Varanasi City

Varanasi, Kashi, Benares. This city with three names is among the oldest living cities in the world. Varanasi is the city that grew along the banks of River Ganga in the stretch between the Assi and Varuna Rivers. A spiritual city called Kashi in the scriptures and widely known as Benares, the city was renamed by it’s original name, Varanasi, after India gained independence. The city is a centre for religion, history, culture and learning.

Kashi

To the people of Hindu faith, the ‘spiritual city’ known as Kashi lives in a permanent state of purity, where the jyotirlinga or column of light joins heaven to earth. It is known as the city of the Hindu God Shiva. Kashi is seen as the ford across samsara, the river of life. To the Hindu, the ultimate guarantee of moksha or salvation comes from dying in Kashi.

River Ganga

The river flows some 2,500 km from the Himalayan Mountains to the Bay of Bengal. The Ganges Basin is inhabited by nearly 400 million people, making it the most populous river basin in the world. The basin measures about 1 million square kilometres and has a mean annual flow of over 400,000 million cubic kilometres. It includes part of the territories of India, Nepal, Bangladesh and Tibet.

The 7km stretch through Varanasi is the only part of this journey where the river turns back towards Her source. Here Ganga is known as Gangamaiyya, Mother, Goddess who nourishes the very soul of Kashi, nurturing its life and gathering up its dead. It is said that the river fell in love with the city and nearly turned back here. The half loop northwards creates the curved bank where the ghats stand today. The flood plain on the opposite bank of Ganga has never been inhabited and stays as a sandy waste, used for growing watermelons during the dry season.

To Hindus (the main religious group in India) the Ganges River has special significance for religious rites. Every day more than 60,00 people come to bathe and pray in the river along the religious bathing areas in Varanasi. They sip Ganga Jal (water) as an act of religious purification. Hindus believe that if their ashes are placed in the river after cremation that they will go to Nirvana (Heaven).

Pollution

·          About 80% of the pollution of River Ganga in Benares is caused by sewage. Sewage flows untreated into the religious bathing areas through many overflows and leaks.

·          The disposal of human and animal bodies into the river has drawn much attention from tourists and pilgrims. Many people cannot afford the cost of cremation. However this pollution source has less severe impacts than the huge volume of sewage.

·          In addition there are many other minor non-point sources of pollution such as:

·          Disposal of solid waste, plastic bags and flower garlands,

·          People using soaps and detergents for washing (many homes have no running water) ,

·          People toileting directly onto the ghats (there are few public toilets),

·          Buffalo washing and wallowing in the river

·          Industrial effluent from small scale sari dying and brass making factories.