The Anandvan, known as Varanasi & by different names such as Kashi, Banaras or Mahashamshan, is the oldest living city of the world. In Vadic texts the city is mentioned as 'Older than History.' The city situated on the confluence of rivers Varuna & Assi, meeting with river Ganga is the capital city of Kashi Kshetra. Standing way above the world on the Shiva's trident. The holy of the holiest places present in world & sacred to the places beyond universe. Varanasi is a city of light that transcends one from circle of life & death to salvation. Ancient name of city is Kashi- in Sanskrit it stands for Light. In Kashi Khanda of Skanda Purana the origin of city is not mentioned but it tells that Gods & Goddesses crave to live in this city for ultimate salvation. Here only the Illuminated light born that has no beginning or ending; the form of Rudra(Shiva) & since than this city belonged to Shiva. Shiva with his entourage & beloved wife Parvati reside even at the time of destruction & save the city on his trident. Any other place on earth is for people to live & enjoy life but this city of Shiva is for death, here people live to die; so this is known as Mahashamshan.
Earlier geography of the city with years of destructions & reconstructions presents distorted form of this beautiful city named Anandavan. Shiva is a god of little things those are disliked by general norms like living in cremation ground, using ashes of dead bodies & with many odds dancing to destroy the universe. But here he lives with his wife the most beautiful place in three Lokas. This city had numerous lakes, Kunds, three rivers & forest of bliss. The north ward direction of river Ganga at this place represents the salvation property taking human to another place, the heaven. One study conducted to know the importance of water bodies of city revealed these represent the auspicious star formation still after those long years of destruction. In Indian religious texts human body is made of five elements Earth, Sky, Fire, Wind & Water and all other things are mere formations of these elements. The temple of Omkareshwar in northern quarter of city represent the same phenomena & one of the oldest temple situated in city till date. The universal OM itself is of five letters A, U & M, Nad & Tal. So the pious city Varanasi is of Five kosh. The circumambulation of this five kosh is the most revered worship of this city. One interesting fact about the city is that it has all the religious places scattered in different parts of India like Kedarnath, Dwarika, Rameshwarm etc. Question arises why on earth somebody will do this arduous task first to collect data of all the places & than make a replica of it at this place. Just for convenience not to take the hard task again of travelling such a remote places. But concept of pilgrimage in India is different if someone worship replica is like remembering the whole but to visit whole has no substitute for replica. At last with the hardships pilgrims visit the original place not the replica. But the city Varanasi visited once give fruit of all the pilgrimages & more and pilgrims need not to visit anything else. This phenomena is truly to be called as such, other pilgrimage are there but Varanasi is whole & once visited give ultimate bliss.
Earlier geography of the city with years of destructions & reconstructions presents distorted form of this beautiful city named Anandavan. Shiva is a god of little things those are disliked by general norms like living in cremation ground, using ashes of dead bodies & with many odds dancing to destroy the universe. But here he lives with his wife the most beautiful place in three Lokas. This city had numerous lakes, Kunds, three rivers & forest of bliss. The north ward direction of river Ganga at this place represents the salvation property taking human to another place, the heaven. One study conducted to know the importance of water bodies of city revealed these represent the auspicious star formation still after those long years of destruction. In Indian religious texts human body is made of five elements Earth, Sky, Fire, Wind & Water and all other things are mere formations of these elements. The temple of Omkareshwar in northern quarter of city represent the same phenomena & one of the oldest temple situated in city till date. The universal OM itself is of five letters A, U & M, Nad & Tal. So the pious city Varanasi is of Five kosh. The circumambulation of this five kosh is the most revered worship of this city. One interesting fact about the city is that it has all the religious places scattered in different parts of India like Kedarnath, Dwarika, Rameshwarm etc. Question arises why on earth somebody will do this arduous task first to collect data of all the places & than make a replica of it at this place. Just for convenience not to take the hard task again of travelling such a remote places. But concept of pilgrimage in India is different if someone worship replica is like remembering the whole but to visit whole has no substitute for replica. At last with the hardships pilgrims visit the original place not the replica. But the city Varanasi visited once give fruit of all the pilgrimages & more and pilgrims need not to visit anything else. This phenomena is truly to be called as such, other pilgrimage are there but Varanasi is whole & once visited give ultimate bliss.
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