varanasi – Nithinks.com

BRITISH RULE AND BANARAS (VARANASI)

In this post I would like to mention some of the major buildings, institutions, built in and around Benares under the East India Company and the British rule, which are still in existence and which are a major part of the daily life of the people of Banaras from the time of its construction till the present.

BRITISH RULE AND BANARAS

Declaring the rule of the Nawabs and the Rajas administratively unsuccessful, the Company took Banaras under its control in 1781.

The magistrates posted on behalf of the company started taking care of the governance of Banaras. On behalf of the company, in 1788, a young man, Jonathan Duncan, was appointed as the Resident and Superintendent of Benares. The management of the mint house was also taken away from the hands of the Raja of Banaras. From 1794 onwards, the British civil and criminal courts also started functioning.

BITTER MEMORIES OF BANARAS (VARANASI)

Learning a lesson from the “Benaras – Rebellion”, Duncan refrained from any interference in the religious rules and regulations of the Hindus. In 1781, the people of Banaras revolted against Warren Hasting who insulted Raja Balvant Singh of Banaras. This rebellion was more commonly known among the British people as “Benaras slaughter” because a large number of British soldiers were killed in this rebellion. If you don’t have any idea about the “Benares rebellion” consider reading this post of mine — https://nithinks.com/2020/08/14/benares-rebellion-15august-1781/

GOVT. SANSKRIT COLLEGE BENARES

By the end of the eighteenth century, the British thought of opening a Sanskrit college in Banaras.

Kashi Nath, the first Acharya of Sanskrit College, wrote a letter to the East India Company officials regarding Sanskrit College .

In 1791,Duncan also wrote a letter to the officers of the Company regarding the establishment of Sanskrit College at Benaras.

Duncan moved from Banaras to Bombay in 1795 but remained associated with the Sanskrit school for life.
Sanskrit College initially had eight teachers and about 200 students.
In the early days of Sanskrit College, only the rituals, traditions and religious beliefs related to Hindu religion were taught in the curriculum, due to this almost all the teachers and students of the college were Brahmins.

Expansion of Sanskrit College

In 1846 Dr. J.R.Valentine was appointed as the principal of the Sanskrit College. In 1852 the new building of Sanskrit College was completed and Sanskrit College was given a new name — Queen’s College.

The new building was designed by Major Kittu. Built in Gothic style, this building is made of the Chunar sandstone.

Renowned scholar Bapu Dev Shastri teaching Indian astrology to his students at Queen’s College. (1870)

SAMPURNANAND SANSKRIT UNIVERSITY

With the special efforts of the “then” Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Dr. Sampurnanand, this college got the status of a university and this college’s name was changed from “Queens College” to, “Sanskrit Mahavidyalaya Varanasi“. In 1974, the name of this university was changed for one last time to Sampurnanand Sanskrit university .

Unlike before various subjects related to Hindu religion, culture and civilization are taught here. At present there is also a museum and Saraswati Bhavan Library in the premises of the university.

Sampurnanand University Archaeological Museum :- Most of the items in this museum were found in the excavation of Sarnath by Major Kittu. (Sarnath is a holy place for Buddhists). Sarnath is located at a distance of about ten kilometers from the main city of Varanasi. Gautam Buddha gave his first sermon here which is known as the turning of the Dhamma Chakra)

Saraswati Bhavan Library :- Thousands of manuscripts, and rare ancient texts are stored in the Saraswati Bhavan Library.

Note: – At present there is an intermediate college near Sampurnanand University which is also called Queen’s College, please do not get confused between these two.

Tomb of Lord Cornwallis

The tomb of Lord Cornwallis is located in Ghazipur city, about 84 km from Banaras.

Cornwallis served during the American Revolution as a Major General. Governor General Lord Cornwallis, who is widely known for his administrative reforms was also called the father of civil services in India. Lord Cornwallis died on 5^th October 1805 in Ghazipur. He probably died of smallpox. British stones have been used in the construction of his tomb. At present, the tomb of Lord Cornwallis is located in Gorabazar, Ghazipur. GORABAZAR (Colony of white people). The British bungalows, kothis in Ghazipur city were located at this place, due to which the local people used to call this place by the name of Gorabazar.

**The unfinished monument to the Marquis Cornwallis at Ghazipur**

Painting of the Cornwallis tomb under construction by Sita Ram, who was working as a painter in the East India Company.
This painting was made in 1814-15 by Sita Ram during his journey from Patna to Banaras.

CHUNAR FORT OR CHUNAR GADH OR CHUNAR GUR

**Artist: Hodges, William ( DATE :-1787)**

The Chunar Fort is one of the oldest and most important forts in India. Evidence exists that the fort of Chunar was once under the control of Vikramaditya, the majestic king of Ujjain in 56AD. This fort has also been under the control of Prithvi Raj Chauhan. Sher Shah Suri made this fort his residence in 1538, during which a pavilion was also constructed by him here. The Mughals have also had authority over this fort for a long time.

After the Battle of Buxar in 1764, this fort came under the control of the British. Warren Hastings also took refuge in this fort during the rebellion in Banaras. After coming under the control of the East India Company, some British style bungalows were also built in this fort.(I think all these facts are probably enough to prove why this fort is considered important.)

THE SEARCH FOR HINDUS LOST TEMPLES IN THE CITY OF TEMPLES(VARANASI) .

**These pillars date back to 8th- 9th century or perhaps even earlier. These pillars of the grand temple are now a part of the mosque.**

BELOW IS A PARAGRAPH FROM TAJUL MASSIR FIRST OFFICIAL HISTORY (SULTAN CHRONICLE) OF THE DELHI SULTANATE. WRITTEN IN PERSIAN BY SADRUDDIN HASAN NIZAMI

He purged by his sword the land of Hind (INDIA) from the filth of infidelity… and the impurity of idol-worship, and left not one temple standing… When he arrived at Mirat (Meerut) all the idol temples were converted into mosques. He then marched and encamped under the fort of Delhi. The city and its vicinity were freed from idols and idol-worship, and in the sanctuaries, mosques were raised by the worshippers of one God. The royal army proceeded towards Benares,(VARANASI) which is the Centre of the country of Hind, and here they destroyed nearly one thousand temples. The temples were converted into mosques and abodes of goodness, and the ejaculations of bead-counters and voices of summoners to prayer ascended to high heaven, and the very name of idolatry was annihilated.

ISLAMIC IDEOLOGY WAS LIKE A tremendous storm of destruction for Varanasi, which was the center of many religions like Hindu, Buddhist, Jain … The land where Mahatma Buddha had preached non-violence, peace, public welfare to the world, was facing immense destruction from the havoc of an ideology that emanated from Arabia.

Countless temples were demolished by Muslim invaders, all over India, some of the most prominent Hindu temples, which were destroyed by Muslim invaders, were later rebuilt. But many temples are still mosques and remain unchanged.

Temples in Varanasi, the holiest city of Hindus, were demolished for the first time in 1193-94CE. The Hindus had to struggle a long time to get their temples back. Surprisingly, many of the temples that were demolished in 1193-94CE and from whose rubble the mosques were built on the same site are still reminiscent of Islamic imperialism.

After independence, the history of India was no longer independent. Nehruvian, Marxist fake historians wrote a fake history of India, the whole game of historiography in India was inspired by the political-history writings of Communist historians of the Soviet Union.

All the civilizations of the world have seen defeat, cruelty, blood, tears, and learned from their mistakes.
AFTER INDEPENDENCE, BOGUS MARXIST HISTORIANS DISTANCED INDIANS FROM THE NATURAL ART OF MAN’S LEARNING FROM MISTAKES, WHICH WE ALSO CALL EXPERIENCE.

“History has stopped. Nothing exists except an endless present in which the Party is always right.” GEORGE ORWELL

There are many such mosques, dargahs in Banaras(Varanasi) which have been built from the ruins of the temple. But in this post I decided to focus on the region around Rajghat for a couple of reasons listed below.

Varanasi is not only the holiest city of Hindus, but it also ranks among the oldest cities in the world, the oldest signs of this ancient city are found in the Rajghat area, undoubtedly the most famous, sacred and ancient temples of Hindus must have existed in this area.
When Qutbuddin Aibak and, Sahabuddin Ghori conquered Banaras in 1194, the king of Banaras was Jaichand. Many such temples fall in the Rajghat area, which had immense reverence for Jaichand.

WHO WAS JAICHAND? Jaichand was a powerful Gaharwar Rajput king of eastern Uttar Pradesh and some parts of Bihar. Jaichand’s father was Vijaychandra and grandfather was Govindchandra. Even today, a large population of Gaharwar Rajputs is found in Varanasi and nearby towns. Unfortunately, Jaichand is counted amongst the most traitor kings of India and it is believed that Jaichand had an old enmity with another famous Indian king of that time, Prithviraj Chauhan.

It is considered that Mohammed Ghauri was invited to India by Jaichand to humiliate and to defeat Prithviraj Chauhan. There is no evidence on this subject, but no doubt these things have ruined the reputation of Jaichand.

In the present world scenario, it becomes necessary to unveil the false history and learn from experience. In recent times, it is necessary to know the history of these temples to understand the incidents like the unprovoked killing of Hindus in Bangladesh, Pakistan the destruction of a large number of Hindu temples, the rise of Islamic extremism in West Bengal.

A Knowledge of History, even of the darkest past, can be quite useful, even for the future. (Anatoly Markusha, Miracles on wheels)

**Rajghat:- Here the remains dating back to 2000 BC have been found in excavations.**

RAJGHAT :- THE CROSSROAD OF HISTORY.

According to Hindu ancient scriptures, the ancient city of Varanasi was settled at the present Rajghat place. In recent years many ancient remains of Varanasi city have been found in various excavations near Rajghat.

Surprisingly, many times the temples mentioned in the ancient scriptures have been confirmed on the basis of the remains found here. The city of Varanasi is named after the Varuna and Asi rivers, Varuna and Asi thus Varanasi. Close to Rajghat, the Varuna river confluences with the Ganges, the most major and important river of Varanasi.

Some ancient Hindu temples which are now mosques or have been rebuilt are located near Raj Ghat. Rajghat comes in the oldest area of Varanasi, this is also one of the reasons why I chose this area for my research.

72 PILLARED MOSQUE

**In 1194 CE this temple was demolished and a mosque was built over it. Even today, these pillars of the temple seem to convey the story of the destruction of temples and the massacre of Hindus.**

72 PILLARED MOSQUE:- There is a mosque near Raj Ghat which is known as the 72 pillared mosque. The structure of this mosque is completely different from the normal ones. There is a hall inside this mosque, which is about 150 FEET LONG AND 25 FEET WIDE .

There are 72 very beautiful pillars in this hall, the geometric art made on these pillars is worth seeing. These pillars date back to the Gaharwar kingdom or perhaps even earlier.

All the pillars are made of sandstone. Paintwork has been done on all the pillars. For this reason, the beauty of the age-old ancient art engraved on it looks diminished. For the conquering religion, the defeated religion and civilization has no meaning, according to Islamic theology, idol worship is a serious crime and this temple had to bear the punishment for this crime, The Muslims around the mosque were very humble and were also eager to help me, but they were prejudiced, they had their own arguments.

They all agreed that the pillars of the mosque were ancient but they all believed that the Islamic artists who came with Qutubuddin Aibak and Ghori had built them.

Some had philosophical arguments, they were adamant that the pillars of the mosque were built by jinns. (Supernatural creatures in early pre-Islamic Arabian religious systems).

When they realized that I was Hindu, they gave a suspicious expression. I even had to resort to a little lie to click the photos of the interior of this mosque.

Painting of Rajghat (Adi-Keshava) made in 1814 by Sita Ram. He was a painter working in the East India Company.
This painting is of Adi Keshav Ghat. But when carefully analyzed, a subtle figure is visible behind the Adi Keshav temple. This is Alamgir Mosque. If you look carefully, two minarets of Alamgir Mosque are also visible in this painting. This Alamgir mosque was built by Aurangzeb by demolishing the famous Hindu temple of Bindu Madhav in Varanasi.

ELEVENTH CENTUARY BANARAS(VARANASI) & ADI KESHAV :-

Adi means ancient, The word Keshav is synonymous with Lord Vishnu. Adi Keshav means the ancient temple of Lord Vishnu. It is known from the Gaharwal inscriptions that the temple of Adi Keshav at Adi Keshav Ghat has a great reputation.

**VARUNA SANGAM GHAT OR ADI KESHAV GHAT**

ADI KESHAV GHAT:- ACCORDING TO HINDU RELIGIOUS TEXTS The importance of Adi Keshav Ghat has been mentioned in Kashi Khanda, Matsya Purana and Linga Purana.

This ghat is also known as Varuna Sangam Ghat. According to Kashi Khanda after being advised by Lord Shiva, Lord Vishnu put his first step in Kashi at this ghat After he washed his foot he left a foot impression on the ghat where he installed a Statue of his own.

This site is also known as Padodak Tirtha. It is believed that a holy dip at this spot helps to free the devotees from the circle of life and death. Bhudevi, Sridevi and Keshavaditya are also worshipped at this temple. The temple of Adi Keshav has a Sabha mandap and a Garbha Griha. This place has been mentioned in the writings of Chandradev, Madanpal, Govindchand, and Jaichand.

This ghat exists even today at the confluence of the rivers Varuna and Ganga. Adi Keshav Temple is built near this Ghat.

It is known from a copper plate inscription from Chandravati that is dated back to 1100 A.D that Chandradeva (King of Chandravati) donated gold and silver, with thousand seals, at the Adi Keshav temple and donated thirty-two villages as Brahmadeya (land gifted to Brahamanas) to five hundred brahmins.

According to Kamauli copper plate inscription, in 1168 AD, after taking a bath at Adikeshwar Ghat, with the permission of his father Vijaychand, Jaichand took initiation in the service of Krishna devotion and donated a village to Prahraj Sharma on the occasion.

The second copper plate inscription about Jaichand also shows that he was a devotee of Adikeshav. An inscription by Govindchand also reveals some Shaiva and Vaishnava temples of the Gahadwal-era.

After bathing in the Ganges in Banaras, he donated a house situated in the city of Banaras to the great Dayin Sharma. All these historical details show that the Adi Keshav temple was an ancient temple, this temple had a great reputation and the ruler of this area at that time – Jaichand, had a deep attachment to it.

The most ancient remains of the Adi Keshav Temple.

**Geometric art on the most ancient part of Adi Keshav temple**

Adi Keshav temple was demolished in the Islamic invasion of 1194AD. Hindus in Varanasi tried to get back their temples as soon as they got the right opportunity, but there is no evidence whether or not this temple was reconstructed, the reason why it wasn’t reconstructed is possibly because Jaichand was associated with it and he is considered as a traitor. Or perhaps over a period of time, due to the increase in the number of Shiva-temples in Varanasi, the importance of this temple decreased as it was dedicated to Lord Vishnu not Shiva. Or maybe due to the increase in the population of the city in other areas, the popularity of this temple was affected. It is difficult to say anything about this temple as there are no historical documents available on this subject.

Then afterwards this temple was rebuilt in 1807AD by Sindhia of Gwalior. At present, the lowest part of the temple seems to be ancient, and from it’s appearance, it appears to be built in Gaharwar era. The upper part of the temple, built-in 1807, maybe important from the point of view of reverence, but the ancient art of temples is missing in this temple.

