Page 209 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - India

V AR ANASI  207

VISITORS’ CHECKLIST
Practical Information
Varanasi district. 286 km
(178 miles) SE of Lucknow.
* 3,676,841. n Varanasi
Junction Station, 098739
51490. ( daily. _ Shivratri
(Feb/Mar), Ramlila (Sep/ Oct),
Ganga Festival/ (Dev Deepavali)
(Oct/Nov).
Chet Singh Ghat Transport
The fort on this ghat marks the spot where Maharaja Chet Singh ~ 22 km (14 miles) NW of the
was defeated by the British in the mid-18th century.
city. £ @
Anandamayi Ghat
The ashram founded
by, the Bengali female
saint, Anandamayi
Ma, draws thousands
of devotees.

Mahanirvani Ghat

Niranjani Ghat

Prabhu Ghat
Panchkot Ghat
Jain Ghat

Shivala Ghat
Vaccharaj Ghat This ghat, dating to 1770, was built by
Balwant Singh, the maharaja of Varanasi.

Ramlila
The Ramlila is a cycle of plays which tells the story of the
Ramayana (see p31), in which Lord Rama is exiled from his
kingdom for 14 years. The Ramlila tradition was started in
Varanasi by Tulsidas, author of the
Ramcharitmanas (a popular
version of the epic). Street
performances take place in the
evenings at different venues, in
September/October, attracting
thousands of spectators. The
performance at the residence of
Boat Building the former maharaja at Ramnagar
Planks lie waiting to be jointed into boats, Fort is by far the most spectacular Young boys dressed as the
which are an essential mode of transpor- of the Ramlilas in Varanasi. main characters
tation along the busy river front.

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