Varanasi

VARANASI

Varansi , Uttar Pradesh

Varanasi, also known as Banaras or Kashi, is a city on the banks of the river Ganges in Uttar Pradesh, India.

How to reach:

The Varanasi railway junction and Kashi railway station are the two main railheads in Varanasi. Both these railway stations are well linked with prime Indian cities via extensive rail network. Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport or Varanasi Airport is linked to some prime Indian cities like Mumbai and Delhi.

Khasi Railway Station              

Varanasi Railway Station         

Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport

History:

A major religious hub in India, it is the holiest of the seven sacred cities (Sapta Puri) in Hinduism and Jainism, and played an important role in the development of Buddhism and Ravidassia. Varanasi grew as an important industrial centre famous for its muslin and silk fabrics, perfumes, ivory works, and sculpture.

Sapta Puri , India 

 Buddha is believed to have founded Buddhism here around 528 BCE when he gave his first sermon, "The Setting in Motion of the Wheel of Dharma", at nearby Sarnath.

Sarnath

During the Muslim rule through the Middle Ages, the city continued as an important centre of Hindu devotion, pilgrimage, mysticism and poetry which further contributed to its reputation as a centre of cultural importance and religious education. Tulsidas wrote his epic poem on Rama's life called Ram Charit Manas in Varanasi.

Tulsi Das

                                                                                         

 Guru Nanak visited Varanasi for Maha Shivaratri in 1507, a trip that played a large role in the founding of Sikhism. In the 16th century, Varanasi experienced a cultural revival under the Mughal emperor Akbar who patronised the city, and built two large temples dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu, though much of modern Varanasi was built during the 18th century, by the Maratha and Bhumihar Brahmin kings.

Places of interest:

•    Kashi Vishwanath Temple: Kashi Vishwanath Temple is regarded as one of the most popular Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva’

Kashi Vishwanath Temple

•    Dashashwamedh Ghat: As the name suggests, it is believed that this is the place where Lord Brahma performed the Dasa Ashwamedha sacrifice. This ghat is a religious spot and many rituals are performed here.

Dashashwamedh Ghat

•    The Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple: The Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple is situated by the River Assi and was built in the 1900s by the freedom fighter Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya.

The Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple

•    Assi ghat: The Asi Ghat is placed at the confluence of the Rivers Assi and Ganga and is famous for the large Shiva Lingam installed under a peepal tree.

Assi Ghat

•    New Vishwanath Temple: Situated within the campus of the Banaras Hindu University (BHU), this temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva along with the sculptures of multiple Hindu Gods and Goddesses.

New Vishwanath Temple

•    Tulsi Mansa Temple: Constructed in 1964, this temple is dedicated to Lord Rama and is named after the saint poet Tulsi Das.

Tulsi Manasa Temple

Interesting facts:

•    Hindus believe that dying here and getting cremated along the banks of the "holy" Ganges river allows one to break the cycle of rebirth and attain salvation.

•    It is believed that this holy city is one of the oldest living cities in the world.

•    One of Asia's largest residential universities is Banaras Hindu University (BHU).

•    Not only is Varanasi the spiritual capital of the nation, it is also a leading trading center as a great amount of trade is done here.

•    Ravi Shankar and the shehnai maestro, Ustad Bismillah Khan, the leading legends of the industry also have their roots in this place.

•    A very uncanny and astonishing custom is practiced in this city – frog marriage, which is particularly done in the rainy season at the Ashwamedh Ghat. The priest performs the ceremony of wedding a couple of frogs and then they are then left into the river.

BHU 

Jhansi

Jhansi

Jhansi Fort , Jhansi , Uttar Pradesh

Jhansi is a historic city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. In the 18th century, the town of Jhansi served as the capital of a Maratha province and later the Princely State of Jhansi from 1804 till 1853, when the territory became a part of British India.

How to reach:

There are no regular flights from other major cities of the country to Jhansi. Gwalior Airport is the nearest airport. The city is well connected to the other major cities of the country via regular trains as well as buses.

Gwalior Air Port , Madhya Pradesh

Old picture of Jhansi 

History:

The original city grew around its stone fort which crowns a neighbouring rock. The ancient name of the city was Balwantnagar. From 1817 to 1854, Jhansi was the capital of the princely state of Jhansi which was ruled by Gurjar rajas.

The state was annexed by the British Governor General in 1854; Damodar Rao's claim to the throne was rejected but Rani Lakshmibai ruled it from June 1857 to June 1858. On 10 May 1857 the Indian Rebellion started in Meerut. Jhansi was one the major cities which supported the revolt and Lakshmibai rose to fame due to her heroic deeds during the crisis.

Damodar Rao 

On 17 June in Kotah-ki-Serai near the Phool Bagh of Gwalior, a squadron of the 8th (King's Royal Irish) Hussars, under Captain Heneage, fought the large Indian force commanded by Rani Lakshmibai, who was trying to leave the area. The 8th Hussars charged into the Indian force, slaughtering 5,000 Indian soldiers, including any Indian "over the age of 16". In this engagement, Rani Lakshmibai was killed by the British soldiers.

Kotah-ki-Serai

Places of Interest:

•    Rani Mahal: Rani Mahal in Jhansi, translating to the queen's palace, is the former residence and royal palace of Rani Lakshmi Bai.

