ANCIENT CITY OF KASHI

With 50 never before easily seen pics compiled by author

Edited from Sreenivasan’s blog
By Dr Uday Dokras

During the past couple of weeks I read some richly illustrated posts on Varanasi, as it appears
today; and as they experienced it. That stirred in me some memories of Varanasi of old, the
ancient city where a great numbers ‘lived and passed by throughout the ages”.
I thought I could talk a bit of Varanasi in the lore and legends of ancient India; and of the
Varanasi of the time of the Buddha, where he first taught and wandered.

It is city of light; the City of delight ; the abode of Visveswara; the city of the well of knowledge
– Jnanavapi ; the City of purity, where the Mother Ganga purifies all who surrender to her in
love and reverence; the City of Maha-smashana the ultimate end of all; and, above all, it is
home of the graceful and loving Mother Annapurna.

Ancient city

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As it has often been said; Kashi is without doubt the oldest inhabited city in the world. It never
stopped being a living city for over three thousand years. Mark Twain who visited India in the
last decade of the nineteenth century said Kashi is “Older than history, older than tradition, older
even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together.” The old texts call the
city Avimukta, the city that never was abandoned despite invasions, repeated ravages and bigoted
violence. Kashi has reigned over the upheavals of time; and, has never stopped being a lively and
animated town.

Kashi is the holy city not only for the Hindus but also for the Buddhists, the Jains and the
Sikhs. Sri Guru Nanak is said to have visited the Holy City two times around 1502 and 1506. It
has also long been a major center of education, of philosophical debates, of dialectics; and, of
traditional medicine (Ayurveda), yoga and astrology.
As Alain Danielou says:
“Kashi the city of refinement and beauty was the spiritual and cultural capital of ancient India. It
had always been a sacred city, a centre of learning (jnana puri), of art and pleasures, the heart of
Indian civilization, whose origins are lost in the mists of antiquity”.

[A Geo-exploration study conducted by IIT-Kharagpur – using GPS, one of the latest tech tools –
indicates that Varanasi (particularly, the Gomati Sangam area ) has been a continuous human
settlement since the days of the Indus Valley Civilization, around 6000 years ago..]

The ancient city has always been at the centre of Indian consciousness. Kashi has a distinct
individuality, which it developed over the ages since the hoary past. Its history, culture and
people; its temples and tirthas, mathas and institutions; its scholars, some of them the best in the

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country; its festivals; its literature, music, painting and culture; its silk trade and craft; and, its
typical inhabitants: sadhus, courtesans, pundits, musicians, artists, weavers, wrestlers,
pandas, babus, thugs and gundas are archetypal of its cultural milieu; and , are uniquely Indian.

Prof. D Sampath elsewhere remarked “Benares has a very strong geo-physical significance…it is
one of the navels of earth”. That seems to be supported by R.E. Wilkinson who in Temple
India observes that the holy city of Varanasi lies in the arc of Capricorn. According to Wilkinson
: “The Capricorn sign’s 30 degrees begin at 60/61 degrees the Capricorn east and continue to the
mouth of the Ganges. Its alignment identifies India and Varanasi as the point of the clearest
spiritual vision.
“It is the one point”, said the Mother of Sri Aurobindo Ashram, “where the psychic law can and
must reign, and the time has come for that to occur.”

[There are interesting varied sets of Tantric interpretations of Kasi’s geography. According to
one such mystic geography of Kasi, Manikarnika the Smashana is, truly, symbolic of intrinsic
death of the ascetic when his Prana soars up the Shushumna attaining the final release.
Kasi is sometimes identified with the Ajna-chakra, the mystic centre between the nose and the
eyebrows.But as a city, it is also identified with the subtle body as a whole. According to this
identification, the central vein of Kasi’s mystical body terminates at the cremation ground,
equating it with the highest centre of the anatomy. It is said; “The Rivers Asi and Varua at the
extremities of the city, and a third river (invisible) which flows through the centre, represent the
three main veins of the yogic body-respectively with the Ida, Pingala and Shushumna “. ]
It is no wonder, therefore, that a massive literature, in all Indian languages, has grown around the
city over the ages. Many myths and legends have gathered round the luminous Kashi or the
vibrant Varanasi; celebrating its sacredness as the abode of the recluse Shiva and of the gracious
Mother Annapurna who guides the aspirant striving to attain knowledge (jnana) and detachment
(vairagya).

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City of contradictions

Anandavana And Rudravasa or Maha-shmashana

Kashi is a city of contradictions. It is Anandavana the grove of happiness as
also Rudravasa or Maha-shmashana the great cremation ground. The cycle of life and death is
nowhere more pronounced than in Kashi; for , this is the ‘City of Good Death’ to where people
come to die, to rid themselves of the cycle of birth and death. The fires of cremation burn here
ceaselessly; and, Lord Shiva whispers the sacred verse of liberation to the departing.

In this city of blazing summers and chilling winters, the contradictions hit you in the face; the
sublime and the sordid coexist. Varanasi continues to be the holiest city ; and yet, a crass cult of
greed thrives and holds sway , as the priests fleece you and the touts sell you custom-made doses

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of phony spiritualism. Its tight net of dark alleys and lanes hold the depths of human despair ,
depravity and vulgarity; where fake sadhus and tricksters lay in wait for the gullible. The sight of
countless old widows abandoned or driven away by their families, helplessly loitering the narrow
lanes , waiting for death to relieve them of pain and humiliation of what is called life , is truly
wretched. The contradictions are so evident and yet too close. Just a thin line separates the
spiritual from the sham; sanctity from the profane; faith from deceit; purity from filth; and,
culture from grotesque.Yet, some manage to find an inexplicable charm in this strange blend of
the sublime and the profane. It is said; in Kashi you reach what you walk for; and , you find what
you seek.