LAKKAD SHA MOSQUE AND MAJAR :-

Near Bhainsa Sur Ghat, there is Lakkar Shah Mazar and Masjid. This mazar is adjacent to the main road and is built at a height of 15-20 feet. From seeing it, it seems that this tomb is built on the ruins of a Hindu temple.
On top of the platform made of stone, it seems that someone has placed a separate tomb and a building built above the tomb.
Looking at this tomb, it seems that this small building has been constructed in three different periods.

The base seems to be the remains of an ancient temple, 15 feet in height and about 30 feet in length and width. Such bases are commonly found in ancient Hindu temples and Buddhist stupas.
The tomb may have been built on the ruins of this temple in the 12th – thirteenth century.
Seeing the domed building reflecting Islamic architecture style above the tomb, it appears that this structure was built in the Mughal period. Hindu temple pillars can clearly be seen in this Islamic structure at the four corners and at the entrance.

SHARIABAD :- After the Hindus got defeated in 1194AD, new localities of muslims were built here, and during this time many mosques, dargahs, and graveyards were also built. Almost all these dargahs, Islamic cemeteries, and mosques were built by demolishing Hindu temples. In those days this area was known as Shariabad. During the Mughal period, this area was known as Baag-Badshah.

BATTLE FOR SOULS:-

The fundamental principle of Islam, “destruction of idolatry”, was hindering conversion, as a result, thousands of Sufis adopted a new path of jihad —- these Sufis talked of unity instead of Hindu and Islam contradiction.

JEHAD FI-SABILILIAH is not the exclusive domain of the professional soldier, nor it is restricted to the application of military force alone. A Sufi musical Kauwali was developed by mixing Islamic verses with Hindu mantras. These Sufis converted the graveyards of Islamic warriors into a new shrine.

Many supernatural tales were created about these Islamic warriors, surprisingly these were the Islamic warriors who were responsible for the massacre of Hindus, the biggest enemies of idolaters. This package of jihad became popular very quickly and played a major role in the spread of Islam in the Indian subcontinent. Many such tombs, graveyards came into existence in the Rajghat area between 12th-13th century.
Presently some of the main MAJARS (TOMB) are:-

1.Rauja Chandan Shahid
2.Rauja Ajgaib Shahid
3..Rauja Palang Shahid RAUJA means shrine or tomb. It is also known as Maqbara,majar,Dargah.
SHAHID means Muslim martyr.

RAUJA CHANDAN SHAHID

RAUJA CHANDAN SHAHID :- This tomb is located at Rajghat on the opposite side of Adi-Keshava Temple. Undoubtedly there must have been an ancient temple here, presently a mosque, Chandan Shahid tomb and some tombs in open ground can be found here. Both Hindu and Muslim devotees can be seen at the mazar.

The tomb is full of Islamic culture and traditions. The mosque, the tomb are all painted in holy Islamic colors. [GREEN] Some calendars are hung on the outer wall of the mausoleum, with photographs of Mecca-Medina and some with verses of the Qur’an covered in glass frames, the whole atmosphere was medieval.

When I tried to enter a room in Chandan Shahid tomb, a young boy stopped me and requested me to put the Islamic cap on my head. When I asked the reason for this, he said that this is the tradition here. He had some Islamic caps which he kept for the visitors who were not wearing one. Inside the Mazar, the pillars of the room were all green. I also smelled some kind of Itra (Islamic perfume) there which was literally disgusting. It still makes me shiver whenever I think of it’s smell.

RAUJA AJGAIB SHAHID There is a mosque, a holy tomb built on the rear side of the mosque and a hall possibly the buildings of this place have been repaired and rebuilt so many times that there is no trace of the pre-Islamic invasion. Only a few stone stairs are visible which look old, which are attached to the platform, just on this basis it is impossible to say anything about it’s history.

RAUJA PALANG SHAHID :- IN THE SHADOW OF THE SWORD

**The ornate design on the pillars can be clearly seen in this image published in 1865**. **Journal of the Asiatic Society of Bengal, Vol. 34.**

**These pillars which seem to be a part of a temple became a part of the tomb(MAZAR) in 1194** CE

**This pillar of the tomb does have some kind of ancient Hindu deity’s art made over it but it’s impossible to tell anything about the art or the deity because of the thick layers of paint on it.**

There is another major tomb in front of Ajgaiz Shahid on the Grand Trunk Road itself, this mazar is known as Palang Shahid.

This place was an old cemetery, the description of this cemetery is also in the Banaras Gazetteers. The boundary wall of the cemetery is new. When entering through the main gate, there is a graveyard, when walking further into the graveyard there are three buildings and some more graves built on a square stone platform. These three buildings are-:

1) A mosque 2) A tomb with a dome shaped roof.(Note that this tomb is not of Palang Shahid.) 3) The main Tomb of Palang Shahid.

This tomb is situated right in the middle of the square stone platform. Modern tiles are installed on the tomb. This tomb has four pillars and a square shaped roof which has the dome built over it. The four pillars and the square roof built on these pillars is a pre-Islamic structure. If we take a look only at the four pillars and the square shaped roof over it, ignoring the domed structure and the tomb, it seems to be the CHAUKI of an ancient Hindu temple. It appears that the tomb and the dome built on top of the square roof are not the part of the original structure but have been separately placed over it. CHAUKI or CHOWKI :-In all Hindu temples, this type of structure is found near the main entrance of the temple, which is called Chauki (square seat).

Beautiful geometric designs and some figures are engraved on the four ornate pillars of the Chauki .These figures might be of Hindu deities. These figures aren’t very clearly visible because of the thick coats of paint above them. Another thing that caught my attention was the poster on this mazar. On the poster there was a sword with a picture of Mecca and the fundamental principles of Islam were written. THERE IS NO GOD EXCEPT ALLAH, MUHAMMAD IS THE MESSENGER OF ALLAH.

“Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.”

JUST BELOW THE LANTERN- LIES THE DARKNESS

Learning nothing from history has somehow become the destiny of India.

Vasanta College for Women is adjacent to Adi Keshav Temple in Rajghat area. This college was established in 1913 by Annie Besant. Annie Besant was a British woman who was influenced by Hindu religion culture, she had a major role in introducing the western countries to Hindu religion and culture. She was also a major contributor to India’s freedom struggle and social movements.

In Rajghat area, I visited the ruins of many ancient temples, tombs, mosques, graveyards, etc., near Keshav temple, along my way I crossed Vasanta College for Women, I talked to the girls there and asked to know their views. I tried this many times but I got disappointed in every single one of my attempt.

To my great surprise, these graduating students didn’t knew anything about the history of the ancient temple adjacent to the wall of their college, nearby madarasas, dargahs.

Only a few girls had went to the Adi Keshav temple and they too had a religious outlook not historical. They had no idea about the history of Islamic conversion, they had no idea about this dreadful period of Islamic imperialism history.

No one had even seen Chandan Shaheed Mazar, everyone had the same opinion about it – it is a symbol of Hindu-Muslim unity, When I asked them how? They immediately threw the answer as “We don’t know” .

This selective way of looking at history is a product of Nehruvians.
Completely political, completely devoted to the family, in the present world when there is a conflict between Islam and other religions, how much will this ostrich attitude help us?

Gautam Buddha gave his first sermon here in Varanasi (Sarnath), barely five kilometers from Rajghat. After attaining enlightenment in Gaya, Buddha had entered Varanasi through this historical route Uttar Path, whose teachings in Sarnath based on peace and non-violence, two and a half thousand years ago were known as Dhamma Chakra Parivartan.

The Buddha’s knowledge, the holy land of Sarnath, were completely destroyed by the havoc created by Islamic imperialism in 1194. India lost much of its knowledge of Buddha. (Centuries later, some British historians discovered some Buddha relics in the excavation of Sarnath, and India got a chance to get acquainted with the thoughts of Buddha again.) FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SUBJECT PLEASE VISIT :- https://nithinks.com/2022/08/12/rediscovery-of-lion-capital-and-how-it-strengthened-indias-freedom-struggle/
The reason why Hindus were defeated was because they had very limited knowledge outside there geographical area, this ignorance is prevalent in Hindu society even today. Only the future will tell for how long a civilization that has not learned anything and still not ready to learn anything from its experiences will survive.

DUSSEHRA: Our Ancestors Turned a Festival into a People’s War Against Imperialism

DUSSEHRA (VIJAYADASHMI) BEFORE THE ARRIVAL OF ISLAM

The month of October is known as the month of festivals in Hindus. Many festivals of Hindus fall in this month. One such major Hindu festival is Dussehra or Vijaydashshmi. India is a country with different types of climate, regional variation, food and drink, for this reason fundamental similarities and traditional differences are seen in every Hindu festival. Dussehra or Vijayadashami is also no exception to this. There are various reasons, traditions and ways of celebrating this festival among the Hindus. According to Hindu religion, Lord Vishnu incarnated as the prince of Ayodhya on earth to liberate people from the tyranny of demons. It is a tradition to celebrate Dussehra to commemorate the day on which Lord Rama killed Ravana, the king of demons. According to another story related to this festival, Goddess Durga killed Mahishasura after nine nights and ten days of war, the festival of Dussehra is celebrated to commemorate the nine-night war of Mother Durga and the victory of the tenth day.
Navratri is celebrated in the memory of the nine days of struggle of Maa Durga. Many people also observe a fast for nine days in remembrance of this day of struggle and to show their reverence and gratitude to Goddess Durga. This festival is celebrated to mark the victory of good over evil and tyranny. There has also been a tradition of weapon worship on this day since ancient times. People have such belief that this is an auspicious and victory day, so it is considered an auspicious day for starting any new work (in relation to business, shop or for imparting alphabet knowledge to children). Remembering the victory of Lord Rama in Dussehra. While burning the effigy of Ravana is also organized on this day.

Sita Mata (mother Sita) with her two sons, Luv and Kusha

Sita is typical of India— the idealized India. The question is not whether she ever lived, whether the story is history or not, we know that the ideal is there. (SWAMI VIVEKANANDA)

RAMA, THE ANCIENT IDOL OF THE HEROIC AGES the embodiment of truth, of morality, the ideal son, the ideal husband, the ideal father, and, above all, the ideals all, the ideal king, this Rama has been presented before us by the great saint Valmiki.

HE WHO WAS SHRI RAMA, whose stream of love flowed with resistless might even to the Chandala (the outcaste); Oh, who ever was engaged in doing good to the world though superhuman by nature, whose renown there is none to equal in the three worlds, Sita’s beloved, whose body of Knowledge Supreme was covered by devotion sweet in the form of Sita.

After the independence of India, Mahatma Gandhi envisioned ideal India in the form of Ram Rajya. Mahatma Gandhi’s political philosophy was also completely based on the ideal conception of Ram’s Maryada Purushottam.

BY POLITICAL INDEPENDENCE I do not mean an imitation to the British House of commons, or the soviet rule of Russia or the Fascist rule of Italy or the Nazi rule of Germany. They have systems suited to their genius. We must have ours suited to ours. What that can be is more than I can tell. I have described it as Ramarajya i.e., sovereignty of the people based on pure moral authority.

BY RAMARAJYA I do not mean Hindu Raj. I mean by Ramarajya Divine Raj, the Kingdom of God. For me Rama and Rahim are one and the same deity. I acknowledge no other God but the one God of truth and righteousness. Whether Rama of my imagination ever lived or not on this earth, the ancient ideal of Ramarajya is undoubtedly one of true democracy in which the meanest citizen could be sure of swift justice without an elaborate and costly procedure. Even the dog is described by the poet to have received justice under Ramarajya.

Dussehra and Ramlila:- The drama based on the life of Lord Shri Ram has been staged in India for centuries. But this stage was based on the Ramayana composed by Valmiki, and its language was Sanskrit which was limited to the elite class. When the holy places, places of worship of Hindus were being vandalized by the Mughal invaders, a voice of public consciousness emerged from Varanasi, the holiest pilgrimage site of Hindus. The name of this voice was Goswami Tulsidas. A new sense of hope among Hindus was created by Tulsi Das. The defeated civilization arose again, with a renewed vigor. Tulsi Das ji did not do anything new, he did the real democratization of the story of Lord Shri Ram, settled in the public mind of India. During this process he interpreted the Ramayana in a new form. Goswami Tulsidas ji wrote the story of Ramayana in his book Ramcharitmanas in the language of common people called Awadhi. Along with this, Tulsidas ji started the staging of Ram Katha on the basis of Ramcharitmanas in the holy city of Hindus in Varanasi. Soon Ram Katha was staged on the basis of Ramcharitmanas composed by Goswami Tulsidas ji at many places in Varanasi. This unique way of protecting Hindu religion, culture and tradition was the invention of Tulsidas ji himself. Soon Ramlila staging took the form of a movement all over North India. A natural, fundamental people’s movement. By turning every Hindu into a Hindu temple, Tulsidas gave a befitting reply to the idol-breakers. Consider your body to be worshipable because even God once took birth in it. Despite facing many atrocities, Tulsidas’s Rama had an ideal in front of the Hindus which prepared them to face internal and external problems in their lives. It was a blessing in Akbar’s rule, the rest of the time was worse. Here two examples can be used to understand the situation at that time.

*KASHI VISHWANATH* After seeing this diagram, is there anything left to say on this subject?
A living drawing of one of the holiest temples of the Hindus, Kashi-Viswanath by James Prinsep in 1831
Demolishing this holy temple of Hindus, a mosque was built here by the Mughal king *Aurangzeb* from its rubble. The ruins of the demolished temple can be seen in this drawing.

“It had been brought to the notice of His Majesty [Shah Jahan] that during the late reign many idol temples had been begun, but remained unfinished, at Benares, (Varanasi)the great stronghold of infidelity. The infidels were now desirous of completing them. His Majesty, the Defender of the Faith, gave orders that at Benares and through out all his dominions in every place, all temples that had been begun should be cast down. It was now [1042 AH. 1632 A.D.] reported from the province of Allahabad that seventy-six temples had been destroyed in the district of Benares.” Badshah-nama, pg. 449

The 3d December 1632. (Mohun ca Sarae [Mohan Sarai], 4 Course), Att our comeinge forth of Bunaroz [Benares], wee sawe a man hanginge by the heeles on a tree. His offence was this. This Kinge [Shah Jahan] had commaunded that all Hindooe Churches made in his tyme should bee demolished, and for that purpose sent his firmaen [farmän] to this Governour”, whoe sent his Couzin, with other principall men in Comission, to see it executed on one lately built. A Rashpoote [rajput] hearing of it, hid himselfe, and with a Comptee [kamthä, kanthi], or longe bowe provided for that purpose, seeinge his tyme, shott amongst them, killed the Gouvernours Couzin, and 3 or 4 more of the Cheifest, which was done on the suddaine. But being quickly found and sett upon, with his Jemdar [jamdhar) or dagger killed one or 2 more, and then was slaine himself and his body hanged on the tree as aforesaid. (THE TRAVELS of PETER MUNDY page 178)

(HAR -HAR MAHADEV RAJA -RAMCHANDRA KI JAI )

Famous Ramlilas of Varanasi

RAMLEELA OF RAMNAGAR :- Sketch of Ramlila of Ramnagar in Banaras by James Prinsep in 1831. In this sketch, the Maharaja of Banaras is watching Ramlila sitting on an elephant. Huge effigies of Ravana, Kumbhakarna and Meghnad can be seen in the sketch.

