife of Maharaja Daulatrao Scindia

of Gwalior, got this stone ghat built. Before that, this

ghat was known as Veereshwar Ghat after the

famous temple of Lord Aatmaveereshwar Mahadev

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Sankata Ghat, Assi Ghat Rd Ghasi Tola, Varanasi 221010 India

The ghat is named

after the temple of goddess Sankata, which was built

by Gahna Bai Gaikwad in 1820. Later in 1924, Sayaji

Rao III of Baroda restored it. A prayer at the temple

helps devotees overcome all sorts of trouble.

Sankata is Hindi for trouble. The gullys above this

ghat are full of temples.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Panchganga Ghat, Varanasi India

Before we go to Panchganga Ghat we will be at Balaji Ghat.

But, more seriously, you are now standing at the

very spot where the legendary Ustad Bismillah Khan

used to play the shehnai almost every day. What he

created with the shehnai was pure magic.

Ustad Bismillah Khan was extremely fond of

Banaras and the Ganga. He is known to have

attributed his freshness of mind and soul and his

energy to the Ganga. A story goes that on a trip to

the United States, he was once offered citizenship.

He is supposed to have retorted “Just bring the

Ganga to United States and I too will come and stay

here.”

It is said that during his youth, the ustad used to

spend hours on this very ghat practicing his music

and perform at the Naubatkhana of Balaji Temple.

The Balaji Temple is located just above the ghat

here. Legend has it that Lord Balaji himself

appeared in front of him once when he was

performing here. His music was meditative.

Now we will walk towards Panchganaga Ghat. Panch is Hindi

for the numeral five.

Legend has it that there was a confluence of five

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rivers on this ghat and hence the name. These rivers

were Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati, Dhootpaapaa and

Kirnaa.

According to the ancient Indian scriptures, before

the Ganga arrived in Kashi, the rivers Kirnaa and

Dhootpaapa flowed here. Later Ganga, Yamuna and

Saraswati came here, and thus Panchganga was

formed. Today, however, there is no sign of any

other river here but the mighty Ganga. Whatever the

truth, the name Panchganga has stuck. Bathing here

is considered very auspicious.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Alamgir Mosque, Nr. Panchganga Ghat, Varanasi 221002 India

the Alamgir

Mosque, which was built at the place of the old

Aadikeshava temple. The mosque was constructed

by Aurangzeb. This is the only mosque located on

the bank of Ganga between Aadikeshav and Assi.

We now need to walk up the steep stairs to reach

the top of the ghat. The steps are indeed steep and I

suggest that you climb up slowly. If you tire easily

tire, do feel free to stop on the way and rest on the

steps while you regain your breadth. The steps will

take you back to the gullys.

Duration: 5 minutes

Stop At: Kaal Bhairava Mandir, K33/18, Bhat Ki Gali, Golghar, Ghasi Tola, Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh 221001, India

From this point, you will need to walk a bit to reach

a proper road from where you can find a means of

transport.

We recommend that you get into the gully and find

your way to the famous Kaal Bhairav Temple. No

visit to an abode of Lord Shiva temple is complete

without paying obeisance to Kaal Bhairav.

Bhairav ​​was born from the fire of the wrath of

Lord Shiva, and hence he is a form of Shiva himself.

He is the guardian god of Banaras. It is believed that

you need permission from Kaal Bhairaav to stay in

Banaras. He is the administrative officer of this city,

and that is why he is called the 'Kotwal' or the Chief

Police Officer of Kashi.

The temple of Kaal Bhairav is thronged with

devotees. We suggest that you ask your way around to

the temple. It is about a kilometer from here. The

temple is close to the main road. You can take a ride

back from there to your place of residence. Our App

also shows you a route to Kaal Bhairaav temple.

There are alternative routes too. As we said, just keep

asking the locals for directions.

Walking around these streets of Banaras has always

been a wonderful experience for me, and I hope you

have enjoyed it as much.

On your way, you will cross several paan or betel

leaf shops. You can sample Banarasi Paan on the

way. This will give you an excuse to ask for

directions and also engage in Banarasi Adi. The

Banarasi of pakka mahaal is extremely friendly and

helpful. Someone may even accompany you all the

way to Bhaironath Temple.

In any case, any person you ask will tell you the way

with all sincerity.

We will leave you now with the words of Mark Twain,

the renowned author. He said, “Benaras is older

than history, older than tradition, older even than

legend and looks twice as old as all of them put

together.”

Duration: 15 minutes