Kashi

Why it is one of the Sapta Puri

A verse of the Garuda Purana calls seven cities givers of liberation: "ayodhyā mathurā māyā kāśī kāñcī avantikā, purī dvāravatī jñeyā saptaitā mokṣadāyikāḥ". Meaning: Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya, Kashi, Kanchi, Avantika and the city of Dvaravati, know these seven as givers of liberation. Kashi is the fourth name in the list.

We read the verse in two places in the Uttara Khanda (Preta Kalpa) of the Garuda Purana: chapter 38 (verses 5-6) and chapter 49 (verse 114), in the Venkateshvara Press text. In both places the context is the tirthas where dying brings liberation. In the Kashi Khanda of the Skanda Purana (first half, chapter 7) Shivasharman, a brahmin of Mathura, resolves to visit the seven cities (verses 42-43) and goes to the other six.

Why Kashi is holy

In the Kashi Khanda of the Skanda Purana (first half 7.84-85) the pilgrim Shivasharman says he knows Kashi to be chief of the seven cities in granting the highest liberation; still he goes on to see the others. According to UP Tourism, Kashi is called "Avimukta" because Shiva never leaves it; the name Varanasi comes from its lying between the Varuna and Asi rivers. Varanasi district writes that dying in Varanasi is believed to free one from rebirth.

The main temples and ghats

Kashi Vishwanath is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas (Varanasi district). According to the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust the present temple was built in 1780 by Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar, two of its spires were covered in 1839 with gold given by Maharaja Ranjit Singh, and on 28 January 1983 the Uttar Pradesh government took over its management. Nearby is the Annapurna temple, which UP Tourism says Peshwa Bajirao I built in 1725; the district calls the Kal Bhairav temple the "Kotwal of Kashi"; and according to UP Tourism the Hanuman image of the Sankat Mochan temple was installed by Tulsidas in the late 16th century.

According to Varanasi district the city has 88 ghats. According to UP Tourism the Puranic name of Dashashwamedh Ghat is Rudrasar, tradition says Brahma performed ten ashvamedha sacrifices here, and the masonry ghat was built by Peshwa Bajirao in 1735; the Ganga aarti is held here every evening (Incredible India). Manikarnika Ghat is one of the five chief and oldest tirthas of Kashi and a cremation ground (UP Tourism).

How to reach Kashi

• Air: Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Babatpur, 22 km from Varanasi (Varanasi district).
• Rail: Varanasi Junction (Cantt); Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction is 16 km away (Varanasi district). Incredible India also lists Banaras and Kashi stations.
• Road: Prayagraj 128 km, Lucknow 286 km, Sarnath 10 km (Varanasi district).

Main festivals

Where the sources differ

• In popular recitation the second line is also heard as "purī dvāravatī caiva". The Garuda Purana text in which we checked it reads "purī dvāravatī jñeyā". The verse says "saptaitā" (these seven), so "purī dvāravatī" is one city, the city of Dwarka, not Jagannath Puri.
• In the Kashi Khanda the sentence calling Kashi chief of the seven cities is spoken by the pilgrim Shivasharman, in that story; the Garuda Purana verse only lists the seven.
• The year of the Vishwanath temple: the temple trust gives 1780, a UP Tourism article 1776. Distance to the airport: the district and UP Tourism give 22 km, Incredible India about 25 km.

Frequently asked questions