Some interesting facts about Ramnagar Ramlila:-

The king of Varanasi, who is known as (Kashi-Naresh), started staging Ramlila in Ramnagar about 200 years ago. Ramlila is being staged uninterruptedly even today. Ramlila of Ramnagar is recognized as a cultural heritage by UNESCO, due to its unique traditions. Every day Ramlila begins with the proclamation of Raja Ramchandra ki Jai with Har Har Mahadev.
. Even in today’s modern era, Ramlila is staged on the basis of traditions 200 years ago.
. Mic, artificial light (electricity) is not used in the staging of entire Ramlila, instead traditional light source is used.
. The role of Ravana is being performed generation after generation by the people of the same family since the beginning of Ramlila.
. Preparations for staging Ramlila start months in advance. The selection of the characters is done by the committee.
. The most important thing about Ramlila of Ramnagar – Ramlila of Ramnagar is not held at any one place, different events of Ramayana are staged at different places. Ramlila of Ramnagar is organized for 31 days. On the basis of Ramcharitmanas composed by Tulsidas, different places and days are fixed for staging different events. . The sadhus, saints or common people that come to see Ramlila of Ramnagar, are known as Manas.

CHETGANJ NAK-KATTIYA:-

An old locality in Varanasi is named Chetganj after the name of Raja Chet Singh of Varanasi. A fair is organized in this locality, in which Ramayana events are displayed sequentially. First of all, Lakshman, the younger brother of Lord Rama, cuts the nose of (Amaryadit )Suparnakha. In this fair, voice is also raised against social evils, problems. Before independence, the revolutionaries also tried secretly in this fair to make people aware and increase public consciousness. The great revolutionary Chandrashekhar Azad also used to participate in this fair with his friends. Various types of tableaux are also displayed in the fair. A crowd of up to one lakh(hundred thousand) gathers to see this fair, that is why it is also called Lakkhi Mela.

NAATI IMLI BHARAT MILAP :-Naati Imli Bharat Milap mela is about 478 years old. After completing 14 years of exile, Lord Rama came to his homeland Ayodhya. After years, the four brothers met each other, this is probably one of the most emotional incidents of Ramayana. The enthusiasm of the people watching this episode has not decreased ever since the past 478 years. Varanasi is known as the city of Shiva, but at the time of Dussehra it turns into the city of Lord Rama, thus any person who wants to know the soul of India, wants to see the thousands of years old culture of India, Wants to feel India, wants to see a glimpse of the struggle of Hindus against imperialism,
Such a person who wants to feel the sanctity of the name of Lord Rama, must at least once in his life witness the Ramlila and Dussehra of Varanasi. The centuries-long Ramlila of Varanasi has been affected for two years due to the outbreak of Corona epidemic. Pray to God that soon the entire human race gets freedom from this wrath.

Eight chapters of Varanasi that everyone must read.

GANGA MAIYA KI JAI
Born here of parents born here from parents the same, and their parents the same—-Walt Whitman.

**SUBAH -E-BANARAS (MORNING IN VARANASI)**

“Benares(Varanasi) is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together “ MARK TWAIN.

So much has been written about Varanasi that to write anything one has to repeat the facts. In simple words, on the basis of my experience, I can say that one should try to understand Varanasi like a simple poetry. A poetry that has been present in its natural form in every period of time. If you have the patience to read poetry (information on internet has exhausted patience) if you have the passion to peep into history, then Banaras is the best. You may say that Varanasi is like onion – like onion has many folds, in the same way if we consider Varanasi city as onion, then there are many layers of history, it can be experienced with a little patience. The beginning of human civilization, the struggle against imperialism, or the present day, everything can be seen in Varanasi. Just a little ability to smell history, or a little fondness to feel history, Banaras is an unforgettable experience.

Go to Benares or Kashi, that most ancient of cities, and give ear to her murmuring. Does she not tell you of her immemorial past-of how she has gone on while empires have decayed, of Buddha who came to her with his new gospel, of the millions who have gone to her through the ages to find peace and solace? Old and hoary, decrepit, dirty, smelly, and yet much alive and full of the strength of ages, is Benares. Full of charm and wonder is Kashi, for in her eyes you can see the past of India, and in the murmur of her waters you can hear the voices of ages long gone by.

HOLY DIP

“I think Banaras(KASHI,VARANASI) is one of the most wonderful places I have ever seen. It it has struck me that a westerner feels in Banaras very much as an oriental must feel while he is planted down in the middle of London”. (MARK TWAIN)

Holy Dip:- All the ancient cities of India are situated on the banks of rivers. This is because of the ease of transportation. Varanasi is no exception to this. The city of Varanasi is situated on the bank of the holy Ganges. There is a very ancient tradition of bathing in the Ganges river in the city of Varanasi. This tradition of getting up early in the morning and bathing in the Ganges continues even today. The day of an ordinary citizen of Banaras(BANARSI) begins with bathing in the Ganges. Hindus from all over the world come to Varanasi to take a holy dip in the Ganges. After taking a holy dip in the Ganges, the Ganges water is offered to Lord Shiva in temples. It feels amazing to be a part of this thousands of years old tradition. Hindus also have a tradition of burning the dead body . After burning the dead body, the ashes are flown into the holy rivers. Hindus from all corners of the world come to Varanasi to immerse the ashes of their beloved in the Ganges. In Hinduism, kindness to living beings is of great importance. After a holy bath in the Ganges, giving food to birds, monkeys, cows, dogs, is a common practice. There are also many Akhadas (Gymnasium) on the banks of the Ganges. Many youths go to these Akhadas to do exercise after taking a holy dip in the Ganges. You can understand what are the thoughts of the Indian people on any subject by simply visiting Varanasi, in other words it is a good place to feel the pulse of India. So much diversity and similarity is rarely seen anywhere else. Other than Varanasi, such a view can also be seen in Mahakumbh, but Mahakumbh holy bath is organized once in twelve years. For me, taking a holy dip in the Ganges has always been about feeling connected to my ancestors. I am only a link in the journey of life since eternity. The ashes of ancestors are contained in the Ganges. An inexhaustible link – from the past to the future, in the present I am part of this link. Sadhu, Sanyasi, Grihasta, old , young , woman, man, White, Brown South-Indian, Punjabi, Rajasthani, Bengali all at one place. What to say about the difference in language and clothing? A mini version of the country, and a wonderful experience.

There are about eighty-four ghats in Varanasi. Each has its own importance and history. The stairs of the ghat made of sandstone, every building is a completely different feeling. If one is not a native of Varanasi then it will be a very strange experience. Sandal paste on the forehead after the holy bath, Roli’s tika makes the bathing process complete. There is nothing to worry about the means of transportation in the morning. Means of transport are available in the morning from any corner of the city. Varanasi city wakes up in the morning. If you start the day with a cup of tea, or do yoga in the morning, then the experience is even better. There are many tea shops on the Ghat. Foreigners can also be seen doing yoga on the Ghats.

**The marvelous beauty of the Ghats by boating**

Boating

I love the area where the holy river Ganges flows in Varanasi. (SHIV Matsya Purana)

A panoramic view of the Ghats of Varanasi can be seen from a boat. The Ghats of Varanasi are like a painting on a huge canvas, in which time has filled innumerable colors. Boating is the only way to experience this huge painting and the colors of the times. By the way, for the best experience, one should travel from Assi Ghat to RajGhat. Boats are accessible at every Ghat. The boatmen have a general knowledge of the history of the Ghat, the most fun is to hear the stories related to the Ghats from these boatmen. In these stories, history, imagination, experiences passed down from generations, the art of telling stories that are now fading away can be seen. Google does not give information every time .If a particular jetty is preferred, these boatmen also stop the boat on the shore for a while at that Ghat on request. Many religious rituals of Hindus are also performed by boatmen, for this reason they also have good knowledge of religious customs. If someone knows how to row a boat, then by requesting them, he can row the boat himself. By the way, how hard or how easy it is to row a boat, everyone should row the boat at least five minutes to understand this. . Smaller boats are fine for one or two people, larger boats for a group. Boats are available for hire on time. If you want to listen to the sound of water with peace, and get acquainted with history, then a small boat is better. A bigger boat is better if you want to be a part of the enthusiasm of an energetic religious crowd. If you have time, try to be a part of both. Although rowing can be done at any time, but early morning is the best time.

GHAT

Going from one Ghat to another is like entering from one time block to another.

“The city illumines the truth and reveals reality. It does not bring new wonders into the scope of vision, but enables one to see what is already there. Where this eternal light intersects the earth, it is known as Kashi”(Varanasi). (Diana L. Eck)

Just like the aroma of a delicious dish, Its color increases the desire to taste that dish manifold, but can never give the taste of that dish. The only way to taste the food is to taste it. Same is the case with the Ghats of Varanasi, The beauty of the Ghats of Varanasi can be seen by boating, but to feel it from the heart, it is necessary to spend time at the Ghat. Each Ghat is like a page of history, and the history of India passes through Banaras itself. All Ghats in Varanasi have their own importance, and it is not possible to write all about them here. For a bit more information, I would like to mention something here based on my experience.

ASSI GHAT :-Spiritual Paradise or Spiritual Disneyland ?

Assi Ghat:- According to mythological legends, the city got its name due to its settlement in the middle of rivers named Varuna and Assi. For this reason the city is known as Varanasi. At present Assi Ghat is very famous among foreigners. There are many exotic cuisine restaurants around the Ghat. All types of restaurants can be found here Italian, Spanish, French. Large numbers of foreigners visit Assi Ghat sometimes to feel the transformation of Assi Ghat into a Spiritual Disneyland . (I came to know this word from a French woman, she is very much influenced by Hindu religion and culture and has been living here for thirty years. She was angry with the present generation, both Indian and foreigners. She believes that the present generation is adopting yoga and spirituality as a fashion, as a fun, without being familiar with its basic meaning. By the way, every old generation generally has such complaints from the new generation.

VARANASI CITY OF SHIVA AND RAM

Tulsi Ghat:– The culture of India cannot be imagined without Ram. Ramcharit Manas was composed by Tulsi Das on this Ghat. This was the composition of Tulsidas ji in the vernacular language of the Hindu religious text Ramayana. This was the time when the temples of Varanasi were being demolished by the Muslim imperialists, invaders. In order to instill confidence in the defeated Hindus again, Tulsidas started (RAMLEELA) based on the life of the most sacred character of the Hindus – Ram. Soon this RAMLEELA became popular . (Ramlila had an incomparable contribution in preserving the traditions and culture of Hinduism)Even today. It was Tulsi Das ji’s unique talent that after the destruction of Hindu temples, he converted every Hindu heart into a Hindu temple. There is no village or city in the whole India, especially in North India, where Ramlila is not staged during Dussehra. Tulsidas ji died here in 1623. The items used by Tulsi Das in his life are also stored here. For more information about this subject please visit :- https://nithinks.com/2019/10/07/islamic-imperialism-breaking-of-idols-hindu-struggle-past-present/

RAJA RAMCHANDRA KI JAI

The whole earth is the Sepulchre of famous men. They are Honoured not only by columns and inscriptions in their own land, but in foreign nations on memorials graven not on stone but in the hearts and minds of men .Thucydides, History of the Peloponnesian War, 404 BCE.

***SHIVALA BHAVAN NOW KNOWN AS CHET SINGH OR CHAIT SINGH GHAT***

Chet Singh Ghat

The history which could have been written on 15th august 1781 was then written years later on 15th august 1947.

SHIVALA BHAVAN NOW KNOWN AS CHET SINGH OR CHAIT SINGH GHAT On the banks of the Ganges, Shivala Bhavan, now known as Chet Singh Ghat, the Maharaja of Benares was arrested and detained here by order of Warren Hastings. The disobedience of Maharaj by the soldiers of Warren Hastings provoked the soldiers of Maharaj’s army and then the people also joined the soldiers of Maharaj. The “Benares Rebellion” could not leave a significant mark in its history due to lack of vision and inability to take decisions in the King of Banares. In order to shed light on this incident and its importance, I have made the basis of the letters of The British officers of that time, their statements, Buildings and ruins connected with this incident in and around Benares. Sampurna Nand He were a great educationist and was also the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and the Governor of Rajasthan. (His great-grandfather Sadanand ji was the divan of King Chet Singh.)

“If Chet Singh had not run away at this time and would have attacked the garden of Madhodas, I would surely have been killed and thus rebellion would have spread all around”. Warren Hasting.

By the way, India’s first war of independence is considered to be 1857, and history does not give any place to it if it happens. But why the Varanasi Raja of Chet Singh Ghat and the East India Company struggle could not become a freedom struggle? This has definitely become a bitter lesson in history. This ghat is a witness to this even today that if the leadership becomes unconscious, then the public should take a decision with their own conscience. For more information about this subject please visit :- https://nithinks.com/2020/08/14/benares-rebellion-15august-1781/

Sita is typical of India— the idealized India. The question is not whether she ever lived, whether the story is history or not, we know that the ideal is there.

HARISHCHANDRA GHAT :- There are two ghats in Varanasi for the cremation of dead persons. Harishchandra and Manikarnika. Both the very ancient Ghats have their own importance. According to the Hindu scriptures, King Harishchandra was the ancestor of Lord Rama. This place was named Harishchandra after his name. There is hardly any other such story of truth, sacrifice and patience than this one mentioned below.

Harishchandra was the king of Ayodhya. Once Harishchandra saw a dream while he was sleeping that he has donated his kingdom to a sage Vishwamitra. Later the king forgot about this dream, after a few days Vishwamitra came to the king’s court and reminded the king about his dream. The king is always a symbol of justice. Harishchandra had a strong belief that the king should always set an exemplary example before the subjects, so he immediately left the kingdom, and gave the entire kingdom to the sage Vishwamitra. But Vishwamitra was not pleased even by this. And demanded Gurudakshina from the king. There was nothing left to give to the helpless king, he asked Vishwamitra for some time, and left his kingdom with his wife and son and went to Kashi. Here Harishchandra did not get work anywhere, as a result the king got the job of an assistant helping in the cremation of dead persons in a shamsan. The king’s wife started working as a maidservant with a moneylender. Once the king’s son Rohitasva was bitten by a snake, due to which he died. The queen took the body of her son and came to Shamasan Ghat for the last funeral. The husband of the queen( Harishchandra ) , who was working as an assistant in the funeral rites of the dead at the shamsan ghat, was deeply saddened to see the death of his son and the condition of the queen, but demanded the tax that was levied on burning the dead body. The queen said that I had nothing to pay in the form of tax, on which the king said that “He cannot allow the body to be burnt without tax, because it will violate the orders of their master”. The king told the queen that she should tear off a part of the sari she was wearing and pay it as tax. The poor queen had no other option, as a result, she tore the sari from the edge and wanted to pay the tax to the king. Suddenly sage Vishwamitra appeared.
Sage Vishwamitra returned life to the king’s son Rohitashva. The sage told King Harishchandra that he wanted to see to what extent the king was successful in following the truth. While returning the king’s kingdom, he called him a Godlike king.
This story inspired many people. Referring to a incident in his biography( The story of my experiments with truth) Mahatma Gandhi has told that in childhood, the story of King Harishchandra left an indelible impression on him, according to Mahatma Gandhi, he used to get emotional after remembering this story.

