Banaras- The Athens of India

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Varanasi, presently known as Banaras, the capital city of Ancient Kashi is one of them, which represents India religiously and intellectually. An account of a city of such remarkable associations, which has occupied such a prominent place in the annals of the human race, is not without its importance, and ought not to be devoid of interest. Its early condition, its connection with early Buddhism, its architectural remains, its famous temples, holy wells and tanks, and numerous ghats, the legends concerning them, the peculiar customs at the temples, the ceremonies of the idolater, the modes of worship, the religious festivals, etc., illustrative of the character which Banaras maintains as the sacred city of India, are dwelt upon, with some amount of detail, in this book. Having resided in Banaras for twenty years. I have tried my best to give brief information about the city as it was in the past and as it is in the present.

There are few cities in the world of greater antiquity, and none that have so uninterruptedly maintained their ancient celebrity and distinction. Varanasi, presently known as Banaras, the capital city of ancient Kashi is one of them, which represents India, religiously and intellectually. Hinduism has had her home in the bosom of her most impassioned votaries, while Buddhism was first promulgated in this city. Therefore, the city has given impulse and vigour to the two religions which to this day govern half the world. An account of a city of such remarkable associations, which has occupied such a prominent place in the annals of the human race, is not without its importance, and ought not to be devoid of interest. Its early condition, its connection with early Buddhism, its architectural remains, its famous temples, holy wells and tanks, and numerous ghats, the legends concerning them, the peculiar customs at the temples, the ceremonies of the idolater, the modes of worship, the religious festivals etc., illustrative of the character which Banaras maintains as the sacred city of India, are dwelt upon, with some amount of detail, in this book. As Banaras has held a foremost place in the history of India for at least 2, 500 years, so, in all likelihood, it is destined to retain that position in the new era of enlightenment which has already dawned upon the land.

Banaras, like Athens of Greece, is a city wholly given to idolatry. The Hindu is in his own fashion, a religious man of very great earnestness, but his religion takes the form of idolatry. Idolatry enters into all the associations and concerns of his life. He can take no step without it. He carries his offerings publicly in the streets, on his way to the temple in the morning and receives upon his forehead from the officiating priest, the peculiar mark of his god as the symbol of the worship he has paid him, which he wears all the day long. As he walks about, you may hear him muttering the names and sounding the praise of the god. In greeting a friend, he accosts him in the name of a deity. In a letter of business or on any other matter, the first word he invariably writes is the name of a god. Should he propose engagement of importance, he first inquires the pleasure of the idol and a lucky day for observing it. At his birth his horoscope is out; when he fells ill, deities must be propitiated; when he is bereaved, the idol must be remembered; at his death, his funeral rites are performed in the name of one or more deities. In short, idolatry is a charm and a fascination to the Hindus. It is, so to speak, the air he breathes. It is the food of his soul. It is the foundation of his hopes, both for this world and for another. He is subdued, enslaved and befooled by it. However, he is a willing slave, a willing devotee; for he loves idolatry, together with its superstitions and ceremonies, with all the ardour of religious frenzy. Moreover, it is of great importance to bear in mind that as a man can hardly be better than his religion, the nature of the Hindu partakes of the supposed nature of the gods whom he worships.

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