City of lights

Kashi was the ancient name of the kingdom; one of the sixteen Maha-janapadas of ancient India.
It was also the name of its chief city, which was also called as Varanasi or Baranasi. Since the
arrival of the British in India , the city has also come to be known as Banaras or Benares. The
name Kashi is derived from the root kash meaning light (kashate pra-kashate iti kashihi). Kashi ,
literally means the city of lights. It is said; as one sails up the river Ganga at night, the city with
myriad temples, mansions (prasada) and palaces glows like festival of lights.Right from the
ancient times, Kashi was reckoned among the seven primer sacred cities (Saptapuri) that granted
liberation (moksadayikah). Its name also suggests that Kashi was the ‘luminous’ or pre-eminent
of all the seven great and holy cities of ancient India: Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya (Haridwar),
Kashi (Varanasi), Kanchi, Avanthika (Ujjain), Puri, and Dvaravathi (Dwaraka). Ayodhya
Mathura Maya Kashi Kanchi Avantika | Puri Dvaravati chaiva saptaita moksadayikah ||Some
scholars opine that Kashi is in fact a later name; its earlier name being Varanavati. Through the
ages, the city had various other names such as: Avimuktaka, Anandakanana, Mahasmasana,
Surandhana, Brahma Vardha, Sudarsana and Ramya; besides Kashi and Varanasi. But in most
legends and lore , the city is celebrated as the holy city of Kashi or Varanasi.

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Varanasi

Kashi is Varanasi ; because, the city included the land bound between two rivers the Varana and
the Asi. The Varana is a rivulet, which rises to the north of Prayaga (Allahabad) ; and, has a
course of about hundred miles; while Asi a mere brook , which , as Ether says, is now reduced
to a lamentable nullah. The Varana joins the Ganga at the north of the city, while the Asi joins
the Ganga at its south. The distance between these two confluences is around 2.5 kosas (One
Kosa is about 1 ½ miles; making 2.5 kosa to about 3.75 miles); and, the round trip is known
as Pancha-koshi –yatra (about 7.5 miles). The great city of Kashi lies on a higher ground at the
confluence of three rivers, metaphorically a trident.

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[But it is difficult to ascertain the original topography of Varanasi because the city’s current
location may not exactly be the same as the one described in the old texts].On the bulge of the
river bend. The city of Kashi is situated on the convex side of the river , presenting a semi-lunar
phase; and, at a considerable height than the opposite shore. When the river-face of the city is
viewed from the breadth of the Ganga or from the low – opposite bank, the city appears as if it is
mounted on a pedestal of immense flights of the Ghats lined along the margin of a beautifully
formed bay. Because of its elevated location, the city, to an extent, is protected from the ravages
of floods and the deluge that the Ganga occasionally causes.

Manasara, an ancient text of Shilpa-sahstra, recommends that if a town has to be located along a
river bank, it should then be at a height sloping towards the east or north (praganutham uttara
natham samam va bhumi); and, it should be situated on the convex side of the river bend. The
text mentions Varanasi as a classic example that satisfies this norm; the other instance being the
ancient city of Madurai along the convex side of the Vaigai.
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View of the city from the expanse of the Ganga

The city of Kashi is clustered with temples and magnificent mansions; yet, more than anything
else, it was the view of the city from the expanse of the Ganga, the delightful panorama of
the Varanasi riverfront that enchanted the hearts of countless travelers and pilgrims over the
centuries. Many of them have left behind delightful pictures – in words and sketches- of their
impressions.
Hiuen Tsang who visited India in the first half of the seventh century was impressed by the
temples of the holy city of Varanasi (Po-la-na-ssu) “several stories high and richly adorned with
sculptured decoration” standing at the edge of the waters “set in thickly wooded parks and
surrounded by pools of clear water”.

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Most British officials were properly shocked by the “impurity and extravagance” of the
superstitious reverence of the Hindus for all sorts of idols”. They gave, in their letters to family
and friends back home, the graphic descriptions of “hosts of hideous beggars, cripples, and
hunchbacks, assembled here (who) torment you with their lamentable cries; and, will not leave
you until they have extorted a few coppers.”

The British artists – sketches and paintings

But ; it was the British artists , who were enchanted by the riverfront , which they described as :
“one of the loveliest sky-lines in the world”, which no painter could wish to miss. Apart from
that, the British, especially the families, who habitually traveled from Calcutta to Allahabad by
boat, enjoyed halting at Benares , in the midway.
There was indeed a busy traffic on the Ganga.

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The view from the river front was enchanting.The families, on their way, would spend an
afternoon in Benares, wandering through its streets.

