Varanasi India

Location : Situated on the bank of the river Ganga, Varanasi is 760 km from Delhi.
Language : Native language is Hindi, though considerable % of people can speak English.
Climate : Summer 32 deg C to 43 deg C, winter, minus 5 deg C to 15 deg C; Rainfall: 111 cms annual;
Best time to visit : September - November.

The Most Ancient Living City of the World
The revered city of Kashi or Varanasi is situated on the banks of the holy river Ganges and is presided over by Lord Shiva. Known as the city of learning and temples, it is a place of great cultural and historical significance. The most revered city for the Hindu religion is the heart of India and an epitome of the unification of cultures, religions and races. The river-front of the city is decorated by hundreds of well built ghats which is an outstanding feature of the city.

Varanasi is the prime most place of oriental learning. Simultaneously it is at par with modern advanced knowledge. The city possess three universities - Banaras Hindu University, Tibetan Institute and Institute of Arabic Studies. The city is world famous for its silk fabrics, perfumes, artistic brass and copper wares and a variety of handicrafts.

Coming to Varanasi
By air : Indian Airlines flies to Babatpur Airport which is 22 kms. from Sarnath. There is a direct, daily flight connection between Varanasi and New Delhi and also to Kathmandu. Varanasi is also connected by air to Agra, Erotic Khajuraho Temples, Calcutta, Bombay, Lucknow and Bhubaneshwar.Following chart shows the name of the airports and their offices along with the telephone number in Vanarasi.
Airport City Bus Service : Runs twice daily via Indian Airlines Office and Govt. of India Tourist Office.

By rail : Varanasi is an important and major rail junction. The city is linked by trains with all metros and major cities across the country - New Delhi (760 Kms.), Bombay (1509 Kms.), Calcutta (735 Kms.), Madras (1970 Kms.) , Lucknow (286 Kms.).There are three railway station - Kashi, City and Varanasi Junction (also known as Varanasi Cantonment). There are not many trains running directly between here and Delhi or Calcutta but most Delhi to Calcutta trains do pass through Mughal Sarai, 18 km south of Varanasi. This is about 45 minutes by bus or shared auto-rickshaw.
By road : Varanasi is connected with Calcutta (677 Kms.), Delhi (765 Kms.), Madras (1901 Kms.), Bangalore (1763 Kms.) and to the rest of the country by good motorable, all-weather roads.

Check in the Accommodation Near Varanasi
Varanasi has all categories of hotels and other accommodation facilities within its periphery. They all lye either in the Cantonment in the north or in the commercial belt in places like Sadar Bazar. Small lodges are ideally suited for the budget-conscious traveller and are close to the streets of this city.

Some of them are :

Get Absorbed In
Kashi
One of the most ancient holy places of India, is just 3 km from Varanasi. Kashi is equally an important place for Jain pilgrims. There are numerous Hindu and Jain temples in and around the place, worth a visit.

The Ghats
Pilgrims flock the Ghats to have a ritual bath and perform puja to the rising sun, following centuries old tradition.

Sarnath
Situated just 10 km from Varanasi is Sarnath, a Buddhist pilgrimage. The great Buddha enriched the sanctity of Varanasi by selecting the city to preach his first sermon at Sarnath, after attaining enlightenment in Bodh Gaya in Bihar.

Viswanath Temple
Vishwanath or Kashi Vishwanath Temple is dedicated to Lord Shiva. The temple is the most sacred Hindi shrine in Varanasi. After the original temple was destroyed by the Mughal Emperor, Aurangzeb , Rani Ahilyabai of Indore restored it in the 18th century. Foreigners entry prohibited.

Banaras Hindu University
Founded by Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya it is considered to be the largest residential university in Asia. Within the university campus, Vishwanath Temple and Bharat Kala Kendra (Museum) are well worth a visit.

Not To Overlook - Excursions
Chunar Fort - Situated 22 km from Varanasi, the site dates back to Vikramaditya of Ujjain in 56 BC.

Ramnagar Fort - The residential place of Kashi Naresh (Former Maharaja of Varanasi).

Archaeological Museum - The museum houses many figures and sculptures from the various periods of Saranath - Mauryan, Kushana, Gupta and later, including the Ashokan Pillar.