Dashashwamedh:- is also one of the most famous Ghats of Varanasi. It is estimated that in the second century AD, the famous Bhavashiva kings defeated the Kushanas and after performing Ten Ashvamedha sacrifices, took a bath here, due to which it was named Dashashvamedha. For some years, a grand ceremony of Ganga Aarti is organized here, in recent times a huge crowd gathers to see this aarti. Aarti of Dashaswamedh in the evening at the Ghats is the main attraction of Varanasi.
The electrification of the ghats at night gives a mesmerizing view, the beauty of the ghats, and the aartis are a sight to behold. It is my belief that there is a different fun in visiting the Ghat in the evening and at night, but the soul of Varanasi can be felt only in the morning.

***THE LAST VOYAGE BENARES (VARANASI)***
*LAST JOURNEY (1883)*
*Edwin Lord American painte*r, known for his paintings on eastern countries. A dead man is being taken by boat to Manikarnika for the last rites. In my opinion this is the best painting of Manikarnika ghat that was ever made, amazing color coordination, no effect of time, as if it is not a painting but a live telecast of Manikarnika on television. Wonderful. Even today a hand driven fan made of palm leaves is found in every house of Varanasi.
There has been no change in Manikarnika Ghat and the surrounding buildings even today. Even today in Varanasi similar clothes of sadhus, sacred saffron color of Hindus, boats are the hallmark of the Ghats of Banaras, even today these umbrellas (CANOPY) CHATRI(bamboo and palm leaf umbrella) **are used in the same way. everything still exists today**.

**CANOPY, CHATRI(bamboo and palm leaf umbrella**)

MANIKARNIKA :- Undoubtedly Manikarnika is the greatest Samasan . It is believed that once Shiva and Parvati came here to bath. After taking a bath, Mata Parvati came to know that while taking bath, her earrings(karnphool) have fallen here, since then the place was named Manikarnika. This place has been considered very sacred among the Hindus.
Lakshmibai, (RANI OF JHANSI .INDIA’S WARRIOR QUEEN) born in Varanasi, was named Manikarnika after this place. (Her nick name was Manu for the same reason) . It is very difficult to predict when the practice of burning bodies on Manikarnika started. It is believed that the burning of dead bodies never stops here. Burning of dead bodies has continued here for thousands of years. In Hinduism, birth and death are considered to be a cycle of life, for this reason there is such a belief about Manikarnika that —- here, the stopping of dead cremation for any reason is a sign of destruction of creation. The death of the person born is certain, this is the absolute truth. Death as a celebration – the same philosophy is hidden in the Holi of Masan. Death is seen as a celebration in Manikarnika. For detailed information on this topic please visit :- https://nithinks.com/2021/03/26/rangbhari-ekadsi-masan-holiashes-of-dead-persons/

***A woman selling vegetables in the street leading to the Ghat***

PANCH GANGA GHAT :-

Schools should introduce one more, very important, subject- The History of labor, the brilliant and tragic history of man’s struggle with the natural world, the history of his discoveries and inventions, his victories and triumphs over the forces of nature.” And a little later he wrote: “I believe very strongly in miracles made by the intelligence and imagination of man; I know no other miracles.” (MAXIM GORKY)

Panch-Ganga is among the five major and oldest Ghats of Varanasi. Hindus believe that Panch-Ganga Ghat is situated at the confluence of five holy rivers.

(YATHA, KIRNA, DHUTPAPA, SARASWATI, GANGA & YAMUNA) There was also a custom of drinking Ganges water here by the newly married couple after marriage. This is like a European practice of drinking hypocross, or musket. Its ancient name was Bindumadhav Ghat. This Ghat got its name from the ancient temple of Bindumadhav (Lord Vishnu). In the seventeenth century, this ancient temple was demolished by the Islamic ruler Aurangzeb, and a mosque was built from the rubble of that ancient temple. Since then the name of this place became Panch Ganga in place of Bindumadhav.With the tradition of bathing in the holy river on special occasions, and with such small habits, did our ancestors manage to save their religion! Could we save our religion only with the help of our culture! Who were those people who not only kept their traditions alive even after the destruction of their temples, idols of Gods but also defeated foreign invaders? For more information about this subject please visit :- https://nithinks.com/2021/01/18/makar-sankranti-is-an-ancient-hindu-festival-or-the-burden-of-old-tradition/

He purged by his sword the land of Hind from the filth of infidelity… and the impurity of idol-worship, and left not one temple standing… When he arrived at Mirat [Meerut] all the idol temples were converted into mosques. He then marched and encamped under the fort of Delhi. The city and its vicinity were freed from idols and idol-worship, and in the sanctuaries, mosques were raised by the worshippers of one God. The royal army proceeded towards Benares,(Varanasi) which is the centre of the country of Hind, and here they destroyed nearly one thousand temples. (Sadruddin Muhammad Hasan Nizami)

RAJ GHAT :-The crossroad of history (meeting center of different periods)

RAJ GHAT:- Almost all the great historians are of the opinion that ancient Varanasi city was near Rajghat. Near Rajghat, the Varuna River meets with the Ganges River, due to this river, the city got its name Varanasi. And in ancient times This river got its name due to the Varan (a species of trees) The river Varanavati is mentioned in the Atharva Veda.( period:-1000-900BCE) . Many historians, archaeologists have estimated from the material obtained from the excavation of Rajghat that the ancient Varanasi city existed in 11th or 12 century BC. At present there is also an important bridge built during the British era, at present it is known as Malviya bridge . During British rule it was called Dufferin Bridge. Built over the Ganges on the Grand Trunk Road from Dhaka to Peshawar. This route is the oldest and longest-distance route in South Asia. In ancient times it was known as Uttar Marg, Sadak -e -Azam Road in Mughal era, and Grand Trunk Road in British period. About one kilometer from the Rajghat bridge is the confluence of the Varuna and Ganga rivers. From Rajghat towards Varuna-Ganga Sangam one has to go through the educational institutions of Krishnamurti Foundation. This is a beautiful road. Magnificent buildings of educational institutions and covered with giant trees. The area of confluence comes as soon as the chain of educational institutions and giant trees ends. The entire area covered by trees in this area gives a magical feel. If you leave the slopes of the Sangam and go straight, you will have to cross a small culvert and meet another historical ancient route — Panchkoshi Marg. The confluence of holy rivers is always considered a sacred place in Hinduism. The oldest temples of Hindus are built at the confluence of such rivers. There is also an ancient temple here which is known as Adikeshav. It is difficult to say when this temple came into existence.

ADIKESHAV

The temple is mentioned in the copper plates of the Gahadavalas who ruled Varanasi from the eighth to the eleventh century. Similarly, at the holy confluence of Ganga-Gomti, there is an ancient temple of Markandeya Mahadev in Varanasi. The mention of this temple is also found in the holy book of Hindus Mahabharata. For more information about this subject please visit :-https://nithinks.com/2021/03/14/mahashivratrishiv-barat-and-varanasi/ When the Adi Keshav temple would have been built can only be predicted. All the major temples of Banaras were demolished in 1193-1194. Paganism is a crime in Islam. Muhammad Bakhtiyar Khan got the right to demolish and plunder the worship house of Hindus, Buddhists from the Gangetic plain, he accomplished this with complete cruelty. This temple was rebuilt in 1807 by Sindhia of Gwalior. Now there is a sense of reverence in this holy temple but nothing is left from the point of view of art. No tyrant can take away the feeling of faith. For more information about this subject please visit :-https://nithinks.com/2021/03/10/dawn-of-civilization-and-shiva-shiva-ganga-varanasi/ Assi Ghat presents a global image, of a changing India, or of the globalization of the world. Tulsi Das, Benimadhav, and Adi Keshav are witnesses to the struggle of Hindus against imperialism, Chet Singh Ghat is a living example of the importance of leadership, while Dashaswamedh, Harishchandra, and Manikarnika are living symbols of Hindu values for thousands of years.

LIGHT OF ASIA

SARANATH :- Varanasi, is also called KASHI(ONE OF THE OLD NAME). The word Kashi has its origin from the word Kash. Its means light. Here light does not mean just light. Light here means “Light of knowledge”. Nalanda, Taxila, and Varanasi were the major centers of education in ancient times. After attaining enlightenment, Gautam Buddha gave his first sermon here in Sarnath. In human history, this teaching is known as the Dharma Chakra Pravartan.OR “TURNING OF THE WHEEL OF THE MORAL LAW” By the time of Gautam Buddha, Varanasi had lost its glory to a great extent. But till then Varanasi was so glorified, and Varanasi had the pride of being the capital of all-knowledge that Gautam Buddha chose this city for the first sermon. Like King Harishchandra, Gautam Buddha was also a Kshatriya king. With his teachings, Gautam Buddha made Hinduism more acceptable, and versatile. Opposed the increasing rituals in Hinduism, and laid great emphasis on the concept of non-violence of Hinduism. Western historians have told Buddhism to be separate from Hinduism, there is no basis for this. In India, where Hindus have a God like reverence for Gautam Buddha, Japan, China, Sri Lanka, Korea and the countries of South East Asia accept the teachings of Gautam Buddha as a great master. Many teachings of Hinduism have been carried over to Buddhism.

“Victory breeds hatred, for the conquered is unhappy”. “You cannot travel the path until you have become the path itself.”

“As I am, so are these.
As are these, so am I.’
Drawing the parallel to yourself,
neither kill nor get others to kill”

THE ASHOKA LION CAPITAL OF SARANATH

The Ashoka emblem is the national emblem of India. It has been taken from the Ashoka Lot found in Sarnath. It has four lions standing facing all the four directions. The Dhamma Chakra was built on these four lions, which was found in many pieces in the excavation. These four lions are standing on a solid base. There are four animals on this circular base. Each of these four animals has its place as a symbol of Buddhism: the lion represents Sakyasimha, lion of the Sakya clan, with the voice of a lion; the elephant signifies Sakyamuni entering the womb of his mother Mayadevi in her dream, but also Sakyamuni as the tamer of wild elephants; the horse, besides being a symbol of temporal royalty, is the vehicle that carried Prince Siddhartha on his journey of renunciation; finally, the bull is the great inseminator, here symbolising the Buddha’s teaching, the Dharma. The horse and elephant together support the Wheel-turning Monarch In the center is the Dhammachakra. (ASHOK THE SEARCH FOR INDIA’S LOST EMPEROR.page 334.335) This twenty four spoked wheel is situated in the middle of the national flag of India. Presently this Ashoka’s lot is preserved in the museum of Sarnath. Probably this is India’s first onsite museum.

In this post I have explained Varanasi on the basis of my experience. Every person has a different point of view. I tried to introduce people to some facts of this ancient city, and important events of Indian history. Varanasi is a wonderful city — full of contradictions, with many opinions, ideologies. This diversity gives it the status of eternal city. At present there is hardly any country whose residents do not reside here. The history of Varanasi gives a glimpse of the history of the entire culture of India. My view is that History is not just a lifeless structure of dry events, in this we can see the reactions of the society and religious expressions also completely, and Varanasi is a wonderful work (kriti)of this subject. For more information about this subject please visit:- https://nithinks.com/2019/12/31/oldest-living-city-happy-new-year/

Life Of Swami Vivekananda Through Pictures

“Dancing mad with joy,
Come, O Mother, come!
For Terror is Thy name!
Death —is in Thy breath
And every shaking step
Destroys a world for e’er.”
“It all came true, every word of it, “he interrupted himself to say.
“Who dares misery love,
Dance in Destruction’s dance,
And hug the form of death—

Vivekanand was a very lion among man. We preceive his influence still working gigantically. We know not well how, we know not where, in something not yet formed, something leonine, grand intutive uphearing that has entered the soul of India and we say-Behold! Vivekanand still lives, in the souls of the mother and in the souls of the children.

LIFE OF VIVEKANANDA THROUGH IMAGES

THE NUMBER OF PHOTOGRAPHS OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA RECEIVED SO FOR IS 106. I was trying to change this for a long time, but didn’t succeed, but I came to know a lot of information on Swamiji and Swamiji’s influence in general public. My efforts will continue in future also. I could not get the 107th picture of Vivekananda, but during this time I got a chance to get acquainted with many unknown aspects related to his life. In the life of Vivekananda, there was a clear impression of Banaras(VARANASI) city, but very little has been written on this subject. What was the relation of Vivekananda’s birth with Varanasi? For more information on this topic see :- https://nithinks.com/2019/09/19/bileybanarasvivekanandavaranasi/ My hard work did not go in vain, I came to know many little known but important places related to Swamiji’s life. Swami Vivekananda’s association with Varanasi started from his birth and continued throughout his life. places related to Swamiji’s life:-(VIRESHSWAR MAHADEV TEMPLE,BENGALI DYODHI,DURGA KUND TEMPLE ,NEPALI TEMPLE,KAUDIYA HOSPITAL,GOPAL LAL VILA,RAJA KALI KRISHNA THAKUR GARDEN HOUSE) During his stay in Varanasi, Swamiji came in contact with many scholars and Hindu monks. (Pramadadas Mitra ,Pramadadas Mitra ji, who was an eminent scholar of that time. He translated the British national anthem into Sanskrit and the Gita into English.) Trailanga Swami,Walking Shiva Of Varanasi. Vivekananda’s guru Sri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa highly respected Trailanga Swami He called Trailanga Swami A walking Shiva of Varanasi. Pavhari Baba Vivekananda met Pawhari Baba in Ghazipur near Varanasi. Sister Nivedita wrote in “The master as I saw him” that after Ramakrishna Paramahansa, Swami ji was most influenced by Pawhari Baba . These people had a great impact on Swamiji’s life. Communist, Marxist, and fake historians in the country left no stone unturned in marginalizing Swamiji . Swamiji’s teachings and inspirational words are inspiring people even today. . Based on my experience, I have selected some photos related to the life of Vivekananda. A glimpse of Swamiji’s life can be seen from these photos.

The symphony of India, bearing the name of Ramakrishna

*SRI RAMKRISHNA PARAMHANSA JI* *(10 DECEMBER 1881)*

“RAMAKRISHNA IS THE YOUNGER BROTHER OF OUR CHRIST” ROMAIN ROLLAND

To Rolland, ‘Ramakrishna is the younger brother of our Christ.’ ‘It is always the same Man,’ said Rolland, the Son of Man, the Eternal, Our Son, Our God reborn. With each return he reveals himself a little more fully, and more enriched by the universe.’

‘I am bringing to Europe, as yet unaware of it, the fruit of a new autumn, a new message of the Soul, the symphony of India, bearing the name of Ramakrishna.’-wrote Romain Rolland to his Western readers.

Vivekananda’s guru [MASTER] Ramakrishna Paramhansa. When the tools of modern information were not available to the common people, it was undoubtedly a difficult task to keep the struggle against the imperialist ideology alive among the common people. You always kept people aware by reinterpreting stories related to Hindu culture and religion. A clear impression of Ramakrishna Paramahansa can be seen on Vivekananda’s philosophy and life. I believe that two books are important to understand the teachings and philosophy of Ramakrishna Paramhansa. 1 – THE GOSPAL OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA written(Recorded ) by [M] MAHAENDRANATH GUPTA .

The Life of Ramakrishna written by ROMAIN ROLLAND

Where the first book “The Gospal Of Sri Ramakrishna” is a collection of dialogues of Ramakrishna Paramhansa. In this book, many popular, religious stories have been told by him to solve the problems of daily life in very simple words. Second book is The Life of Ramakrishna written by Romain Rolland . Which is based on the life and philosophy of Ramakrishna. This is also a great book, but I believe that those who are familiar with the basic elements of Hindu philosophy, and civilization – culture, they will enjoy reading this book more.