Rani Mahal

•    Jhansi Fort: The Jhansi Fort is located at the top of Bagira, a hill situated in Uttar Pradesh in the northern part of India. It is a 17th-century architectural monument that has undergone royal construction followed by massive destruction in the first War of Independence against the British East India Company.

Jhansi Fort

•    Jhansi Museum: Jhansi Museum is one of the iconic museums of India constructed around the late 19th century that helps us to track down the roots of Indian history of colonial India.

Jhansi Museum

•    The Cenotaph of Raja Gangadhar Rao: The Cenotaph of Raja Gangadhar Rao, the Raja of Jhansi, was built after his death by his queen, Rani Lakshmibai in 1853.

The Cenotaph of Raja Gangadhar Rao

•    Orchha Fort Complex: The small town of Orchha situated 16 km from Jhansi in Madhya Pradesh emanates an architecturally historicized complex called the Orchha Fort Complex. It was built in 1501 AD by Raja Rudra Pratap Singh of the Bundela dynasty.

Orchha Fort Complex 

Interesting facts:

•    Also called the Gateway to Bundelkhand, Jhansi is situated between the rivers Pahuj and Betwa.

•    In the British report of the battle of 17th June, Hugh Rose commented that Rani Lakshmibai is "personable, clever and beautiful" and she is "the most dangerous of all Indian leaders"

•    Movies which are filmed in or associated with Jhansi include: Jhansi Ki Rani (1953 film), Raavan (2010 film) and Manikarnika: The Queen of Jhansi (2019 film).

Pahuj and Betwa 

Hugh Rose

Map of Kotah Ki Serai

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Hazarduari Palace

Hazarduari Palace

Hazarduari Palace , earlier known as the Bara Kothi, is located in the campus of Kila Nizamat in Murshidabad, in West Bengal.

How to reach:

Many trains are available from Kolkata station to Murshidabad station. Hazarduari palace is located 3 kilometers away from the station.

History:

The foundation stone of the palace was laid on 9 August 1829, and that very day the construction work was started. William Cavendish was the then Governor-General of India. Colonel Duncan MacLeod of the Bengal Corps of Engineers supervised the construction. The construction was completed in December 1837. The name of the palace that is Hazarduari means "a palace with a thousand doors". Hazar means "thousand" and Duari means "the one with doors"; thus, the total sums up to "the one with a thousand doors". The palace has 1000 doors, of which100 are false, and a total of 114 rooms.

Interesting Facts:

• The false doors were built so that if any predator tried to do something wrong and escape, he would be confused between the false and real doors, and by that time he would be caught by the Nawab's guards.

• A grand flight of stairs of 37 steps of stone, the lowermost one of which is 108 feet (33 m) long, leads up to the palace's upper portico. This grand staircase is perhaps the biggest one in India.

• There is a total of 20 galleries in the museum which showcases different objects of historical importance such as armory, paintings and royal exhibits

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National Library , Kolkata

National Library of India

Overall view of National Library , Kolkata

Location :The National Library of India on the Belvedere Estate in Alipore, Kolkata, is the largest library in India by volume, and India's library of public record.

Interior of National Library , Kolkata

How to reach :

The National Library is located on Belvedere Road in Alipore, Calcutta. It is easily accessible and one can take a cab or a bus and it takes 8 minutes to reach the Library from Kolkata

Entrance of National Library , Kolkata

History:

The history of the National library began with the formation of Calcutta public library in 1836. Both Indian as well as foreign books were purchased for the library. Calcutta public library was the first public library at this part of the world. Such a well-organized and efficiently run library was rare even in Europe during the first half of the 19th century.

 The Imperial Library was formed in 1891 by combining a number of Secretariat libraries in Calcutta. After independence the Government of India changed the name of the Imperial Library to the National Library, and the collection was transferred from The Esplanade to the present Belvedere Estate. On 1 February 1953 the National Library was opened to the public by Maulana Abul Kalam Azad.

Old picture of National Library , Kolkata

Interesting Facts:

• It is the largest in India with a collection in excess of 2.2 million books.

• Before independence, it was the official residence of Governor-General of India.

• The National Library has over 45 kilometers of shelf space

• The Library has reading rooms can accommodate over 550 people

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Howrah Bridge

Howrah Bridge

Howrah bridge or Rabindra Setu is one of the most popular bridges of India and it is also known as the gateway of Kolkata.

Decorated Howrah Bridge with lights 

How to reach :

Howrah Bridge can be reached via flight, train or bus. It’s also connected with road so you can hire a taxi or a cab or self-drive to reach here if you like.

Sunset View at the location of Howrah Bridge

History: 

The Howrah bridge is one of the must-see tourist spots in Kolkata. It is one of a kind and the sixth largest bridge in the world.

The old pontoon bridge that was later replaced by the Howrah Bridge

 The bridge was commissioned in 1943 and was initially called as the New Howrah Bridge. In 1963, it was given the name of Rabindra Setu in the honor of reknowned Bengali poet Rabindranath Tagore. It serves as an ideal gateway to Kolkata and connects it to the famous Howrah station. In 1946, in a census carried out, it said that the bridge saw a daily traffic of 27400 vehicles and 12100 pedestrians.

Old picture of Howrah Bridge

Modern picture of Howrah Bridge

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