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It was said : Benares was certainly the most interesting and most remarkable city of Hindostan
over which the British have any authority. The British artists found the city quite exhilarating.
For instance; the great photographer Richard Lannoy , who made several visits to Varanasi,
went into raptures in his description of the city :

“On climbing the Ghats and entering the crowded Banaras streets,” he goes on, “one is assailed
by the bewildering variety o the scene, no much as that in the simultaneous assault of the senses,
it seems that colours have sound, and sounds colour…Though the crowds wander old men who
have come to the sacred city to die, men resembling Father Christmas or King Lear, while on
who carried the trident of Siva looked like Neptune. Once I saw what seemed to be a
conversation between Leonardo da Vinci and Dante, while Nebuchadnezzar wandered by,
quietly reciting some Sanskrit verse.”

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Kashi - World's Most Ancient City.This map is from 1914, woodblock print from Ashmolean Museum,
University of Oxford about Kashi then it was called Benares.This is A replica of Ancient map of Kashi
and Banaras as per the Hindu Puranic scriptures. The ancient Kashi Viswanath Mandir is in the middle
of Map with Mang Shivlings. These Mang shivlings are Swayambhu or established by the Gods and
Rishis so that goes back to the creation of the earth.

This map also called Vintage Trevelling Map of Sanatan Bharat.

Same map in color

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William Hodges, the first British professional landscape artist to visit India during 1780 to 1783,
not only made several drawings of Varanasi , but also left a vivid account of what he
saw. Varanasi, Hodges wrote:

“city is built on the North side of the river, which is here very broad, and the banks of which are
very high from the water, its appearance is extremely beautiful; the great variety of the buildings
strikes the eye, and the whole view is much Improved by innumerable flights of stone steps,
which are either entrances into the several temples, or to the houses. Several Hindoo temples
greatly embellish the banks of the river, and are all ascended to by Gauts, or flights of steps.
Many other public and private buildings possess also considerable magnificence. Several of
these I have painted, and some on a large scale, such as I conceived the subject demanded”.

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Lieutenant-Colonel C.R. Forrest, a highly talented amateur landscape artist ,
visited Varanasi early in the nineteenth century; and, was enthralled by what he saw. Varanasi,
he wrote:
“ one of the most ancient cities of India, ranks among the principal cities of the world. It is
situated on the left bank of the Ganges, here a noble stream; and its extent along the bank of that
river is full five miles; its breadth inland being in proportion. Built upon a rising ground, sloping
gradually upwards from the water’s brink, its buildings appear very lofty, when seen from the
boats in passing it. .. .Indeed the whole face of the city towards the river is one continued line of
ghauts, which are the exclusive ornaments of Benares”.

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[The painting depicting two temple towers leaning into the river waters was made by Lt-Col.
Forrest perhaps during 1834. The artist William Daniell Writing in The Oriental Annual, 1834,
explained :

“One of the most extraordinary objects to be witnessed at Benares and which is generally one of
great curiosity to the stranger, is a pagoda standing in the river, there is nothing to connect it with
the shore. The whole foundation is submerged, and two of the towers have declined so much out
of the perpendicular as to form an acute angle with liquid plain beneath them….It has been
surmised, and with probability, that this temple was originally erected upon the bank of the river,
which then offered a firm and unsuspected foundation; but that, in consequence of the continual
pressure of the stream, the bank had given way all round the building, which, on about of the
depth and solidarity of the foundation, stood firm while the waters surrounded it, thought the
towers had been partially dislodged by the shock. Or it may be that even the foundation sank is
some degree with the bank, thus projecting the two towers out of the direct perpendicular, and
giving them the very extraordinary position which they now retain.”

There is another painting of the leaning pagoda by Captain Robert Elliot. He was in the Royal
Navy as a Topographical Draughtsman, from 1822 to 1824; and, made a series of sketches,
which were later published , in parts, by Fisher & Co., during 1830-3.

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Emma Roberts visited India in the first half of the nineteenth century. Her articles and books
about her Indian travels are highly interesting and informative. Her description, in flowery
language, of the panorama of Varanasi from the river is particularly engaging.
“The views of Benares from the river”, she writes, “are exceedingly fine, offering an infinite and
untiring variety of scenery, of which the effect is greatly heightened by the number of trees,
whose luxuriant foliage intermingles with the parapets and buttresses of the adjacent buildings.
In dropping down the stream in a boat, an almost endless succession of interesting objects is
presented to the eye. .. The view of Benares from the ever-shining river must be considered the
most beautiful and imposing”

She also speaks of :

“numerous birds of the brightest and most resplendent plumage, flocks of every variety of the
pigeon and the dove common to the plains, blue jays, yellow-breasted sparrows, and whole
battalion of ring-necked parquets, with their brilliant feathers gleaming like emeralds in the sun,
as they skim along soaring far above the mango trees which bear their nets, yet seldom
overtopping the crowning pinnacle of the minaret, whence the spectator surveys the singular and
beautiful objects revealed to his admiring gaze”.
The British artist Edward Lear, who visited Varanasi in December 1873, too was struck by the
plentiful birds he came across in the city, and noted in his journal: “The pretty myna birds are
numerous everywhere; pigeons by 10,000,000.”

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Louis Rousselet, a Frenchman who arrived in Bombay in July 1864; and spent about six years
travelling widely in India, provides a delightful description of the Dashashvamedha Ghat. In
his India and its Native Princes (Chapter LVI –page 564), he wrote :
The Ghat is situated at the Western extremity of the large bend, which the Ganges makes at this
point, so that we look in it at a glance, the whole view of the town, standing in tiers like
an amphitheater on the right side of the stream. The situation occupied by Benares has often been
compared to that of Naples; and, the comparison is not without some accuracy. The bed of the
stream, in fact, which is half a mile in width forms a sort of calm blue-bay, in which the
picturesque facade of the City ranged along its banks is reflected like Crescent.We entered an
elegant Gondola; and, soon were gliding gently in front of the City, gazing on the long
succession of the admirable pictures unfolding themselves before us.

