Varanasi

History

According to Hindu mythology, Varanasi was founded by Shiva, one of three principal deities along with Brahma and Vishnu. During a conflict between Brahma and Shiva, one of Brahma's five heads was torn off by Shiva. As was the custom, the victor carried the slain adversary's head in his hand and let it hang down from his hand as an act of ignominy, and a sign of his own bravery. A bridle was also put into the mouth. Shiva thus dishonoured Brahma's head, and kept it with him at all times. When he came to the city of Varanasi in this state, the hanging head of Brahma dropped from Shiva's hand and disappeared in the ground. Varanasi is therefore considered an extremely holy site. The Pandavas, the protagonists of the Hindu epic Mahabharata, are said to have visited the city in search of Shiva to atone for their sins of fratricide and brahmahatya that they had committed during the Kurukshetra War. It is regarded as one of seven holy cities (Sapta Puri) which can provide Moksha; Ayodhya, Mathura, Haridwar, Kashi (Varanasi), Kanchipuram, Avanti, and Dvārakā are the seven cities known as the givers of liberation. The princesses Ambika and Ambalika of Kashi were wed to the Hastinapur ruler Vichitravirya, and they later gave birth to Pandu and Dhritarashtra. Bhima, a son of Pandu, married a Kashi princess Valandhara and their union resulted in the birth of Sarvaga, who later ruled Kashi. Dhritarasthra's eldest son Duryodhana also married a Kashi princess Bhanumati, who later bore him a son Lakshmana Kumara and a daughter Lakṣmaṇā. The Cakkavatti Sīhanāda Sutta text of Buddhism puts forth an idea stating that Varanasi will one day become the fabled kingdom of Ketumati in the time of Maitreya. Excavations in 2014 led to the discovery of artefacts dating back to 800 BCE.…

Geography

Varanasi is located at an elevation of in the centre of the Ganges valley of North India, in the eastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh. It lies along the left, crescent-shaped bank of the Ganges, averaging between and above the river. The city is the headquarters of Varanasi district. By road, Varanasi is located south-east of New Delhi, south-east of Lucknow, east of Prayagraj, south of Jaunpur and north-east of Mirzapur. The "Varanasi Urban Agglomeration" – an agglomeration of seven urban sub-units – covers an area of . Neighbourhoods of the city include Adampur, Anandbagh, Bachchhaon, Bangali Tola, Bhelpura, Bulanala, Chaitganj, Chaukaghat, Chowk, Dhupchandi, Dumraon, Gandhinagar, Gautam Nagar, Giri Nagar, Gopal Vihar, Guru Nanak Nagar, Jaitpura, Kail Garh, Khanna, Kotwali, Lanka Manduadih, Luxa, Maheshpur, Mahmoorganj, Maulvibagh, Nagwar, Naipokhari, Shivala, Siddhagiribagh, and Sigra. Varanasi is situated between the Ganges' confluences with two rivers: the Varuna and the Assi stream. The distance between the two confluences is around , which serves as a sacred pilgrimage route for Hindus, which culminates at the Sakshi Vinayak Temple. Varanasi experiences a humid subtropical climate (Köppen climate classification Cwa) with large variations between summer and winter temperatures. The dry summer starts in April and lasts until June, followed by the monsoon season from July to October. Summer temperatures range between . Winters in Varanasi see very large diurnal variations, with warm days and cold nights. Cold waves from the Himalayan region cause temperatures to drop across the city from December to February, and temperatures below are not uncommon. The average annual rainfall is . Fog is common in the winter, while hot, dry winds called loo, blow…

Most-observed species

• Rock Pigeon

  Columba livia J.F.Gmelin, 1789 · Aves
  639
• Jungle Babbler

  Turdoides striata (Dumont, 1823) · Aves
  581
• Common Myna

  Acridotheres tristis (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  568
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  561
• Rose-ringed Parakeet

  Psittacula krameri (Scopoli, 1769) · Aves
  507
• House Crow

  Corvus splendens Vieillot, 1817 · Aves
  451
• Red-vented Bulbul

  Pycnonotus cafer (Linnaeus, 1766) · Aves
  398
• Black Drongo

  Dicrurus macrocercus Vieillot, 1817 · Aves
  377