Kashi Yatra is an important aspect of life for any South Indians. In earlier days when a man or woman crosses the age of 60,s or 70,s and when all their worldly duties are over, they go for kashi yathra by walking, as there were no transports those days. And they believed that one who is blessed to die on the land of kashi would attain salvation and freedom from the cycle of birth and re-birth. So some may return and others remain there in a belief to attain moksha.

But now-a-days kashi had become a best pilgrimage and spiritual tourist spot for most of the people in India and abroad. This city is believed to be the oldest living city of the world and it is located between two rivers Varana and Asi and so ,  also named as Varanasi , Benaras . From South  you have plenty of trains . Ganga Kaveri express ,Ms varanasi express from Chennai Egmore. And also you have trains from chennai to mughalsarai which is appxm 25 kms from varanasi . But there is only one train from Coimbatore that is  Erunakulam-Patna Express.

Kashi Viswanath Mandir is the center faith of millions of Hindus. The jyothir Linga of Lord Shiva enshrined there is considered to merit more than of other jyothir Lingas . The Temple as we see now was built by Maharani Akalya Devi Hollar of Indore, as the original temple was destroyed by Aurangazeb who built the Gaynvapi  Mosque in its place. This mosque is still there, adjacent to the present Viswanath Temple. The two domes of the temple were covered by 800 kgs of gold plating on the towers, donated by Punjab kesari Maharaja Ranjith Singh.

The next highlight in Kashi is River Ganges. It is considered   the most sacred river to Hindus and is also worshiped as the goddess Ganga in Hinduism. Ganges in Varanasi is believed to wash away all the sins of mortal. Rituals for the forefathers are performed on the banks of river Ganges. It is performed by the Poojaris and Pundits there. Ganga  jal brought from kashi  will remain as it is for years and it is really a miracle. What do scientists have to say about the miraculous powers of Ganges? They say the river carries bacteriophages that can kill dysentery-and-cholera-causing bacteria.DS Bhargava, a retired professor of hydrology says, in most rivers organic material usually exhausts a river’s available oxygen and makes the organic matter to putrefy. But Ganges river has an unusual ability to retain dissolved oxygen, but the reason for this ability is attributed to an unknown “X factor”. Bhargava says that the Ganges’ self-purifying quality leads to oxygen levels 25 times higher than any other river in the world.

There are huge numbers of Muths and Ashrams at Varanasi which symbolizes different religious sects and outfits. One among them is The Kasi Nattukottai Satram (Nagarathar Madam), established in 1863. It has a rich and eventful history and has been a boon to millions of pilgrims who visited the holy city of Varanasi. It is housed in a large imposing building that is a landmark in the area. It is situated in Godowlia,near Sushil cinema. They provide the best and cheapest accommodation. I do stay here whenever I visit kashi.They provide with an excellent South Indian food and  accommodation for a reasonable cost. You have to book for the rooms in advance. During season times it will be fully booked.

The Sri Kasi Nattukkottai Nagara Satram is devoted to the service of the Lord Vishwanath Temple. Other services at the Satram include arranging of taxis for pick-ups or travel in and around the place. Boat rides are also arranged. You have to stay at least two or three days to visit all the temples in kashi.

Some of the well known Temples in kasi are

The  Annapurna Temple ,

The Goddess Annapoorna is not just the consort of Shiva, but also the provider of food to the world.

The Visalakshi temple

This temple has two idols - one which is a swayambhu, or which has appeared by itself. In front of this is the idol which was installed at a later date. This temple is mostly frequented only by the south Indians

New VishawanathTemple 

This was planned by Pundit Madan Mohan Malviya and built by the Birlas. It is situated in the premises of the Banaras Hindu University and is a modern place of worship. It is open to all, irrespective of caste or creed. 

BharatMataTemple 

This has an interesting concept behind it as its dedicated to 'Mother India'. This was opened by Mahatma Gandhi. Instead of gods and goddesses, this unadorned temple has a marble relief map of India which is said to be perfectly in scale, both vertically and horizontally

Among the other temples are the Tulsi Manas Mandir, where the entire Ramcharitmanas of Tulsidas is inscribed on the walls, the Sankatmochan Hanuman Mandir, where Hanuman is believed to have appeared in front of Tulsidas,  the Durga Temple, the Chozhi matha temple  and Kala Bhairav Temple etc.,

Visiting all these places in Kashi will be a memorable experience in ones life.It is believed that visiting kashi once in lifetime and taking a bath in Holy River Ganges will wash away  our Sins and Karmas and give us Mukthi……..

Article Posted By : sujinishajhil  On August 24, 2012lView All Articles

SujiniShajhil.I am a home maker.I have a great passion of reading and I am making a try to write articles of my own.

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Keywords :
Kashi Viswanath Temple , Kashi yatra from south , River Ganges , Nattukottai Nagarathar Muth(Madam)