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Seen at a little distance from the river, the Ghats of the Dasashvamedh forms a picture no painter
could wish to heighten by a single touch . Its large flights of steps crowded by small temples
with their bristling spires have for their background, on the one side, the stately masses of a
group of palaces surrounding the crest of the plateau ; and, on the other the plain and elegant
facade of the Man Mundir , the great observatory of Benares, erected by the celebrated Jey Singh
of Jeypore.

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**
And, Lord Valentia , who traveled extensively all over India at the beginning of the nineteenth
century, wrote:
“The River forms here a very fine sweep of about four miles in length. On the external side of
the curve, which is constantly the most elevated, is situated the holy city of Benares. It is covered
with buildings to the water’s edge, and the opposite shore being, as usual, extremely level, the
whole may be beheld at once …. Innumerable pagodas of every sizes and shape occupy the
bank, and even have encroached on the river, uniformly built of stone, and of the most solid
workmanship, they are able to resist the torrents, which in the rainy season beat against them.
Several are painted, others gilded, and some remain of the colour of the stone.… The contrast
between these elevated masses of solid masonry and the light domes of the pagodas, in singular
and pleasing are the trees occasionally overhand the walls”.

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 Kashi in Scriptures, epics and puranas Rig Veda

In early Vedic literature, Kashi does not figure either as a center of pilgrimage or as a center of
learning. Rig Veda does not often mention the Ganga; and, it does not also refer directly to
Kashi. That might be because they were outside the geography of the Rig Veda, which ,
basically, was the land of seven waters (saptha sindhavaha).
However, Katyayana in his Veda-Anukramanika (a sort of Vedic glossary), mentions a hymn
(RV.10.179.2) composed by a certain Bharatha who attributed the hymn to his
ancestor Pratardana King of Kashi (Pratardanaha kasirajah – प्रतर्दनः काशिराजः)
; the son or the descendant of Divodasa (Divodasi) the king of Kashi (Kashi-raja: 10.179.2.).
[There is however a dissenting view on the identity of Pratardana and Divodasa. Yet, the
reference in the Anukramanika is taken to suggest that the early Bharata kings of the Rig Veda
were descendants of the Kings of Kashi.]
The Sukta No. 179 having three verses in the Tenth Mandala of Rig Veda invoking Indra, is
jointly ascribed to the three sons of Madhavi (daughter of the legendary monarch Yayati) : the
first is Sibi the son of Ushinara (prathamo ushinarah Sibihi – शिबिरौशीनरः); the second
Pratardana King of Kashi (dwithiyo kasirajah Pratardanaha- प्रतर्दनः काशिराजः);
and, the third Vasumanasa son of Rauhidasva (thrithiyasha Rauhidashwo Vasumana rishihi
– वसुमना रौहिदश्वः) . In this Sukta, Haryasva is named as Rauhidasva.
Here, Pratardhana, son of Divodasa from Madhavi, is described as: the King of Kashi (dwithiyo
kasirajah Pratardanaha)
[ Mantra Rig 10.179.001 ; Mantra Rig 10.179.002 ; Mantra Rig 10.179.003 ]

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Atharva Veda

The earliest reference to the people of Kashi appears in the Pippalada-samhita of Atharva Veda.
It is said they were closely connected with the people of Kosala and Videha.

The Atharva Veda (4.7.1-2) mentions that the waters of the river Varanavati had the magical
power to cure the effects of poison: “May this water from Varanavati ward off the poison”.
vār idam vārayātai Varaṇāvatyām adhi | tatrā amṛtasyā-siktaṃ tenā te vāraye viṣam
|| AVŚ_4,7.1 || arasaṃ prācyaṃ viṣam arasaṃ yad udīcyam |athedam adharācyaṃ karambheṇa
vi kalpate ||AVŚ_4,7.2 ||
Based on this reference, the scholars surmise that Kashi is the later name of the town which was
known as Varanavati.
Brahmanas and Sutras

There are numerous references to Kashi in the Brahmanas . For instance; Shatapatha Brahmana
(Sa Brh. 13. 5.4.1.9) mentions the defeat of Dhrtarastra the king of Kashi at the hands of a
Bharata king Satanika son of Satrajita. Satanika is then said to have taken the ritual horses from
the defeated king and performed the Govinata Yajna. Thereafter the King of Kashi (Kasya) again
performed the Yajna (Sa.Br.13. 5. 4. 21).
govinatena śatānīkaḥ sātrājita īje kāśyasyā śvamādāya tato haitardavāk kāśayo’gnīnnā-dadhata
āttasomapīthāḥ sma iti vadantaḥ – AV. 13.5.4.[19]
tadetad gāthayā abhigītam śatānīkaḥ samantāsu medhyaṃ sātrājito hayam ādatta yajñaṃ
kāśīnām bharataḥ satvatāmiveti – AV.13.5.4.[21]