A warrior monk and his inspirational struggle

Swami Vivekananda died on 4 July 1902. The total age at the time of Swamiji’s death was Thirty nine years, five months and twenty four days. In the history of India, perhaps after Shankaracharya, the second warrior monk to wake up the Hindu-religionists. (Hindu misfortune, that Shankaracharya also died very early. (Shankaracharya had attained the age of thirty-two years) Swami Vivekananda had a pre-birth relationship with the city of his beloved Bhagwan Mahadev. Swamiji’s relationship with Mahadev’s beloved city continued throughout his life. Swami Vivekananda had come to Varanasi a few months before his death. and stayed in a building called Lal Villa, these are the ruins of the same building. Vivekananda had come to Varanasi a few months before his death. During this he stayed at Gopal Lal Villa.(RAJA KALI KRISHNA THAKUR GARDEN HOUSE , SONDHA BAS) For more information on this topic see :- https://nithinks.com/2020/07/05/the-unknown-life-of-swami-vivekananda/

GOPAL LAL VILA (VARANASI) This is a fictional painting of Gopal Lal Villa Bhawan (Varanasi). Created by Kripa, a young painter from Varanasi city.

This is the most popular photo of Swami Vivekananda. Every person familiar with Hindu philosophy, yoga, literature will definitely be familiar with this photo. In this photo, Swami Vivekananda is wearing the clothes of a Hindu monk. Swamiji’s portrait photographed by Thomas Harrison, at his studio in Central Music Hall, Chicago. Seven such ‘Chicago style’cabinet card photographs –known as the Harrison series were taken in September 1893 during the World’s Parliament of Religions. Coloured posters based on this photograph were printed by a lithographic company and displayed all over Chicago.(THE MONK AS MAN -SANKAR)

***World’s Parliament of Religions.*** ( September 1893 )

AT THE WORLD’S PARLIAMENT OF RELIGIONS , CHICAGO. 11TH SEPTEMBER 1893

Vivekananda’s speech in the Parliament of Religions is one of the best speeches ever given by an Indian on Hindu religion and culture. There were many misconceptions about Hinduism in the western countries, similarly about Christianity among Hindus, Vivekananda tried his best to remove this cultural and religious contradiction. . The humanistic and humanitarian spirit of Ramakrishna Paramahansa can be clearly seen in the thoughts of Vivekananda. For more information about this subject see :- https://nithinks.com/2020/12/03/hindu-philosophy-and-the-importance-of-peace-9-11-1893-9-112001/

Her curse is a blessing!

“ONE WHO DOES NOT WORSHIP HIS MOTHER CAN NEVER TRULY RISE”.

In India, the mother is the Centre of the family and our highest ideal. To us, she is representative of God, as God himself is the mother of the universe. Where the Vedas teach morality, the first words are, “Let the mother be your God” -and that she is. When we talk of woman in India, our idea of woman is mother. The value of women consists in their being mothers of the human race. That is the idea of the Hindu. I know that before I was born, my mother would fast and pray and do hundreds of things which I could not even do for five minutes. She did that for two years. I believe that whatever religious culture I have, I owe to that. It was consciously that my mother brought me into the world to be what I am. What ever good impulse I have was given to me by my mother-and consciously, not unconsciously. For more information about this subject see :- https://nithinks.com/2021/01/25/bharat-mata-mandirmother-india-temple-and-vande-mataram/`

Researchers maintain that this is the first of the 106 available photos of Swami Vivekananda .1886, Cossipore garden house kolkatta (the monk as man sankar)

MORE INDIAN THEN MOST INDIANS

MOTHER OF THE PEOPLE

MARGARET NOBLE ( BHAGINI NIVEDITA SISTER NIVEDITA):- This name was given to Margaret by Vivekananda. BHAGINI means sister, and NIVEDITA means – An intelligent girl dedicated to service. Margaret Elizabeth Nobel was born on 28 October 1867 in Ireland. After meeting Swami Vivekananda in London, she made the land of India her work land. Swami Vivekananda inspired them to follow the path shown by Buddha. After visiting India, she started serving the society while living in Kolkata. Extremely talented and imbued with the spirit of serving the people, Nivedita used her versatility to serve the land of India in every way.

JOURNALISM:- While living in India, Nivedita wrote many articles, books on Indian culture, ancient history, Indian philosophy, Hindu religion. Her book on Swami Vivekananda “THE MASTER AS I SAW HIM” is considered one of the best books written on Vivekananda. Apart from this, Nivedita continued to write in favour of freedom fighters in India and also in favour of independence of India. Nivedita’s longing, dedication towards India’s independence can be seen in her writings. Nivedita had also taken charge of the patriotic newspaper Bande-Mataram for a few days in the absence of diligently great philosopher, freedom fighter Arvind Ghosh. Nivedita never shied away from helping the fierce freedom fighters of that time. There are many examples of her helping the freedom fighters.

SOCIAL SERVICE:- Due to such dedication and service of Nivedita, Mahakavi Thakur gave her the title of Lokmata. (MOTHER OF THE PEOPLE) Nivedita established a school for poor girls in Baghbazar, Kolkata. For this school, Nivedita collected money from Europe, and also from America. This school was inaugurated by Sharda Devi (wife of Ramakrishna Paramahansa) This school is still dedicated to the education of the girl child. There was a great outbreak of plague in India in 1898. The city of Kolkata soon came under its grip. The common people were frightened and started running away from the city. In such a bad situation, Nivedita did not give up courage and together with her guru Swami Vivekananda remained in the service of plague patients.

DHEER MATA (CALM QUIET MOTHER)

Swami Vivekananda gave her the title of Dheer Mata because of her patience . After the death of her husband, her mind used to be very impatient, to get out of this trouble she took the help of Gita, Yoga, Meditation during this she studied many Hindu scriptures. She believed that yoga and meditation helped her understand the Bible. After meeting Vivekananda, she joined the Vedanta movement. She accepted Swami Vivekananda as her Indian son and guru. Swamiji also kept calling her as his American mother. In the letter that Swamiji wrote to her, she have been addressed as Dheer Mata. She also helped the great scientist of the time Jagdish Chandra Bose a lot. India was a subordinate nation in those days, which was ruled by the British, due to which Indian scientists were unable to do research work in the country.

***Olea Bull, Betty Laggett and Josephine MacLeod July 1906***

JOSEPHINE MACLEOD JO JO TANTINE

Swami Vivekananda used to call her by her nick name Jo Jo and Tantine. Vivekananda had introduced the western countries to yoga and meditation, this tradition was continued by Lloyd even further. Vivekananda considered her to be a woman of very strong will, she has proved it from time to time. She helped in every way the Vedanta Society. She also played the role of Ambassador of Vedanta to the West.

CREDITS:

1. THE COMPLETE WORKS OF SWAMI VIVEKANANDA 2. THE MONK AS MAN The Unknown Life Of Swami Vivekananda (SANKAR) 3. THE GOSPEL OF SRI RAMAKRISHNA [M] (MAHAENDRANATH GUPTA) . 4. The Life Of RAMAKRISHNA (ROMAIN ROLLAND) 5. The Master As I Saw Him (Sister Nivedita )

YOGA- How Tech-Yogi saw the light of the future in the Brahmastra of the Hindu nationalists.

If you want to be sad, no one in the world can make you happy. But if you make up your mind to be happy, no one and nothing on earth can take that happiness from you.(Yogananda Paramhansa)

***ADI YOGI – SHIVA*** ***MOHANJODARO INDUS VALLEY YOGI (PASHUPATI SHIVA -LORD OF ANIMALS 2600-1900 BCE)***

International Yoga Day is celebrated on 21st June. Yoga Day started from 21st June 2015.Yoga Day was initiated by the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi while addressing the Joint General Assembly in 2014.

Yoga is an invaluable gift of our ancient tradition. Yoga embodies unity of mind and body; thought and action; restraint and fulfillment; harmony between man and nature; a holistic approach to health and well being. It is not about exercise but to discover the sense of oneness with yourself, the world and the nature. By changing our lifestyle and creating consciousness, it can help us deal with climate change. Let us work towards adopting an International Yoga Day. (India’s gift to the whole world.)

HISTORY :- The topic of my post is Yoga’s struggle against imperialism, and the role of Yoga in the development of India’s nationalism, but for this it is necessary to go a little into ancient history. In general, yoga means addition. But in the general sense, where addition is taken to mean numbers, or a collection of some objects, the collection of objects with different properties also comes under sum(yog)
Spiritually and religiously, the meaning of yoga remains the same, but Here the meaning of yoga becomes very wide. Threading humans, animals, nature, all together in one link is yoga. For more information on Hindu Civilization please visit:- https://nithinks.com/2020/12/03/hindu-philosophy-and-the-importance-of-peace-9-11-1893-9-112001/

FROM THE CITY OF THE OLDEST YOGI:-(ADI-YOGI)

One of the holiest of Hindus and one of the oldest cities in the world, Varanasi also has the distinction of being the city of Lord Shiva. The Vedas, the oldest religious texts of the Hindus, mention only the worship of nature. The deity that is first mentioned after the worship of nature is Shiva. For this reason Shiva is also called Adi-dev. In very ancient relics, Shiva is depicted in the posture of yoga, for this reason Shiva is also called Adi Yogi. There is a tradition to show the original form of Shiva along with nature, and also Shiva as the protector of nature. For a detailed explanation of the relationship between Shiva and Varanasi, please visit:- https://nithinks.com/2021/03/10/dawn-of-civilization-and-shiva-shiva-ganga-varanasi/

***SHIVA (ADI-YOGI ) PROTECTOR OF NATUR***E
***An artist’s imagination at the Ghat of Varanasi***

The ancient idols of Gautam Buddha, Mahavir Swami are all depicted in the posture of meditation and yoga. It is clear from this that yoga and meditation are very ancient traditions of India.
Demolition of idols, temples, monasteries was a common practice in Islamic imperialism. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SUBJECT PLEASE VISIT :- https://nithinks.com/2019/10/07/islamic-imperialism-breaking-of-idols-hindu-struggle-past-present/ Due to which this art had almost disappeared in the branches of Hindu, Buddhist, Jain and all Hindu religions. Somehow it survived as it was passed on from one generation to another, it would be more correct to say that the art of yoga had gone into a coma for a few centuries. The art of yoga-meditation never got a chance to live freely in Islamic terrorism, imperialism, but this art did not even die due to being so deeply rooted in Hinduism. For more information about this subject please visit :- https://nithinks.com/2021/03/26/rangbhari-ekadsi-masan-holiashes-of-dead-persons/

Hindu renaissance and re-establishment of yoga- meditation

With the end of hundreds of years of Islamic imperialism, a new era began, – British Imperialism. For more information about this subject please visit :- https://nithinks.com/2020/08/14/benares-rebellion-15august-1781/ Like every imperialism, it was also opposed to the native religion, culture. But a framework was developed to maintain the British Empire in the Far East. To maintain the strength of this structure (instead of rigidity, some flexibility was introduced after the First Revolt of 1857)The British Empire needed educated people, because it was not possible to bring people from England for every task, the result was the beginning of education loyal to the British Empire in India.

Kolkata Became the new Nalanda:

The white city of that time (most white people in Asia at that time lived in Kolkata) became the economic and political capital of India. The youth, who had received modern education in Kolkata, soon started working in the biggest industries of that time, railways and postal service. By the 1857 War of Independence in India, the British had understood that the native army could not be trusted completely, (the native army is completely traditional in religion and culture, and did not distance itself from its roots by providing a job to the East India Company) can be done.)
To rule the land of such vast vastness, there was a great need for a means of quick transport. (If needed, the British Army could be transported from one corner of India to another in 24 hours.)
Uninterrupted transmission of information (telegram, letter) was also very necessary to reach from one corner of the country to another. Because of this surprisingly the railway and postal department expanded very rapidly all over India. Bengali people were first appointed in these departments. This was also inevitable because Bengali people were the first to have access to modern education. Colonies, houses of Rail Dock Department started being built in every major city of the country. In this way a mini Bengal was formed in all the major cities of India. Another industry which was not supported by the government, but was growing rapidly in Bengal especially in Kolkata due to the spread of education– the development of printing press. A new era of books, newspapers, magazines took place from Kolkata, due to the rail network across the country, the printing press got its customers all over the country. Especially the Bengalis of Kolkata.

Problem and Solution

Bengal was a strange situation in those days – on the one hand Christian missionaries were involved in the conversion of people, on the other hand the anger of the people was increasing in Hinduism due to hypocrisy, untouchability. In such a situation, Hinduism was finding itself helpless, when Bankim Chandra Chatterjee arrived under such circumstances. He had not said anything new – he had interpreted the Gita afresh. Amidst an atmosphere of despair, there was an assurance of victory in the verses of Gita. Shri Krishna chanted the mantra of Shakti during Kurukshetra, encouraging Arjuna the war-bearer. After a long time, those mantras again filled the youth with hope. In his novel Anand Math, Bankim Chandra wrote the valor of the revolutionaries who challenged the British and made the Indians realize that freedom is their first right, which is the solemn duty of every Indian to achieve. The novel, based on the revolt of the monks (YOGI)of Bengal against British imperialism, had a song on the worship of the motherland. The title of this song was —- Vande Mataram. Later this title became the epitome of opposition to British imperialism. Its popularity can be understood from the fact that it was accepted for greetings throughout the country. Now a new yoga tradition was born, got modern education, understanding of world politics, proud of religion on their culture, above hypocrisy, evils, narrow-mindedness, the new generation of Bengali youth in the spiritual color of yoga. Change in the traditions of Hindu religion, or the beginning of any new tradition is not possible without the approval of the holy city of Varanasi. For more information about this subject please visit https://nithinks.com/2021/01/25/bharat-mata-mandirmother-india-temple-and-vande-mataram/

THE CAPITAL OF ALL KNOWLEDGE:- CITY OF LIGHT

“The city illumines the truth and reveals reality. It does not bring new wonders into the scope of vision, but enables one to see what is already there. Where this eternal light intersects the earth, it is known as Kashi”(Varanasi).

Varanasi, is also called KASHI(ONE OF THE OLD NAME). The word Kashi has its origin from the word Kash. Its means light. Here light does not mean just light. Light here means “Light of knowledge”. Nalanda, Taxila, and Varanasi were the major centers of education in ancient times. For more information about city of light please visit :- https://nithinks.com/2020/12/01/dev-deepawali-festival-of-light-city-of-light/

New incarnation of yoga in the city of Adi-yogi

At the end of the eighteenth century, the British thought of opening the Banaras Sanskrit College in Varanasi. (S.N SEN, SANSKRIT COLLEGE AT BANARAS ,GERNAL GANGANATH RESEARCH PAGE 315)

The credit for understanding the importance of modern education and the introduction of modern education in Varanasi goes to Raja Jaynarayan Ghoshal. Raja Jaynarayan Ghoshal established a school for modern education in Varanasi in 1814. Today this school is known as Jaynarayan College. (Fort William College Kolkata was established by Lord Wellesley in 1800)When Lord Hastings came to Varanasi in September 1814, the foundation of this school had been laid. And the construction of the school was in progress, this event has been described by Hastings in his journal. In those days it was difficult to even talk about western education, so what to say about the English medium school of western education? A temple was also built in the same year 1814 by Jaynarayan Ghoshal to show himself as a Hindu religious person. The specialty of this temple was its unique structure. This temple is dedicated to Yoga and Tantra-Vidya ( doctrines or principles of the tantras, involving mantras, meditation, yoga, and ritual.) Soon this combination greatly influenced the younger generation, The teachings of Yoga and Gita were used as a weapon by the modern educated Bengali youth. Equally effective on both fronts. Against Christian missionaries and against Hindu superstitions.

