Why Is Varanasi a Holy City?

Why is Varanasi considered one of the holiest cities in India? Umesh Guruji, who was born there, answers from the inside. The city of Shiva, once called Benares and, more anciently, Kashi, is for him a place of unusually strong energy, shaped both by the course of the Ganga and by thousands of years of prayer.

What makes Varanasi spiritually special?

Umesh describes a city where every street has temples and every home its own shrine, where people rise early for mantras, prayers and bells, and where pilgrims come from all over the world to bathe in Mother Ganga. It is holy for Buddhists too: at nearby Sarnath the Buddha gave his first teaching after his enlightenment. Umesh gives two reasons for its power: the river bends around the city like a magnet facing the sunrise, and centuries of prayer have made the vibration strong.

Is Varanasi for everyone?

Yes, Umesh answers a visitor who is not Hindu and knows nothing about the Hindu gods. The energy of the city, he says, helps anyone look deep inside, even without faith in God or a religion. It is not always easy, though. He calls Varanasi a "karma cleaning place", where the results of actions return quickly, and where good and bad energy live side by side, in balance like Yin and Yang. For him it is a place for inner sadhana, daily spiritual practice, and for finding yourself.