The Sankhayana Srauta Sutra mentions Kasya, the king of Kashi and Jala Jatukarnya (i.e. Jala
son of Jaatukarni) , who became the king’s purohita after performing a Yajna for ten nights
(yajña.upavītī.iti.jātūkarṇyaḥ – 3.16.14). That Sutra mentions that one person (Jala Jatukarnya)
functioned as the purohita for the kings of three kingdoms: Kashi, Kosala and Videha.
Bahudayana Sutra mentions Kashi and Videha being in close proximity. But, Gopatha
Brahmana says Kashi and Kosala were close ; and , calls the two kingdoms by the compound
name Kasi-Kausalya (kāśi-kauśaleṣu śālvamatsyeṣu – GBr_1,2.10 )GBr_1,2.10 )

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 Upanishads
But in the Upanishads, it is the kingdoms of Kashi and Videha which provide the main backdrop
for the philosophical discussions. The Brhadaranyaka (Ajātaśatruṃ kāśyaṃ-brahma te
bravāṇīti–Brh.U. 2.1.1) ; Kaushitaki (Kush. 4.1) Upanishads report, in detail, the debates held in
the courts of Ajathashatru Kashya, the king of Kashi ; and Janaka Videha the king of Videha.
The Upanishads mention Kashi-Videha as being close; while the Buddhist texts describe the
close connection between Kashi and Kosala. During the time of the Upanishads, the city of
Kashi was yet to acquire the esteem of being the holiest of the holy cities. But, Kashi , over a
period, gained the glorious reputation of being a center of learning, of culture; and of refinement
, although it never rose to the power of an empire or of a major state.For a long time, however,
Taxashila was a more famous center of learning than Kashi. Kings of Kashi used to send their
sons to far-off Taxashila. And, many of the teachers of Kashi that figure in the Jatakas were the
past-students of the Taxashila. In the course of time, however, they could attract scholars from
far and wide , to Kasi (Ja. Nos. 480 and 438). Even in the Jivaka
Sutta (Madhyamanikaya), Jīvaka Komārabhacca (Sanskrit: Jīvaka Kumārabhṛta), the personal
physician and a close disciple of the Buddha, had his medical education and training in the city
of Taxashila under the well-known teacher Disapamok Achariya. There, he studied medicine
diligently for seven years, before he settled down at Rājagṛha, the capital of the Magadha
Kingdom , during 6th century BCE.
But, by about the 7th century BCE., Kashi had developed into probably the most famous center
of education in Eastern India. And in the later times, with the imperial patronage under Asoka,
the Sarnath monastery on the outskirts of Kashi must have become a famous-center of learning.

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It went on continuously prospering; and, in the 7th century A.D., it possessed resplendent and
beautiful buildings , with tiers of balconies and rows of halls.
Unlike the neighboring Nalanda, Kashi does not seem to have organised any public educational
institution. Its learned scholars continued to teach individually in the traditional manner. Their
fame, however, was gradually reaching to all the corners of India. Scholars and philosophers
from other parts of India traveled to city to get their new theories recognized and published. In
the 11th century A.D. Kashi and Kashmir were the most famous centers of learning in India.

According to the Upanishads, the ancient city is said to have been located on the banks of the
river Varanavati. The kingdoms of Kashi and Videha were closely connected, as was natural in
view of their geographical position. The compound name Kashi-Videha occurs
in Kausitaki and Brhadaranyaka Upanishads (kāśye, vaideho vā videhānāṃ vā rājā – BrhUp
3,8.2)
Videha was situated to the north of Kashi , across the Ganga. The kingdom of Videha
corresponded to the present-day Tirhut with Mithila as its capital. The high esteem of the
kingdom was due to its sage-king Janaka. Videha was situated to the east of Kosala the Sadanira
(Gandaka) serving as the common border for the two; and, it was bound on the east by the
Kaushitiki.

[According to the Brahmanas and the Upanishads, during the age of Janaka, besides Videha,
there were nine states of considerable importance, viz: 1. Gandhara (north-west part of Punjab
and the adjoining western areas); 2. Kekaya (region to the west of Gandhara); 3. Madra (Sialkot
area); 4. Usinara (central Punjab); 5. Matsya (former state of Jaipur); 6. Kuru (western UP and
Haryana); 7. Panchala (from the Himalayan region extending south) ; 8. Kashi (Kashi –
Lucknow region) and 9. Kosala (state of Oudh)]

