Varanasi Cosmic Energy Centre

Kashi · Banaras · Varanasi

Varanasi, city of Shiva

Seen by one who was born here.

On the steps of a ghat a man covered in soap shows his muscles and laughs, a boy beside him, after the morning bath in the Ganga

Why Varanasi is holy

I was born in Varanasi. In ancient times it was called Kashi, the city of light, later Banaras: for Hindus, it is the city of Shiva.

Walk a little and you find a temple. Every morning bells, conch shells and mantras, for thousands of years.

Maybe you have no religion. But when you feel this energy, something very deep starts inside you.

Watch my lesson
Clay lamps on rangoli of coloured lotuses, on the stones of a ghat at night, small fires of offerings burning in a row and people praying around them Diyas on the steps of the ghat at night, people lighting them, boats full of pilgrims on the Ganga Garlands of marigold and rows of diyas on the ghat, around the fire of the puja The steps of the ghat full of people, under a temple lit in red for the festival

Festivals of light: Diwali and Dev Deepawali

At Diwali every house, every shop, every ghat lights small lamps of clay, the diyas, and we do the puja for Mother Lakshmi.

Fifteen days later, on the full moon of Kartik, comes Dev Deepawali, the Diwali of the gods: all the ghats shine with lakhs of diyas, and people believe the gods come down to take the bath in Mother Ganga.

At Shivaratri, the great night of Shiva, and at every festival, the energy is very strong.

Plan your visit
A man sits cross-legged at the edge of the Ganga after his bath, in front of the white stone of the ghat A woman in an orange sari looks at the Ganga in the morning, among clothes drying on the ghat and the boats Two girls sit on the ghat wall, and a monkey climbs down behind them Women and a child rest on the white steps of the ghat, watched by a monkey

Mother Ganga

Every morning, cold or summer, people come down the ghats to bathe in Mother Ganga and greet the sun. Here the river turns around the city like a crescent, and the first light falls on it.

In the evening, the aarti: fire, bells and chanting for the river.

On Manikarnika and Harishchandra Ghat the fires burn day and night: people believe that whoever dies in Varanasi, or is burned here, goes to heaven. For me, death is not the end: energy only changes its face. Watch in silence, and no photos.

Every day we pray on the ghats too, with everyone: Ganga Darshan, live on Facebook. More in my lesson on Mother Ganga.

Pray with us
Umesh Guruji
“When you sit on the Ganga, you feel the whole world is in Varanasi.”
In the garden of Sarnath a golden Buddha sits beside the wheel of dharma, among pots of flowers, and behind them the great standing Buddha In a temple room, a white marble statue of Babaji sits in meditation, garlanded with marigolds and rudraksha, before a picture of Mount Kailash In a narrow lane between a brick wall and arched houses, a carved doorway painted in ochre, red and green, with a sign reading Satyalok and the temple opening hours A great yagya in the open air: rows of small fire altars on red carpets, and families making their offerings A sari shop in the old city, silks of every colour spread on the floor

Varanasi Tour

In a city so old and so holy, it is hard to know which places carry the powerful healing energy.

We take spiritual groups to the old, authentic temples, the hidden gems, and explain the symbols and traditions behind them.

And Sarnath, 10 km away, where Buddha gave his first teaching: a beautiful, peaceful place, Buddhist pilgrims from all over the world come to meditate there.

Coming as a group? Write to us and we shape the tour around your days.

Arrange a tour
Umesh Guruji and a young woman sit smiling on a cushioned bench in the ashram, under the big sign of the Satyalesari Cosmic Energy Centre

Only a few days here?

Many people come to Varanasi for two or three days, or on the way to Sarnath. The energy here is very strong: karma cleans fast, and some feel it in the body, some in the mind.

Come and sit with me for an afternoon on Shivala Ghat: meditation, cosmic healing, or simply talking.

If you have more days, see what we can do together.

Book a meeting