Some Major Attractions in Varanasi

Varanasi is one of the most important religious places for Hindus. It is popularly believed that this place rests on Shiva’s Trident. It is beyond doubt that this city is one of a few of the most ancient, continuously ‘live’ cities in the world. The sacred Kashi Vishwanath Temple is the most important focus of a majority of visitors to this city. Because of its cardinal importance in Hinduism, this place has been the locus of all things related to Hinduism, its spirituality, its philosophy, the mysticism, and most importantly, the living cultural traditions of this faith. Numerous temples other then the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and a number of Ghats on Ganga, besides a host of important Ashrams and learning institutions vouch for the sanctity of this city.

Apart from Hinduism, this place is also a major religious centre for Buddhism and Jainism. Besides, Hindu temples, many important Buddhist Stupas and Jain temples are also located here. The Sarnath is one of the major Buddhist religious sites, where Buddha delivered his first sermon after finding the Ultimate Truth. The Ashoka Pillar containing the original National Emblem of India is a part of the archeological museum at Sarnath. A few of the most important Hindu shrines are Durga Temple, Sankat Mochan Temple, Tulsi Manas Temple, and the Bharat Mata Temple. Some of the other attractions are -

Banaras Hindu University (BHU)
One of the most important centres of higher learning in India, BHU was established by one of the major nationalist leaders of the country, Mahamana Madan Mohan Malaviya in 1916. It played a stellar role in the national movement against the British Colonial power. Established in a campus of 1300 acres, this institution has made enormous contribution to the national renaissance through cutting edge research in natural and physical sciences, as well as in humanities and the liberal arts. This university has consistently produced a large of political leaders of repute, besides scientists, engineers, litterateurs, artists and scholars.
The BHU offers courses ranging from under graduate level to advanced post doctoral studies  in engineering, medicine, humanities, social sciences, fine arts and performing arts through as many as 124 departments, 14 faculties in 3 institutes, 4 inter-disciplinary centres and constituent schools. At present more than 15000 of its students, arriving from all corners of the earth, and spanning all colours, creeds, castes and classes, receives guidance from more than 2000 of its faculty members.

Bharat Kala Bhawan
The Bharat Kala Bhawan, which happens to be a part of the BHU, is actually a stand-alone institution housing a treasure trove of arts and architecture exhibits. It stores a stupendous range of paintings, Hindu and Buddhist sculptures, and other material of archeological relevance. This institution was founded in 1920. The entrance hall exhibits an exhilarating exhibit of Lord Krishna lifting the Mount Govardhan, while standing on one foot. Various exhibits portrayed here indicate that by 15th and 16th century, Varanasi fell to the charm of Krishna cult under the sway of Chaitanya Mahaprabhu.
This institution also boasts of a large collection of miniature paintings collected painstakingly from various courts and private collections. A few of the notable sections in this museum are those dedicated to Madan Mohan Malaviya, Nicholas Roerich, a sculpture section, one dedicated each to archeology and decorative art, besides one dedicated to the city itself and its history.

Jantar Mantar
An extremely enthusiastic astronomer and architect as he was, Maharaja Sawai Jai Singh of Jaipur built a number of observatories in north India during his heydays. Apart from Jaipur and New Delhi, the other important observatories were built at Mathura and Ujjain, besides one at Varanasi. The Varanasi one was completed in 1737. This observatory known as Jantar Mantar was planned in such a way as it could help keep track of various astronomical movements. Interestingly, the instruments installed at Varanasi are still functional and accurate, and as such can still be used to measure planetary movements. Though, not of much use to the lay people, these instruments attract the attention of various astronomers, architects, scientists, artists and archeologists.

Ramnagar Fort
The Ramnagar Fort was built by the then Maharaja of Benares, Balwant Singh in the 18th century. It lies 14 kms east of Varanasi across river Ganga. Built in red sandstone, this fort includes a temple and a museum. The main temple is dedicated to sage Ved Vyasa, who authored the great epic Mahabharata. This temple is dedicated to the belief that Ved Vyasa was once a guest in this region. The Ramnagar Museum displays personal collection of the Ramnagar dynasty including vintage cars, palkies, royal gold-plated howdahs, a huge collection of arms and ammunition of the bygone area, besides various swords and other miscellanea.
Outside the royal palace, two major temples in Ramnagar town ship are those dedicated to Durga, Chhinnamastika, and Dakshin Mukhi Hanuman. The unique giant clock on the wall of Ramnagar Palace displays astronomical data, apart from the mundane date, month, and year.