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 Kashi in Epics= Ramayana
Kashi was a famous kingdom in the age of the Ramayana. It is said; Sumitra the wife of King
Dasharatha was a princess hailing from Kashi. In the Adi-kanda Vasistha asked Sumantra the
minister to invite many pious kings including the king of Kashi (tataḥ sumantram āhūya vasiṣṭho
vākyam abravīt – 12th sarga). And, in Kishkinda-kanda (46th sarga), Sugreeva the king of
Vanaras instructs Vinata leader of a monkey brigade to search for Sita in the regions of Kashi
(adṛṣṭvā Vinataḥ sītām ājagāma mahābalaḥ uttarāṃ tu diśaṃ sarvāṃ – 4.046.008)
Mahabharata
14.1. Kashi figures more prominently in Mahabharata. And yet, it is not described as the holiest
city or the most preferred place to give up one’s life. Mahabharata narrates the story of four
generations of the kings of Kashi (Haryyashwa, Sudeva, Divodasa and Pratardana) who ruled
and fought series of battles with Haihayas of the neighboring Vatsas (with its capital at
Kausambi – the Kosam Ruins of the present day) to retain possession of the city of Kashi (MB.
Book 5, Chapter 117; Book 12, Chapter 233).
Divodasa, the great king (mahāvīryo mahīpālaḥ kāśīnām īśvaraḥ prabhuḥ Divodāsa
– MBh.05,115.001) is said to have built (or re-built) the city of Kashi or Varanasi (kāśīśo
Divodāsas tu vijñāya vīryaṃ teṣāṃ mahātmanām Vārāṇasīṃ mahātejā nirmame – MBh.
13,031.016) which became richly populated and soon developed in to a great trading center.
His son Pratardana from Madhavi (Mādhavī janayām āsa putram ekaṃ Pratardanam) seems to
have been successful in finally beating back the Haihayas who then moved to the Narmada
region.
The city of Kashi resplendent as a second Amaravati of Indra, was then described as located on
the north bank of the Ganga and to the south bank of the river Gomathl (gaṅgāyā uttare kūle
vaprānte rājasattama gomatyā dakṣiṇe caiva śakrasyev Amarāvatīm – MBh. 13. 031.018).
As per the other details scattered over many Texts, one can surmise that : To the direct north of
Kashi of was one of the Nishada kingdoms on the banks of Gomati river. Further North was
Eastern Kosala ;and, then Central Kosala, which had its capital as Ayodhya. To the south was the
Hiranyavaha river . To the west were the southern parts of Vatsa kingdom, including Kausambhi
(capital of Vatsa). Maghada and Rajagriha were located west of Kasi. To the northwest was
Bharga kingdom and the northern part of Vatsa. To the Northeast was the kingdom of
Gopalkasha and southern Malla. To the southwest was Chitrakuta mountain and to the southeast
was the kingdom of Suparsava and a Matsya territory
[It is likely, Kashi was then a part of Southern Central Kosala kingdom. And, it appears the site
of a city known as Kashi or Varanasi shifted over the centuries. It is difficult to ascertain the
topography of the original Varanasi; and, the city’s current location may not exactly be the same
as the one described in the old texts].
14.2. And of course, the three luckless sisters Amba, Ambika and Ambalika (the daughters of
Hotravahan, the king of the Srinjaya tribe of Panchala) abducted by Bhishma for his sickly
younger brother Vichitravlrya were the princesses of Kashi.

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14.3. Numerous other references to Kashi occur in the Mahabharata. They refer either to the
events in the lives of the kings or to the kingdom of Kashi. However, there are no specific
allusions to indicate Kashi being exclusively a holy-center.
It is said; Vapushtama , the wife of Janamejaya, the eldest son of the Kuru King Parikshit, was
the daughter of Suvarnavarman, the king of Kasi (Mbh. 1, Chapter 44). And, Sunanda, the
daughter of Sarvasena, the king of Kasi, was married to Bharatha, son of Sakuntala and Puru
King Dushyanta . They had a son named Bhumanyu- (Mbh.1, Chapter 95).

City of Kasi and its people

There are , however, stories of its sages and other wise men who were commoners such as
Tuladhara a very pious and well-informed merchant dealing in perfumes, oils, musk, lac and dye
etc.

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 It is remarkable that Tulādhāra being a shopkeeper should impart instructions to a sage . It is
said; sage Jājali , who had performed severe austerities had turned highly conceited . He was
therefore advised by his teacher to approach the merchant Tulādhāra , living in Kashi, for
enlightenment. Jājali , accordingly, approached Tulādhāra seeking clarifications on the true
nature of Dharma ( Mahabharata, Śhāntiparva Chapters 255 and 256 ).
The gist of Tulādhāra’s discourse was : One should earn one’s livelihood causing least injury to
other beings; one should cultivate equanimous temperament and be a friend of all; one should
strive to be free from fear and prejudices; practice detachment and self-control ; and, one
should try to understand the true nature of Dharma and practice it with a clear uncluttered mind.

Kashi in the Puranas

5.1. The age of Puranas introduced into the Vedic religion many concepts that were not in the
Samhita and the Brahmana texts. Those ideas and concepts have since taken a firm hold on the
Indian ethos. These include faith in: a personal god or goddess (Ista-devata); family deities
(Griha-devata or Kula-devata) who had to be propitiated on specified days in the prescribed
manner; vows (vrata); and pilgrimages etc. In the process , legends were developed for each
major pilgrimage-center, proclaiming its holiness and its pre-eminence over the rest; and also
detailing the merits to be gained by devotedly worshiping its presiding deities.
It is in this context that in the related Puranas, Kashi gets fully established as the holiest city; as
the abode of Kashi Vishwanatha; as one of the twelve revered jyothi-lingas of Lord Shiva; as the
home of ever graceful and loving Mother Annapurna; as the kshetra-thirtha where goddess
Ganga in her loving kindness washes away the sins of all who seek refuge in her; and, as the
most sacred place presided over by Shiva who grants release from the cycle of births and deaths.
Kashi-kshetra located along the banks of the holy river Ganga (Tirtha) came to be recognized
and revered as one among the seven primer Sacred cities (Saptapuri) that granted liberation
(moksadayikah): Ayodhya, Mathura, Maya (Haridwar), Kashi (Varanasi), Kanchi, Avanthika
(Ujjain), Puri, and Dvaravathi (Dwaraka) .
Ayodhya Mathura Maya Kashi Kanchi Avantika | Puri Dvaravati chaiva saptaita moksadayikah
||

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It is believed; most of the Puranas were developed during the Golden-age of the Guptas (330-550
CE). It was a period of revivalism, transformation and vitality. During which the Vaishnava
traditions, the cults of Skanda, Surya and local guardian deities flowered. The temples of such
deities came up in Kashi. And, legends were woven around Shiva, the Ganga and the Ghats.
15.2. Since the time of the Buddha, Kashi is the pilgrim center for the Buddhists. It is also the
birthplace of Parshvanatha the twenty-third Jain Thirthankara. Kasi is also associated with Guru
Nanak hence a holy place for the Sikhs. Each of these religions have, in a way, their own set of
puranas.