Yoga Based on the Gita took the form of a Brahmastra during independence Movement

Gita-based yoga became an infallible weapon of nationalists across the country by moving beyond the boundaries of Bengal and Bengali railways, post office colonies. Nationalists like Tilak, Savarkar, Sachindra Nath Sanyal (Sachindra nath Sanyal was the founder of “Hindustan Republican Association” and political teacher(guru) of great revolutionaries like Chandrashekhar Azad, Bhagat Singh, Trilokya Chakraborty, Bhagwati Charan Vohra, Nalini Kishore Guh, Baba Prithvi Singh, Ras Bihari Bose, Sukhdev, Rajguru, Lala Hardayal, Ajit Singh .

The book “Bandi – jeevan” he wrote was called the Bible of Indian revolutionaries, which was translated into more than twenty-eight languages and countless people who read this book chose the path of revolution for the independence of the country. Marxist fake historians have marginalized them in writing their own history. ) Subhash Chandra Bose also used this new weapon in the best way in intense nationalism.

***CONCENTRATING THE POWERS OF THE MIND IS THE ONLY WAY TO KNOWLEDGE.***

FREEDOM OF THE SOUL IS THE GOAL OF ALL YOGAS

You must remember that freedom of the soul is the goal of all Yoga’s, and each one equally leads to the same result. By work alone men may get to where Buddha got largely by meditation or Christ by prayer. Buddha was a working Jnâni, Christ was a Bhakta, but the same goal was reached by both of them. The difficulty is here. Liberation means entire freedom — freedom from the bondage of good, as well as from the bondage of evil. A golden chain is as much a chain as an iron one. There is a thorn in my finger, and I use another to take the first one out; and when I have taken it out, I throw both of them aside; I have no necessity for keeping the second thorn, because both are thorns after all. So the bad tendencies are to be counteracted by the good ones, and the bad impressions on the mind should be removed by the fresh waves of good ones, until all that is evil almost disappears, or is subdued and held in control in a corner of the mind; but after that, the good tendencies have also to be conquered. Thus the “attached” becomes the “unattached”. Work, but let not the action or the thought produce a deep impression on the mind. Let the ripples come and go, let huge actions proceed from the muscles and the brain, but let them not make any deep impression on the soul. SWAMI VIVEKANANDA

For more information about Relevance of Vivekananda’s thoughts in present times please visit :- https://nithinks.com/2021/01/11/is-vivekananda-still-relevant-today-national-youth-day/ Swami Vivekananda a great sanyasi (Yogi) Who left an impact on the world’s finest minds of his time. introduced the western world to yoga and meditation for the first time. The great scientist Nikola Tesla, writer Aldous Huxley, Tolstoy, Ja de Salinger Rockefeller, Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Arvind Ghosh, Nivedita, Jamshedji Tata, Vimal Mitra, Shachindranath were influenced by his ideas. In 1890, Vivekananda came to Varanasi with Swami Akhandanand. The house where Vivekananda stayed in Varanasi was known as Bengali Deodhi. (Vivekananda stayed in this house in Varanasi in 1888 too.) This house belonged to Pramadadas Mitra ji, who was an eminent scholar of that time. He translated the British national anthem into Sanskrit and the Gita into English. for more information about vivekananda and varanasi please visit :- https://nithinks.com/2020/07/05/the-unknown-life-of-swami-vivekananda/

SHYAMCHARAN LAHIRI (LAHIRI- MAHASHAY)

He was born on 26 September 1828. Since childhood he was a devotee of Shiva. As a child, he went to Varanasi for his education. (It was a common practice in Bengal, parents used to send their children to Varanasi for education. Raja Ram Mohan Roy, a very famous social reformer of that time, was also educated in Varanasi.) His education was an example of changing times. Instead of taking admission in the old religious Sanskrit school in Varanasi, he joined the school of Jaynarayan Ghoshal. No doubt he must have been influenced by the personality of Jaynarayan Ghoshal and other thoughts.

He continued to practice yoga while living a household life. Later on, he made Mahavatar Baba ji his Guru and learned many esoteric sutras of yoga from him. He did a lot of work on Vedanta, Sankhya, and Yogadarshan, and also did a lot of writing work related to it.
He has also given a spiritual interpretation of the Gita, which has a very high status in the world of spirituality. On the basis of Gita, he again presented Kriya-Yoga. Kriya Yoga is such a method of yoga in which Pranayama has special importance, in simple words, Kriya Yoga is the cultivation of self-realization, God, and true knowledge in one equation. His chief disciples Pranavanand, Kesavananda, Yukteswar Giri gave more height to his tradition.

***CONTROL OF THE MIND IS BETTER AND MORE DIFFICULT***.

वसुधैव कुटुंबकम ( vasudhaiva kutumbakam)

Yogananda Paramhansa :- He was born in a Bengali family in Gorakhpur near Varanasi. His real name was Mukundlal Ghosh.His father’s name was Bhagwati-Charan Ghosh.His parents had received the education of Kriya Yoga from Lahiri ji Maharaj. He taught Kriya-Yoga to the whole world. His book on Kriya Yoga Autobiography of a Yogi is the most popular book on this subject. Full credit goes to him for popularizing Yoga and Kriya Yoga among common people all over the world, especially in America. After playing a major role in India’s nationalism, yoga is now striving in the role of cooperation at the international level. His book has brought a pleasant change in the lives of many people. Influenced by this book,(Autobiography of a yogi) George Harrison composed the famous song Dear One . and dedicated this song to Paramahansa Yogananda. Elvis Presley and Ravi Shankar were also greatly influenced by this book.

Tech -yogi and Brown Box:- Steve Jobs last gift

“A fascinating story about the famous co-founder of Apple and the yoga book that accompanied him since his teens until his last days. His last gift to all guests at his funeral held in Stanford”

ART OF YOGA

A HAPPY TEA ADDICT COUNTRY

Hindu sages and saints have contributed a lot in the independence of India. Many social reforms were also initiated by sages and saints. Tea revolution in the eighteenth, nineteenth centuries (under which the style of drinking tea in India changed forever.
Tea was recognized as the beverage of the common Indian from the beverage of the Europeans)

“I believe tea has helped us, as a nation. At least, our tea drinkers outnumber those who consume alcohol, One may even go so far as to claim that the spread of alcoholism has been arrested in this country because of tea.” SANKAR THE MONK AS MAN

How hard it is to believe that we Indians were unaware of tea (chai) a few centuries ago. Now hardly any Indian starts the day without tea. (The people of South India are lucky in this case that they have the option of choice, they can choose between tea or coffee according to their convenience) It is a matter of happiness that today in the use and production of both tea and coffee, India is one of the major countries of the world. According to a national survey, fifteen cups of tea are consumed in India compared to one cup of coffee.

Gradually tea became a part of our daily life. It is also like that we Indians were unaware of potato, and tobacco,(Potato &Tobacco was introduced by Portuguese ) today without them the daily life of many Indians cannot be imagined.

Herbal tea has a centuries-old history in India. Even today there is a lot of custom in India to drink it, but today this drink is also called Kaadha. Consumption of decoction has its benefits. Herbals like black pepper, mint leaves, basil leaves, liquor ice, cloves, ginger etc are used in the decoction. India has historically been a stronghold of natural medicines and spices, so it is common for such beverages to become popular. Similarly, lemon tea is also very popular in India. In recent years, the increasing awareness of people towards natural beverages has made Kaadha very popular. It has been used as a medicine in colds. In recent times, its popularity has increased a lot in the outbreak of Corona. There will be hardly any home or hospital in India where this herbal drink is not being used.

CHAI

The extraordinary story of ordinary tea The story of tea was written in India during the Bengal rule of the East India Company. And within a few years it turned into a mass movement.
The East India Company was a commercial company, whose main reason for its arrival in India was the trade of spices. After the Battle of Plassey in Bengal, the East India Company’s feet were firmly established in Bengal. During this time, efforts were made by the people of East India Company to grow tea in India. It is believed that tea plants were first planted in 1787 by a British, Mr. Kydd, in a garden called Shivpur in Howrah. This was a failed attempt. Later at one place Mr. Kydd admitted that the climate of Howrah was not suitable for the growth of tea leaves. By the year 1820, some prominent Bengali families (Prince Dwarkanath Tagore) were also engaged in the tea leaf business in Assam in an effort to grow tea leaves in Bengal and its surrounding areas.

In 1864, India’s tea leaves were sold for £3 million by the Assam Company at an auction in Mincing Lane, London, England. This was just a beginning.

This was the effort of the East India Company and the famous Indian businessman of that time to capture a part of the tea market in England. Gradually these efforts paid off, by 1870 the share of China’s tea market in England was 90%, after thirty years it was 10%, this was possible due to the development of tea gardens in India and Sri Lanka. Till then the practice of drinking tea had not started among Indians, it is believed that the trend of tea was slowly starting in the city of Kolkata, India. Kolkata was then a rapidly growing British city in India. The political and economic capital of India. Kolkata was also called the White City in those days because the population of white people in the main area of Kolkata was more than the native people, and Kolkata had more white people than any city in Asia. The British people had a habit of drinking tea according to their English tradition, gradually this habit was being adopted by the elite Indians also. In those days, association with British families and eating with them was common in the famous and prosperous houses of Kolkata, as a result many customs and traditions were adopted conveniently by the noble Indians, among them the habit of drinking tea. was involved.

Tea and Nationalism

In those days a new industry was also spreading rapidly in Bengal. That was the printing industry. For the first time in India, the trend of books, newspapers was increasing, many British and Indian businessmen of Kolkata were also seeing the possibility in this new business. Due to the spread of education, the number of educated people in India was also increasing. The old gurukul system of education (which was largely based on Hindu traditions) and Muslim education which was based on madrasas was now getting out of date. Western education and employment based on western education were increasing, a new intellectual class was emerging among Hindus. (Muslims were keeping distance from this education system) This new intelligentsia was to some extent British in language, lifestyle and food, but inspired by Hindu culture, religion, and the spirit of patriotism. Many of these intellectuals did not accept to work under the British government and started working independently in journalism, Hinduism and social reformer. There was also a lot of drinking tea among such people, due to which soon the tag of white people’s beverage was removed from tea.

Tea Break চা বিরতি
Bengalis have tea in their and blood and nobody can do anything about it. Bengalis will never forget that coffee smells like burnt shal leaf, while Darjeeling tea tastes like champagne. Sankar- The Monk as MAN

Rabindra Nath Tagore, a prolific nationalist of the time, and world-renowned Writer, Poet, Philosopher ( first Indian who received the Nobel prize of Literature )
Dwarka Nath Tagore was his grandfather, who started the tea business in India with the British people. He was counted among the tea lovers of that time. He has shared his love of tea with people many times.

Swami Vivekananda A young sannyasi(MONK) whose popularity was at its peak in those days, a voice that was a ray of hope among the nationalists, was a tea lover. This young monk left an impact on the world’s finest minds of his time.
The uncivilized image of Hindus and India in the West and America, which was based on some prejudices, was broken by this great sannyasi, not only kept the true picture of India in front of the world, but also introduced the world to yoga and meditation for the first time. The great scientist Nikola Tesla, writer Aldous Huxley, Tolstoy, Ja de Salinger Rockefeller, Mahatma Gandhi, Subhas Chandra Bose, Arvind Ghosh, Nivedita, Jamshedji Tata, Vimal Mitra Shachindranath were influenced by his ideas. Vivekananda’s habits were always the subject of discussion in those days, especially among the youth and the intelligentsia in Kolkata. Swami Vivekananda, along with other poets, writers, and intellectuals associated with the Rama Krishna Mission, have mentioned the popularity of tea at many places due to Vivekananda’s influence. Swami Sardananda once jokingly told Swami Vivekananda’s younger brother Mahendranath that the habit of drinking tea to the people associated with the Math is due to your brother Vivekananda. For more information related to this topic please visit:- https://nithinks.com/2021/01/11/is-vivekananda-still-relevant-today-national-youth-day/

BELUR -MATH HOWRAH (KOLKATA )

Tilak the Chaiwala of Belur :-

Once Tilak, (LOKMANYA BALGANGADHAR TILAK)the great nationalist of that time, came to Kolkata. Tilak came to Belur Math to meet and discuss with Swami Vivekananda. On the request of Swami Vivekananda, Lokmanya Tilak made tea for all the people present in the Math. Undoubtedly, this tea party is ranked among the most historic tea parties in India.
This incident is mentioned by Shankar in his famous book the monk as man
Giving the details of this incident, Sankar has told that’ Tilak had brought nutmeg, mace ,cardamom ,cloves, and saffron with him. He boiled these things together, added the tea leaves, milk and sugar ,and made tea.’ This incident shows that Our current Prime Minister Narendra Modi whose father had a small tea shop, and whose childhood is spent selling tea, he is not the only chaiwala in Indian politics.

BODHI- DHARMA

There is a belief in china that in the fifth-sixth century, a monk from India, Bodhidharma, reached China for the propagation of Buddhism. He is credited to propagate Buddhism in china. It is believed that Bodhidharma spent nine years meditating in a cave, due to constant waking and not sleeping, Bodhidharma was feeling sleepy, due to which Bodhidharma cut off his eyelid in anger and threw it away. A few days later a tree grew at the same place. The leaves of that tree had a special quality – drinking a drink made from the leaves of that tree did not cause sleep and felt energized. This was the first tea plant.

Tea Capital of India :- Undoubtedly Kolkata is the tea capital of India. From the planting of tea leaves to the cultivation, export, acceptance of tea in the society, everything is built in the history of Kolkata itself. Although tea shops will be found in every city, nook, street square of India, but the variety of tea found in Kolkata is rare. The way of serving tea is also varied. From plastic glasses, glasses, fancy cups, to clay pots.
Many shops in Kolkata still make tea in the old style kiln, but the tea found at these shops is usually strong tea. (This is the Indian version of Britain’s sailors tea) The taste of tea in a cup made of clay changes completely, the smell of earthy aroma in strong tea – wonderful.
In Kolkata, the use of milk in tea is also less, in Kolkata tea leaves are more important, after taking a few sips of tea, it is understood that the whole game here is of tea leaves.

Cultural Capital of India & Some very unique tea shops:- Varanasi is not only the cultural capital of India, it is also called Mini Kolkata or Mini Bengal. The reason for this is a large number of Bengalis here. Most Bengalis live in one city outside the state of Bengal, then it is Varanasi. The trend of tea in Varanasi has come from Kolkata itself. Here too many old tea shops serve tea in earthen cups. (KULLHADA) But there is a fundamental difference in the tea found here – milk is used more in the tea here. Apart from this, basil leaves, ginger, bay leaves are commonly used in tea here. In their taste and aroma, it reduces the taste of tea leaves . There is one more thing that is worthy of praise at the tea stalls in Varanasi – the special attention to cleanliness. A small tea shop on the side of the road also washes the utensils used for making tea with hot water several times a day. In Varanasi, tea is a beverage to be consumed at any time, and at any place.

