Kashi, Banaras Or Varanasi. No Matter What You Call This Holy City, It Will Never Cease To Amaze Artists, Tourists And The Spiritually Inclined, Discovers Sharmistha Chaudhuri
![An Eternal Flame](https://magarticles.magzter.com/articles/245/281956/5b0e9bd893f85/An-Eternal-Flame.jpg)
The sound of the motor guiding the bajra through the water was loud. Loud enough to drown out any other sound that could compete—the laughter from the ghats, the train rushing along the tracks on the lower deck of the Malviya Bridge, or even the lapping of water against the boat. We cruised along without a care in the world. I didn’t mind. It gave me a chance to gather the thoughts whirling about in my mind.
I was introduced to the paradoxical city of Varanasi during my formative years. As my mother would read aloud Satyajit Ray’s Feluda stories to get me to sleep, it had been ‘Joi Baba Felunath’ that had caught my attention, apart from ‘Sonar Kella’, of course. Durga Puja was around the corner, and Feluda had stated that Kashi was a second home to Bengalis. The descriptions of narrow alleyways, religious men, abandoned century-old buildings, and Feluda’s shrewd outmanoeuvring of his businessman nemesis; scenes would play out vividly in my head, keeping drowsy eyes open way past bedtime.
Older than ancient, Kashi’s mysticism has always attracted visitors. American novelist Mark Twain described the city in 1897 as ‘older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together’—and he had a point. Varanasi’s history makes it a complex religio-mythological construct, requiring practised navigation skills and a keen eye to peel off each intertwined layer.
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 2018 من Outlook Traveller.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك ? تسجيل الدخول
هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة June 2018 من Outlook Traveller.
ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.
بالفعل مشترك? تسجيل الدخول
![JHARKHAND IN A SIP](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/245/1729516/H1sCi3Vy81718092383558/JHARKHAND-IN-A-SIP.jpg)
JHARKHAND IN A SIP
IN VAST URBAN SPRAWLS where life pulsates frenetically, we often surrender to the convenience of pre-packaged sustenance.
![SWEET SIN](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/245/1729516/mm-o_iecT1718092545908/SWEET-SIN.jpg)
SWEET SIN
FROM THE LEGENDARY STORES IN OLD TOWN TO THE WORLD'S LARGEST CHOCOLATE MUSEUM, FOLLOW THIS CHOCOLATE TRAIL THROUGH ZÜRICH TO DISCOVER HOW A MISTAKE GAVE THE WORLD THE IRRESISTIBLE SWISS MILK CHOCOLATE
![FROM INTENT TO ACTION](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/245/1729516/y4MOkJqi91718091818076/FROM-INTENT-TO-ACTION.jpg)
FROM INTENT TO ACTION
IT'S DIFFICULT TO CONVINCE TRAVELLERS AND INDUSTRY PLAYERS TO PRACTICE SUSTAINABILITY. CAN THE FIELD OF BEHAVIOURAL SCIENCE SHIFT INDUSTRY-WIDE ATTITUDES TO MAKE SUSTAINABLE TOURISM THE NORM?
![LAND OF THE SKY](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/245/1729516/RhIjy5YOO1718088415019/LAND-OF-THE-SKY.jpg)
LAND OF THE SKY
MONGOLIA'S VAST LANDSCAPES BECKON WITH SWEEPING STEPPES AND RUGGED BEAUTY, WHERE NOMADIC TRADITIONS HARMONISE WITH UNTOUCHED WILDERNESS
![Of Mountains And Lakes](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/245/1729516/DM88I9ZK81718091203732/crp_OF-MOUNTAINS-AND-LAKES.jpg)
Of Mountains And Lakes
Slovenia Is A Charming European Getaway With Lovely Cities, Spa Towns, Nature Parks And Cool Party Hotspots At A Price That Won't Make You Bankrupt
![Can Travel Insurance Be Your Friend?](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/245/1729516/pWfdrYZ0s1718092818849/crp_CAN-TRAVEL-INSURANCE-BE-YOUR-FRIEND.jpg)
Can Travel Insurance Be Your Friend?
Tapan Singhel, Md And CEO Of Bajaj Allianz General Insurance, Talks About The Importance Of Buying A Comprehensive Travel Insurance Policy And How It Can Ensure Your Mental Peace
![KENYA](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/245/1729516/238hKCqo01718093270027/KENYA.jpg)
KENYA
If you want to experience a diversity of environments, visiting Kenya should be on your bucket list.
![PEARL OF THE DANUBE](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/245/1729516/PP4nDYqbs1718093070069/PEARL-OF-THE-DANUBE.jpg)
PEARL OF THE DANUBE
WITH AFFORDABLE ATTRACTIONS, IMPOSING ARCHITECTURE, EXCELLENT STREET FOOD AND VIBRANT NIGHTLIFE, BUDAPEST MAKES FOR A VALUE-FOR-MONEY EUROPEAN DESTINATION
![SECRETS OF SIRPUR](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/245/1729516/-gvcYGyuv1718092164000/SECRETS-OF-SIRPUR.jpg)
SECRETS OF SIRPUR
STEPPING OFF THE PLANE in Raipur, the sweltering sun greeted me with a stifling embrace.
![A SLICE OF ITALY](https://reseuro.magzter.com/100x125/articles/245/1729516/rMnJsvk8B1718092074401/A-SLICE-OF-ITALY.jpg)
A SLICE OF ITALY
THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE in Naples is Diego Maradona. His face appears as graffiti on the walls under bridges, as murals covering the side of buildings, painted on café chairs, imprinted on bedroom sheets, and even marketed on energy drinks.