Varanasi remains the favorite city of spiritualists being the holy city of India with numerous shrines. The city is also known by other names as Benaras and Kashi. This is one of the oldest inhabited cities of the world and is a sacred place for the Hindus and so millions of people visit here and they take bath in the holy river of Ganges and visit the holy shrines at this place to offer their prayers. There are many ghats and many temples around them and they attract people from all over the world.

The humid subtropical climate prevailing in Varanasi gives it distinct seasons. It has long and hot summer season that makes it unfit for tourist activities and so this is not the ideal time to visit the city. Also the winter months are very cold due to the blow of the cold waves from Himalayas. The fog is dense during this season especially in the early mornings and late evenings. It obstructs vision making it less navigable. So the months before summer like February and March and the time after monsoon like September to November are the right time to visit Varanasi.

Some of the major industries in this area are weaving, manufacturing and agriculture and also a chunk of population lives on tourist industry. They make handicraft items, fine silk, lamp shades and other wall hangings targeting the tourists. This is an ancient city but the modern developments are seen all over in the recent times with huge malls and multiplexes.

There are lots of museums and historical places worth visiting in Varanasi and some of the museums are Archaeological Museum, Bharat Kala Bhavan, Saraswati Bhawan and Jantar Mantar. Jantar Mantar is an observatory that was built during the times of Maharaja Jai Singh in the year 1737. The Archaeological museum is the oldest museum established in India by the archaeological department and is located in Sarnath. Many antique items are in display here in five galleries and these are those that were excavated at Sarnath and belong to the time period of 300 B.C to 1200 A.D.

Bharat Kala Bhawan was established in the year 1920 and has a huge collection of costumes, paintings and archival materials. More than 100,000 such objects are displayed here. The rare handwritten manuscript by Tulsidas and many other precious books are housed in Saraswati Bhawan.

Babatpur Airport is located in Varanasi but this is a small domestic airport serving only limited number of flights. If you want to reach Varanasi then reaching through train would be the best and affordable option as it has a well developed railway station connecting all major cities of India. To reach Nagpur through road, you have to travel by NH 2 or NH 56 or NH 7 depending upon the place you start from.

There are more than 100 ghats in Varanasi and are many restaurants around them that focus on the tastes of the foreign tourists. Banarasi Khana and Benaras Aloo Dhum are the favorite food items of the locals. Home stays are very popular here and the best hotels are found in Sarnath also. A good Varanasi travel guide will guide you to find the right Varanasi hotels and Varanasi restaurants.

Article Posted By : Sumazla  On October 01, 2012lView All Articles

I am Suhaina Mazhar working on India travel guide features. Writing is my passion, writing is my hobby and writing is my career. I want to write till the last moment of my life.

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