Banaras

Diana Eck’s book, ‘Banaras,’ is magnificent, and anyone interested in Banaras must read the book. She made one error at the start of the book. She wrote the Muslim kings founded Delhi in the 12th or 13th century, which is incorrect. The Tomar Rajputs founded the first city of Delhi – Lal Kot – around the 7th century CE.
I had read the book many years back and picked it up again while preparing for my blog essays on Benares. The city remains the same whether you call it Benares, Kashi, or Varanasi.
The book starts with a historical perspective of the city: it is one of the oldest living cities in the world, one that has undergone repeated transformation and has been ravaged by invading kings through the ages. I did not know show more that the city owes the current stepped structure of the ghats to the Maratha kings.
You will learn a lot when you read the book. The book is a celebration of the city in a Hindu religious context. Diana Eck celebrates the city’s connection with Shiva, recounts many myths, and describes the many temples in the context of Shiva and Vishnu.
Hindu mythology is bewildering, and she has done an admirable job of filtering and choosing only those tales and myths that relate to Benares. She next explored Varanasi’s many facets and how the city is integral to Hindu belief. As she said, the city is one for all seasons, for all Indians, and is a city of life and death. When visiting Benares, you will see the burning ghats next to the main ghats, and while this may surprise and disturb many people, life and death go together.
The book speaks of the Muslims who broke down temples – Razia Sultan and Aurangzeb – but does not fully explore the Buddhist connection. After all, the Gautama Buddha delivered his sermon here after he attained nirvana.
This minor issue aside, this is an excellent book, and if you are keen to study Benares, you must also read it. show less

Fantastic tour of Varanasi by a lover of the city.