“I think Banaras (Varanasi) is one of the most wonderful places I have ever seen. It it has struck me that a westerner feels in Banaras very much as an oriental must feel while he is planted down in the middle of London”. (MARK TWAIN)

*Swami Vivekananda’s painting at Varanasi Ghat*

MAHASAMASHAN AND TEA SHOPS

If one is not familiar with the traditions and philosophy of Hindu religion, then the tea shops and tea drinking places in Varanasi can surprise him.
The most unique seems to be the hundreds of tea shops on Samashan. In Hinduism, the last rites of a dead person are performed on the banks of rivers or water bodies, in Varanasi also on the banks of the holy Ganges there are two very ancient ghats Manikarnika and Harishchandra, both these ghats are used for cremation. There are many tea shops on both the ghats. On Manikarnika, there are more tea shops than shops of materials used in cremation. The funeral rites never stop on Manikarnika, day and night. Similarly, tea is available at any time at the tea shops here. The well-wishers of the deceased who come to attend the last rites can also be seen drinking tea at the time of the last rites of the deceased. To know the thousands of years old tradition of Varanasi’s Samashan, Aghori please visit:- https://nithinks.com/2021/03/26/rangbhari-ekadsi-masan-holiashes-of-dead-persons/ This is a normal reaction. The use of tea was once banned in Hindu monasteries considering it to be a stimulating beverage, today drinking tea is a common practice among Hindus in any religious activity. Many Hindus do not consume grains during the fast, they only survive on fruits, but tea is also drunk during this time. To know the story and tradition related to fasting in Hindu festivals please visit:- https://nithinks.com/2021/03/14/mahashivratrishiv-barat-and-varanasi/ I would like to end this post with these words of Swami Vivekananda.

READ THE VEDAS AND UPNISSHADS, AND DRINK TEA –NO HARM IN IT!

TALES OF TWO CITIES (PART 2) & Why do Muslims have colored beards?

THE Prophet ordered the Jews and the Christians do not dye their hair . you do the opposite .The editor/translator of the Hadis collection adds in parentheses, “For the simple reason that opposing the Kefir’s is necessary for doing better things.”

“I think Banaras (Varanasi) is one of the most wonderful places I have ever seen. It it has struck me that a westerner feels in Banaras very much as an oriental must feel while he is planted down in the middle of London”. (MARK TWAIN)

This freedom came from the feeling that all human lives were interrelated, a certainty that they flowed into each other—a happy feeling that all events took place not only on the earth, in which the dead are buried, but also in some other region which some called the Kingdom of God, others history, and still others by some other name.(Boris Pasternak)

One of the oldest living city in the world, Varanasi, is also called Banaras & KASHI (ONE OF THE OLD NAME). The word Kashi has its origin from the word Kash. Its means light. Here light does not mean just light. Light here means “Light of knowledge”. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SUBJECT PLEASE VISIT :- https://nithinks.com/2020/12/01/dev-deepawali-festival-of-light-city-of-light/

Nalanda, Taxila, and Varanasi were the major centers of education in ancient times. THE CAPITAL OF ALL KNOWLEDGE”. Bhagwan Buddha gave his first sermon at a place called Sarnath in Varanasi. There will be no country in the world whose citizens do not live in Varanasi, Varanasi is also known as a tourist place in the whole world. The feeling of world-citizen can be felt very easily on the Ghats built on the banks of the Ganges. While sipping tea on the Ghats of Banaras, it is natural to remember the story of O HENRYS A COSMOPOLITE IN A CAFE. Excuse me, said he, “but that’s a question i never like to hear asked. What does it matter where is a man from?. “Is it fair to judge a man by his post office address”.? why,Ive seen Kentuckians who hated whisky, Virginians who were not descended from Pocahontas, Indianan’s who had not written a novel, Mexicans who did not wear velvet trousers with silver dollars sewed along the seams, funny Englishmen, spendthrift Yankees, cold blooded southerners, narrow -minded Westerners and New Yorkers who were too busy to stop for an hour on the street to watch a one -armed grocers clerk do up cranberries in paper bags. “Let a Man be a man and Don’t Handicap Him with the Label of Any Section”. Of course I don’t mean the Corona period. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SUBJECT PLEASE VISIT :- https://nithinks.com/2020/12/03/hindu-philosophy-and-the-importance-of-peace-9-11-1893-9-112001/

Personal transformation can and does have global effects. As we go, so goes the world, for the world is us. The revolution that will save the world is ultimately a personal one. Marianne Williamson.

Varanasi is a great place to meet and understand people from all over the world. Sometimes it seems to me that the Ghats of Banaras are the best laboratory for understanding international relation & World Affairs. To get a basic understanding of the current Gaza Israel problem, to understand the relationship between Israel and Muslim countries, to understand the struggle of civilizations I decided to share some of my memories.

NAMASTEY & SHALOM :-

When I met a Jew for the first time :- While walking on the Panchganga Ghat of Varanasi, suddenly I heard the sound of hello-hello, I looked back and saw two foreign youths, I also smiled and replied to their greetings and asked what is the problem?
One of them said that he wanted to ask me something, I said” Yeah sure, why not ? I thought he might want some information about that place,
But astonishingly he pointed towards the helmet swinging in my hand.
Pointing that he wants to know about the helmet. Both the youths were looking for information about the price of helmet, helmet shop. I shared with him my knowledge about the price of the helmet and the item helmet stores. While walking, he told that the cost of helmets in Israel is much higher than in India. Hearing the name of Israel, I asked curiously, are you Jews? He said yes, then the other young man started talking about street-food, this young man liked the street food of India very much, after a while of normal talk, I said goodbye to those young men, they were familiar with Indian greetings, They said Namastey to me, in response I also saluted shalom.

Busy restaurant Jerusalem and favorite writers :-

Once after visiting the Ghat like this, I thought of having lunch in my favourite restaurant, I have been going to this restaurant for a few years. I love the South Indian cuisine of this restaurant. This is a small three table restaurant located on a narrow street. There I was sitting at an empty table waiting for my favourite lunch (this restaurant is run by a couple, so you have to wait more than any other restaurant)

The person sitting at the nearby table was also waiting for his lunch. After an exchange of smiles I asked ‘Where are you from?
He replied ” Israel”.
That person asked me that you must have heard the name of Israel. I said that my knowledge of Israel is limited to the media and a few books.
I named Thomas Friedman’s From Beirut to Jerusalem and Dominique Lapierre Larry Collins s O Jerusalem. He told me the name of some other books which I do not remember now. The mother tongue of both of us was not English, due to which we were talking slowly giving each other full time. The topic of our conversation was broad – we talked about the Kashmir problem, Jerusalem, Pakistan, Hamas. We also talked about India-Israel relations. Our conversation continued while eating our lunch, Taking a sip of a coffee ,the Israeli citizen told that he is a software engineer, a smile came on his face while stating that, I asked what is the secret of this grin? He told that whenever he tells anyone about his employment in India, the next person immediately starts advising him to go to Bangalore. (Bangalore enjoys the status of Silicon Valley of India) We both thanked each other and bid goodbye to each other.

What I’ve enjoyed most, though, is meeting people who have a real interest in food and sharing ideas with them. Good food is a global thing and I find that there is always something new and amazing to learn – I love it! Jamie Oliver

all images are taken from pixabay.

Group of Jewish girls whose questions made me unanswered.

Varanasi is also known as the city of festivals. There is a tradition of holy bath in the river in almost all religious festivals of Hindus, in Varanasi this tradition is followed with great reverence. Taking a dip in the holy Ganges in the morning is a wonderful experience. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SUBJECT PLEASE VISIT:- https://nithinks.com/2021/01/18/makar-sankranti-is-an-ancient-hindu-festival-or-the-burden-of-old-tradition/ While walking on the Ghats during one such holy Hindu festival, I stopped at a small tea stall. There were some people at this small tea stall. It seemed that a small group of Marathi tourists were at the tea shop. When I started the conversation, it came to know that they were taking information about a Marathi restaurant from the tea shop owner. There was some contradiction regarding the distance of the restaurant from Google. Some foreign girls were sitting a short distance away, and she was also involved in the conversation of tea sellers and Marathi tourists. Those girls were from Israel, one of them seemed very curious about Hindu festivals, and Hindu culture. She asked me why Hindus consider cow as holy. And what are the religious beliefs behind it? I told about the religious reasons behind this belief and what Gandhiji’s views were about the cow.
She asked me that Hinduism is tolerant, there is no doubt about it, but why do Hindus have their religious symbols everywhere? Why do bikes, cars, houses remain Hindu symbols everywhere? I was very surprised by this question, I am seeing this since childhood but did not pay attention to it. After some thought I mentioned Swami Vivekananda’s point. (Swami Vivekananda was the first person who introduced yoga and Hinduism to the countries of the West) FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SUBJECT PLEASE VISIT :- https://nithinks.com/2021/01/11/is-vivekananda-still-relevant-today-national-youth-day/ What is the Aryan? He is a man whose birth is through religion .this is a peculiar subject, perhaps in this country; but the idea is that a man must be born through religion, through prayers. If you take up our law books you will find chapters devoted to this— I thought that maybe I could give the right answer to that girl or maybe I could not, so I suggested her to read some Hindu philosophers and their books. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SUBJECT PLEASE VISIT :- https://nithinks.com/2020/07/05/the-unknown-life-of-swami-vivekananda/

Just another surprise was waiting for me :- That girl asked me why do orange men hate Jews? I could not understand the meaning of that I said what is the meaning of orange man. That girl asked me why many Muslims in India remain Orange Man while the number of Jews in India is negligible
Why do orange men hate Jews? I could not understand the meaning of that I said what did she meant by Orange Man.
She elaborated that some Muslims who keep their beards orange in color by applying a solution of henna, do so to show their hatred of Jews. I had no idea about this. With her questions, that woman made me think a lot. Instead of taking information from Google, I had decided to read basic books. and get information on this subject from some Islamic experts. I came to know some very surprising and unique things on this subject.

A FUNDAMENTAL DIFFICULTY :- Why do Muslims have colored beards?

“And the Jews will not be pleased with you, nor the Christians until you follow their religion. Say: Surely Allah’s guidance, that is the (true) guidance. And if you follow their desires after the knowledge that has come to you, you shall have no guardian from Allah, nor any helper.” When the Jews refused to accept him or his religion, Mohammed received this revelation from Allah. (QURAN 2:120)

HADIS:- Hadis is an Arabic word. Which means – report or description. It mentions the habits, life, and daily routine of Muhammad. Hadith is the most sacred text in Islam after the Qur’an. The collection of hadis forms a major part of the curriculum of Islamic schools. The Jews and Christians of the time did not dye their hair. THE Prophet ordered the Jews and the Christians do not dye their hair . you do the opposite .The editor/translator of the Hadis collection adds in parentheses, “For the simple reason that opposing the Kefir’s is necessary for doing better things.”

The population of Jews in India is almost negligible, then why do Indian Muslims want to look different from Jews? Same is the case with almost all the countries of South Asia. (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Jews can be counted on the finger in all places, then why the crisis of separate identity? More than ninety percent of the population in Bangladesh are Muslims, the combined population of Hindus, Christians, Buddhists is also 9. 6% Apart from this, other religions Believers are 0.1%, then how is there a crisis of identity?
Something similar is also the situation in Pakistan. 96.47% of the population is Muslim, 2.14% Hindu, 1.27% Christian, 0.9% Ahmadiya (Ahmadiya Muslim is classified as non-Muslim by the government under pressure from fanatic Muslims)0.02% are of other religions . Most of the Muslims have no attachment to their land, civilization, history, culture, they take pride in the Islamic conquest of South Asia, and the incidents of Islamic massacre. Propagation of Wahhabi ideology among converted Muslims: – https://nithinks.com/2021/04/23/pakistan-again-at-the-cusp-of-civil-war-or-the-clash-of-civilizations/ Money donated by Saudi Arabia to madrasas and Islamic educational institutions of South Asia, and Wahhabi ideology is responsible for this type of ideology. I had not seen Orange Muslim in my childhood. Their numbers may have been very small, but the increasing number of these Orange Muslims at present reflects the growing influence of the Wahhabi ideology in South Asia. Due to the spread of Wahhabi ideology, coloring the beard is more than a burden of old tradition , a sign of further intensification of the struggle of civilizations in the coming times.

TALES OF TWO CITIES & SIX RELEGIONS (PART-1)

OUR JIHAD is confined strictly to non-Muslims, and particularly Hindus and Jews, the two main enemies of the Muslims. The Quran too has declared these two groups to be enemies (of Islam). These two powers are creating problems for Muslims and for Pakistan.

NOW IN EARLIER times the world’s history had consisted, so to speak, of a series of unrelated episodes, the origins and results of each being as widely separated as their localities, but from this point onwards history becomes an organic whole: the affairs of Italy and Africa are connected with those of Asia and of Greece, and all events bear a relationship and contribute to a single end. Polybius (died 118 BC), on the rise of Rome (translated by Ian Scott-Kilvert)

***BHARAT MATA (MOTHER INDIA)TEMPLE VARANASI SIX-POINTED STAR(SHATKONA)*** **The Star of David, Seal of Solomon** ***For more information on this subject please visit :-*** https://nithinks.com/2021/01/25/bharat-mata-mandirmother-india-temple-and-vande-mataram/

What is the historical similarity between these holy and thousands year old Hindu icon and the holy symbols of Jews, The Star of David, Seal of Solomon & Six Pointed Star. SIX-POINTED STAR(SHATKONA) is two interlocking triangles; the upper stands for Shiva, ’Purusha’(male energy) and fire, the lower for Shakti,’Prakriti’(female power) and water. Their union gives birth to Sanatkumara, whose sacred number is six. It would be better if left to historians.

One of the oldest living city in the world, VARANASI, is also called BENARES & KASHI (ONE OF THE OLD NAME).

VARANASI:- “Benares is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together “ ( MARK TWAIN)

“THE CITY illumines the truth and reveals reality. It does not bring new wonders into the scope of vision, but enables one to see what is already there. Where this eternal light intersects the earth, it is known as Kashi”(Varanasi). (Diana L. Eck)

It is also the cultural, and religious capital of India. Surprisingly it has been the center of all major religions of India. Varanasi has great importance in all religions texts Hindu, Buddhist, Jain. ( All these religions developed on the land of India, and flourished in the soil here. Efforts were made by people associated with these religions to improve the standard of living of the people. All these religions further enriched Hindu civilization, and culture. Change is the law of nature.
Hindu civilization and society readily accepted the change and absorbed these new religions in themselves. Not only the religions that developed on the basis of Hindu civilization, the religions of the west have also been taking advantage of the tolerance and flexibility of Hindu society.

PALAIYA JUMMA PALLI (INDIA)
One of the oldest mosques in the world Palaiya Jumma Palli it was built during the time of Muhammad . African traveler Ibn Battuta also wrote “The people there lived as though they were in the Arab land” .