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32
 Kashi in the Buddhist tradition
16.1. The Buddhist texts mention that Baranasi city extended over twelve Yojanas (say about 84
miles): (dvadasa yojanikam sakala Baranasi nagaram: — Sambhava Jataka) whereas Mithila
and Indapatta were each only seven Yojanas in extent .The Jatakas mention that the resplendent
city of Kasi was called by many names, such as:Surundhana, Sudassana, Brahmavaddhana,
Puspavati, Ramma and Molini .
In the Chinese texts Kasi is transcribed as Ti-miao meaning ‘reed-sprouts’. That perhaps follows
from the derivation of the name Kasi from Kasa meaning kusa grass.
16.2. The Jataka stories mention Varanasi as a great city of abundance; of seven gems; of wealth
and prosperity , extending over twelve yojanas (a yojana at the time of the Buddha perhaps
meant seven or eight miles). The city extended about four miles along the banks of the river,
descending into steep brink. Down the brink , were the flights of steps (Ghats) , where the
pilgrims bathed and the dead were cremated.
16.3. Several Jatakas recite the superiority of Kasi over other cities of India; and , speak highly
of its prosperity, opulence and intellectual wealth. A later Jataka also remarks that Risi-
gana (sadhus) were unwilling to go to Kasi ; because, the people there questioned too much,

33
perhaps Suggesting that the people of Kasi were either argumentative or knowledgeable.
(Brahmadatta Jataka- 336).
17.1. The stories in the Jatakas indicate that the people of Kasi were generally of charitable
nature ; and , they habitually offered alms to the poor, the wayward and the beggars. They also
devotedly fed the hermits and wandering ascetics.
17.2. It appears from the Jatakas that Kasi was ruled with justice and equity; and, the king’s
officials were honest. Not many cases or disputes came before the king’s courts. There was a
belief current among the people of Kasi that when king rules with justice and equity, all things in
nature retain their true character. But, when the king is unjust, all things lose their true nature.
Oil, honey, molasses and the like, and even the wild fruits would lose their sweetness and flavor.
17.3. The king occasionally wandered about the town at night, in disguise, to learn people’s true
opinion of his rule.
Despite attempts of good governance, the kingdom was not free from crimes. There were
instances of organized highway robbery and housebreaking , which were taken up as a family
profession.
18.1. The Jatakas also narrate delightful stories of cheats and tricksters who took advantage of
the gullible. The Jatakas tell stories of Kasi’s carpenters who promised to make a bed or a chair
or a house and took large advances ; but, deliberately failed to do the job. When pursued by the
annoyed clients , the carpenters would just flee to another town.
There is also a story of a physician Cakkhupala , who deliberately blinded his patient in one
eye when she cheated him of his fee.
18.2. The people of Kasi were prone to superstitions, just as the people of any other city. A king
of Kasi paid 1000 kahapanas to learn a mantra that would reveal to him the evil thoughts of
people. There were also persons who would predict whether the sword one bought was lucky or
otherwise. Slaughter of deer, swine and other animals for making offering to goblins was in
vogue in Kasi.
18.3. There was a time-honored drinking festival, in which people got drunk and fought; and,
sometimes suffered broken limbs, cracked skulls or torn ears.
18.4. The Jatakas recount some unusual professions; as that of a carpenter who got rich by
making mechanical wooden birds to guard the crops. There was also a gardener who could make
sweet mangoes bitter and bitter mangoes sweet.
18.5. Jatakas also tell the stories of those who followed traditional professions like farmers; corn
dealers; hunters; snake charmers; elephant trainers skilled in managing elephants; horse dealers
who imported horses ‘swift-as-the-wind’ from the Sind region; carpenters; stone cutters or
experts in working stone-quarrying and shaping stones; ivory workers who had their own market
place; rich merchants trading in costly wares by sometimes taking out long business trips; small
traders hawking their wares or corn on back of donkeys or by bullock carts; and there were, of
course, the gallant warriors.
19.1. Even in those distant days , the city was noted for its fine silks and brocades, for its
handicrafts , such as brass-ware, ivory goods, glass bangles and wooden toy etc.
The Jatakas often mention of Kasika-vastra or Kasiyani – exquisite fabrics of silk worked with
gold laces. The Majjima Nikaya also refers to Varanaseyyaka (Varanasi textiles) of radiant
colors of red, yellow and blue used for wrapping the mortal remains of the Buddha after he
attained Maha-pari-nirvana.
19.2. Kasi had close relations with the distant Takshasila about two thousand Kms away to its
west. Ardent Students from Kasi went to the Universities of Takshasila , seeking higher learning

34
in scriptures, medicine, archery and other subjects. The traders of both the cities had, of course,
close business relations.

Kingdom of Kasi

20.1. Anguttara Nikaya mentions Kasi as one of the sixteen Maha-janapadas [Solasa
Mahajanapada :
1.Kasi; 2.Kosala; 3.Anga ;4.Magadha; 5.Vajji; 6.Malla; 7.Chetia (Chedi); 8.Vatsa (Vamsa);
9.Kuru; 10.Panchala; 11.Maccha (Matsya); 12.Surasena; 13.Assaka; 14.Avanti; 15.Gandhara;
and , 16.Kambhoja].
The little kingdom of Kashi was surrounded by Kosala on its North; Magadha on its East; and,
Vatsa on its West.
20.2. The Mahavagga mentions that Kasi was a great realm in former times. During the seventh
century BCE; Kasi was perhaps reckoned as one of the more powerful among the sixteen Maha-
janapadas. The Kingdom of Kasi was said to be three hundred Yojanas in extent (Jataka
no.391).
21.1. On the political arena; the Jatakas narrate rivalry of Kosala, Anga and Magadha to take
possession of Kasi. There was a long struggle among them for gaining supremacy. It is said; all
these monarchs aspired for the pride of being the foremost among all the kings (sabba-rajunam
aggaraja) ; and, for the esteem and glory of ruling over all of India (sakala-Jambudtpa). All the
surrounding monarchs contended for possession of Kasi. And, Kasi was, most of times, forced to

35
fight to defend itself. But, Kasi’s strongest rivalry was with its neighbor Kosala . Kasi, in the
mean time, also caused the downfall of Videha, the neighbor on its north.
Kosala , situated on the banks of the Sarayu (roughly corresponding to the erstwhile state of
Oudh) , was bound by the Sadanria (Gandaka) on the East; the Panchala country on the West; by
the Saprika or Syandika (sai) river on the South; and, by the hills on the North. The kingdom was
later divided into North and South Kosala; with the Sarayu demarcating the two. The cities of
Savatti and Ayodhya were the capitals.
21.2. The flourishing period of many of the sixteen Maha-janapadas ended in or about the sixth
century BCE. The history of the succeeding period is the story of the absorption of small states
into powerful kingdoms; and, ultimately merging into one big empire, namely, the empire of
Magadha. Kasi was perhaps the first to fall.
21.3. The Mahavagga and the Jatakas refer to bitter struggles that took place between Kasi and
her neighbors; especially, Kosala. Kasi seemed to have been successful at first; but later, it gave
in to Kosala. Initially , the King Brihadratha of Kasi had conquered Kosala; but later, he lost to
the king of Kosala.
Eventually, Kasi was overpowered by Kamsa, the king of Kosala earning him the
title ‘Baranasiggaho’– the conqueror of Baranasi-which he added to the string of his titles (Seyya
Jataka and Tesakuna Jataka).
During the time of the Buddha, Kosala was an important kingdom ; and , Kasi was a part of the
Kosala. But later, both Kasi and Kosala were absorbed into the powerful Magadha kingdom.
The Mahavagga mentions that Magadha king Bimbisara’s dominions embraced 80,000
townships; the overseers (Gamikas) of which used to meet in a great assembly.
22.1. During the time of the Kosala King Mahakosala (sixth century B.C. E), Kasi was part of
the Kosala kingdom. When the King Mahakosala gave his daughter Kosala Devi in marriage to
Bimbisara, the king of Magadha, he gifted his daughter the village of Kasi yielding revenue of a
hundred thousand Karsapana to take care of her ‘bath and perfume expenses’ (Ilarita Mata
Jataka No. 239; Vaddhaki Sukara Jataka No. 283). It is said; Ajatasatru ascended to the throne
after murdering his father Bimbisara; and, thereafter the heartbroken queen Kosala Devi died of
loneliness , pining for her departed husband.
22.2. Even after the death of his mother Kosala Devi, Ajatasatru continued to enjoy the revenues
from the Kasi village , which had been gifted to her for ‘bath money’. Ajatasatru’s
‘impertinence’ deeply disturbed Pasenadi who by then had succeeded his father Mahakosala as
the king of Kosala. He was determined that an unrighteous person (Ajatasatru) who murdered his
father, should not undeservedly collect and enjoy, as if by right , the revenues from a village
gifted to his widowed mother (Kosala Devi). Pasenadi and Ajatasatru (uncle and nephew)
thereafter fought seesaw battles, with no clear winner.
23.1. During the time of the Buddha, Pasenadi had gained control of Kasi ; and, was hailed as
the King of Kasi-Kosala. In the Lohichcha Sutta, the Buddha inquires a person named
Lohichcha: “Now what think you Lohichcha? Is not king Pasenadi of Kosala in possession of
Kasi and Kosala?” Lohichcha replies “Yes; that is so Gotama”. The Mahavagga (17. 195)
mentions that a brother of Pasenadi was appointed to administer Kasi.
23.2. The conquest of Kasi by Kamsa (king of Kosala) might have taken place just prior to the
rise of Buddhism. That is because; Angutta Nikaya remarks that the memory of Kasi as an
independent kingdom was still fresh in the minds of its people during the Buddha’s time; and ,
the people sometimes seemed to forget that their king was somewhere else.

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