ST . THOMAS CATHOLIC CHURCH (INDIA)
One of the oldest churches in the world (St. Thomas Catholic Church Kerala .St. Thomas one of the twelve apostles of the Jesus Christ in 52 AD

Persecution by the Roman rulers, and the demolition of their sacred temples
The Jewish people also found refuge in India, even after the establishment of the country of Israel, many of them preferred to stay in India. The Zoroastrians, who had disappeared from their original place Iran, also came here and took refuge. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SUBJECT PLEASE VISIT :- https://nithinks.com/2020/12/03/hindu-philosophy-and-the-importance-of-peace-9-11-1893-9-112001/

There is a common, fundamental idea in all Oriental religions – non-violence. All Oriental religions have one common, fundamental idea – non-violence. In the activities of daily life, and festivals, the idea of non-violence can be felt deeply. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SUBJECT PLEASE VISIT :- https://nithinks.com/2021/03/14/mahashivratrishiv-barat-and-varanasi/ This ancient story shows the importance of non-violence in the teachings of Hindus, Buddhists, and Jainism. With the development of time, the concept of non-violence became stronger. Gandhi’s imagination of Ramrajya and his attachment to non-violence was based on the Hindu religious tradition that has been going on for thousands of years. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SUBJECT PLEASE VISIT :- https://nithinks.com/2020/12/03/hindu-philosophy-and-the-importance-of-peace-9-11-1893-9-112001/

O JERUSALEM!

HOW SHALL WE sing the Lord’s song in a strange land? If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her cunning. If I do not remember thee, let my tongue cleave to the roof of my mouth; if I prefer not Jerusalem above my highest joys.

The song of the exiled children of Israel, sung by the waters of Babylon.

O JERUSALEM thou that killest the prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together as a hen gathered her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!

Jesus contemplating Jerusalem from the Mount of Olives.

O Jerusalem, the choice of Allah of all his lands! In it are the chosen of his servants. From it the earth was stretched forth and from it shall it be rolled up like a scroll.

The dew which descends upon Jerusalem is a remedy from every sickness because it is from the gardens of Paradise.

The Hadith, the sayings of the Prophet Mohammed.

“The view of Jerusalem is the history of the world; it is more, it is the history of earth and of heaven.”– BENJAMIN DISRAELI

In the Abrahamic religion , Jerusalem has the same place as Varanasi in the east. Jerusalem is also one of the oldest cities in the world. Like Varanasi, it is also the sacred center of the three major religions(Judaism, Christianity, Islam ) of the world. Israel and Palestine have a dispute over Jerusalem. And there are countless reasons for this dispute. Religion acts like a double-edged sword, an example of this is Jerusalem. While religion, like a power, transforms those who believe in one religion into a single entity, and inspires a concerted effort, the other opposes such an effort by religion. Students studying international relations and geopolitics all over the world could hardly pass any examination without studying in Jerusalem.

***Palestinian Terrorists’ Air Attack on Israel Kills Indian Nurse Soumya Santhosh***
https://www.organiser.org/Encyc/2021/5/12/Palestinian-Terrorists-Air-Attack-on-Israel-Kills-Indian-Nurse-Soumya-Santhosh.html

How the Islamic world turned religious conflict into jihad.

THE BURDEN OF OLD TRADITION If history is forgotten for a while, then the interpretation of Islam which is heard in the Islamic world at the present time is very dangerous.
If it is not opposed, then it will put a question mark on the existence of India and Israel. Islamic belief about Jihad, India, Israel and democracy.

OUR JIHAD is confined strictly to non-Muslims, and particularly Hindus and Jews, the two main enemies of the Muslims. The Quran too has declared these two groups to be enemies (of Islam). These two powers are creating problems for Muslims and for Pakistan.

TO MY MIND THE HINDUS are what the Quran calls ‘mushriks’ (polytheists). This (Hinduism) is the worst form of shirk (polytheism) in which 30 million gods are worshipped. And from here shirk has been smuggled to other nations of the world. Hindus are creating problems for us directly. If God gives us the power we will enlarge the scope of jihad to include the Jews, who are the worst danger for the Muslims.
Let us reject the rulers’ foreign policy and adopt the foreign policy of Allah, i.e. jihad. LET US KILL THE HINDU BASTARDS who dream that they will rule Pakistan through the US and Israel. Let us bleed Israel through jihad so that it can never stand up against the Muslim world. If we do not do so, we will become slaves of America, India and Israel, and life will be worse than a dog’s life.

Sheikh Abdul Aziz Qari, Qabaa mosque, Medina

“When the Prophet Muhammad was sent out, the ‘Camp of Kufr [blasphemy]’ declared war on his da’wa [creed] and his message. At the center of this war were these two groups [Christians and Jews], particularly the Jews. These two groups will continue to serve as the grindstones of the conflict and the war between belief and kufr until eternity comes as determined by Allah. Then the conflict will end when Jesus the son of Mary, peace be upon him, arrives to break the cross and wipes it off the face of the earth, and kills the blind Dajjal [false Messiah], the leader of the Jews, their grand tyrant, and the Messiah for whom they await. Until that day, the conflict between us, the Muslims, and the Jews and Christians will continue, and it will ebb and flow, one day ours, another day theirs….

“The Jews are the objects of Allah’s [promised] wrath, while the Christians are those who deviate from the path of righteousness…. The Koran described the Jews as a nation cursed by Allah, a nation at which he was angry-some of whom he turned into apes and pigs and into worshipers of the Taghout [idol].”

Sheikh Abdul Aziz Qari, Qabaa mosque, Medina Saudi based website http://www.alminbar.net. The English translations-shown on right-were provided by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI).

To be good Muslim, hate and jihad to (non-Islamic) people is necessary.

That is a cry which has the power of joining together the members of Islam throughout the world, and preparing them for a conflict with all who are not ready to accept their religion.

The Islamic lifestyle is still medieval, no-zone in the West or Muslim areas of India, it is a kind of Little Arab. An ordinary Indian Muslim who lives in Muslim areas rarely has any connection with a non-Islamic person in daily life, his entire world is based on Islamic ideology, and Islamic way of life. Food shops in Muslim areas strictly follow the law of halal (the Islamic way of sacrificing animals). The milkman, the newspaper, the tailor, the vegetable seller are all Muslims. All holy people! Their thinking about non-Islamic people is either prejudicial to them. Such a closed mind is soon occupied by the mullahs of the mosques, the education system of madrasas is of the same time as that of the Mughal Empire. All emphasis on becoming a good Muslim. There are more than three and a half lakh mosques in India, and a large number of these mosques operate madarasas. These Little Arabs react immediately to any Islamic event in the world. Whether it is the issue of cartoons appearing in a French magazine or the Gaza Israel issue. Belief in monotheism is a unique system of Islam, due to which Islamic areas are ideologically closer to Saudi Arabia than India. In the recent incident, an Indian woman died in a rocket fired by Islamic extremists from Gaza. Surprisingly, no Islamic organization has even condemned this terrorist incident. Israel is an enemy country for Muslims living in India. A common Muslim in Varanasi is unaware of the history of Varanasi, but the rocket attack on Israel by Gaza gives him assurances. Strengthens his sense of Muslim brotherhood. Most Muslims remember Islamic imperialism as the golden day of history. After the defeat of 1857, the Mughal Empire came to an end with India, but the day is still alive in the hearts of Indian Muslims, and in stories. Instead of learning from history, in an effort to replicate it.

RANGBHARI EKADSI MASAN HOLI(Ashes Of Dead Persons)

The world considers You inauspicious, O Destroyer of Lust who plays in the smashan smeared with the ash from funeral pyres, wearing a necklace of human skulls, with ghouls for comrades. But for those who remember You with devotion, O Bestower of Boons, You are supremely auspicious.
(Shiva Mahimna Stotra, 24)

“The city illumines the truth and reveals reality. It does not bring new wonders into the scope of vision, but enables one to see what is already there. Where this eternal light intersects the earth, it is known as Kashi”(Varanasi). (Diana L. Eck)

“I think Banaras(KASHI,VARANASI) is one of the most wonderful places I have ever seen. It it has struck me that a westerner feels in Banaras very much as an oriental must feel while he is planted down in the middle of London”. (MARK TWAIN)

Perhaps due to Varanasi’s unique festivals, beliefs and customs, Mark Twain said that ——–

It seems to me that the greatest importance of religious festivals is that during the period of Islamic imperialism and British rule, we remained connected to our roots through them. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SUBJECT PLEASE VISIT :- https://nithinks.com/2021/03/10/dawn-of-civilization-and-shiva-shiva-ganga-varanasi/ Varanasi is the holiest city of the Hindus. Due to this, religious events can be seen here throughout the year, but Shiva is the city god here, hence the human form of Shiva, and the celebration of events related to his life is the identity of Banaras. Similarly, Rangbhari Ekadashi and Holi of Masan, which take place a few days before Holi, are festivals dedicated to Lord Shiva in Banaras.

wish for peace and prosperity of the whole world

The imagination of Shiva’s human form in Varanasi is also ancient. FOR MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THIS SUBJECT PLEASE VISIT :- https://nithinks.com/2021/03/14/mahashivratrishiv-barat-and-varanasi/ There is a belief that the festival of Holi starts, obedience is sought from the oldest person of the city (Shiva, of course).
It is believed that Shiva brought Parvati to his city Varanasi for the first time on this day after marriage. On the request of the towns people, Shiva went out to bless the towns people along with Mata Parvati.

In any festival of Hindus, there is definitely a love for nature, a sense of compassion for creatures, it is also associated with this festival.

Rang -Bhari Ekadasi is also known as Amal Ekadasi. It is believed that God resides in the tree. Lord Vishnu is worshiped on this day. Many people also worship Lord Vishnu sitting under an amla tree. Amla has great importance in the Indian system of medicine, Ayurveda. Consuming amla in any way is considered very beneficial for health.

Any person ( related to any religion, culture, civilization) can become a part of this festival. I believe that it should be a part of this unique festival at least once in life. Such religious festivals are not only symbol of our culture, civilization,
but also a history of non-violence and such a deep association of Hinduism with nature. Twenty-three hundred years ago, the Buddha’s message of non-violence, Ashoka’s first message of human rights was not a miracle, it had a specific thought for hundreds of years behind it. We can also get a glimpse of our tradition and history in Gandhi’s non-violence and Ramrajya.
Varanasi is not only one of the oldest cities in the world, but it is a tableau in the history of India. Surprisingly, this city is completely a modern city, but completely immersed in history, there is no time in the history of India that does not pass through Varanasi. Forgetting yourself for a while in any street of Varanasi is like a journey through a period of history.

Long and narrow is the ancient Path, – I have touched it, I have found it, – the Path by which the wise, knowers of the – Eternal, attaining to salvation, depart hence to the high world of Paradise.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad.”

Rangbhari Ekadashi Festival

I found that I had to choose one of two things.

Let me wait for the procession at a distance so that I can click clear and good photos.
Let me also be a part of the procession, and feel this festival wholeheartedly, I chose this , and joined the procession without hesitation.
There was a lot of crowd, people were running with colors and Gulal . The street was very narrow, there were old houses on either side of the streets. Children and women were standing on the roof of the houses, they were showering rose petals, colors, gulal on the procession. The view was fascinating, many small temples were also found on the way to Vishwanath temple. The procession speed was decreasing at the arrival of these temples, the procession was moving again after some religious rituals. Excitement was at its peak. By the time I reached my destination Vishwanath temple, I was drenched in color. The path of a few hundred meters was about an hour long.

I thank “Feel Banaras” for this awesome clip. Don’t forget to check out their channel https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCaM7H-ghBUkMwEktsSw9H6Q

RANG-BHARI EKADSI TO MASAN’S HOLI

MAHASAMSAN, KAAL, AGHROI
RIGHT HAND TO LEFT HAND

~SHIVA~

Humans are not the only devotees of Shiva, the devotees of Shiva include Ghosts, Ghoul, Demons all. (BHOOT-PRET, PISACH,RAAKHCHAS ,GANDHARV,KINNER) It is believed that in the Rangbhari – Ekadashi, these Shiva devotees kept themselves away from the festival so that the townspeople would not be afraid to see them.
On the next day of Rangabhari Ekadashi, Shiva himself came to Shamsan to celebrate with these unique devotees, that is why the Holi of Shamsan is celebrated.

To understand the Holi of Masan it is necessary to understand a few things more.

AGHORA OR AGHORI

Aghora :- Aghora means ” DEEPER THEN DEEP‘ Aghora is the most unique and mysterious branch of Hinduism. Followers of this faith (AGHORI) worship the destructive form of Shiva-MAHAKAAL. The meaning of death has a completely different meaning to Aghori. Aghori believes that death is to be personified and deified. Aghoris crave not for physical death but for destruction of all their limitation .KILLING themselves by internal or external processes.

DEATH &THE SAMASHAN

*LAST JOURNEY (1883)*
*Edwin Lord American painte*r, known for his paintings on eastern countries. I do not even have the basic knowledge of painting, but the truth of this painting, the selection of colors is unfounded.
It is a document of the time reflecting the history of Manikarnika. A dead man is being taken by boat to Manikarnika for the last rites.

” WHEN YOU COME INTO THE WORLD YOU ARE CRYING, AND THE WORLD IS LAUGHING.YOU MUST LIVE YOUR LIFE IN SUCH A WAY THAT WHEN YOU GO THE WHOLE WORLD WILL CRY,AND YOU WILL LAUGH.”

MAHASAMASHAN :- MANIKARNIKA

According to the belief of Hinduism, the body of a dead person is burnt. The place where the dead bodies burn is called samasan, or masan. Undoubtedly Manikarnika is the greatest Samasan .

It is believed that once Shiva and Parvati came here to bath. After taking a bath, Mata Parvati came to know that while taking bath, her earrings(karnphool) have fallen here, since then the place was named Manikarnika. This place has been considered very sacred among the Hindus.
Lakshmibai, (RANI OF JHANSI .INDIA’S WARRIOR QUEEN) born in Varanasi, was named Manikarnika after this place. (Her nick name was Manu for the same reason)

***Undoubtedly Manikarnika is the greatest Samasan .* *is the symbol of burning of pyres for thousands of years.***

According to Hinduism, death in Varanasi leads to salvation. For this reason, Hindu dead bodies are brought to Varanasi from far away for cremation. Two ghats in Varanasi, Manikarnika and Harishchandra, are built for the cremation of the dead. It is very difficult to predict when the practice of burning bodies on Manikarnika started. It is believed that the burning of dead bodies never stops here. Burning of dead bodies has continued here for thousands of years. In Hinduism, birth and death are considered to be a cycle of life, for this reason there is such a belief about Manikarnika that —- here, the stopping of dead cremation for any reason is a sign of destruction of creation. The death of the person born is certain, this is the absolute truth. Death as a celebration – the same philosophy is hidden in the Holi of Masan.

MAHAKAAL–THE GOD OF TIME

Different names of Shiva are not just synonyms, they reflect different qualities of Shiva. Shiva is the public welfare form of God. Shankar is a symbol of the Lord’s demonic and destructive powers.

Mahakal represents the infinite powers of Shiva. In the Mahakal form, Shiva controls the time without any feeling to run the entire creation smoothly.
Mercy cannot be expected from Shiva’s Mahakal form, not even a change of rules. Mahakal itself is the time, completely disinterested, heartless. The only unbounded power of the entire universe. MASAN,SAMSAN OR BHASMA (ashes of dead persons )It is not only Holi but a symbol of the events of creation. My knowledge in this subject is very limited. For more information on this subject read Sadhguru’s Death an inside story or Robert E. Svoboda’s Aghora At The Left Hand of God . I have written this blog based on these books and my years of Varanasi.

Thanks to ” NOMADIC RAVI SINGH” for this awesome clip.Don’t forget to check out their YouTube channel Link is given.👉 https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUPhgrqU2Ok0V5yLoG1bAWw