SECRETS OF KASHI, A

PLACE OF THE GODS!!!

Who does not know about Kashi? It has had many
names but as we all know, a rise by any other
name is still a rose. Benaras, Varanasi and who
knows what names it was called
prehistorically??
I am sure that Kashi is much older than we
give her credit for. It is old, ancient, who
knows how old??

In an attempt to answer this perplexing puzzle

and to find out more, a group of archeologists
led by former professor of archeology at
the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) Prof Vidula
Jayaswal is busy "unearthing the antiquity" of
this city through excavations at the ASI
protected site at Rajghat with help from the
Archaeological Survey of India.

Below I quote from an article TIMES OF INDIA

PUBLISHED FEB- 6TH 2014.

"Based on archaeological remains unearthed at

the Kashi-Rajghat area about four decades ago,
findings had suggested that the city was
inhabited around 9th century BC.

But our venture aims at finding answers to a number of questions like how old
is Varanasi actually? What are the factors which helped this city to survive till
today -- particularly when other old cities on the banks of the Ganga died out?
The news excavations could push the date back by several centuries," Vidula
told TOI on Wednesday.

"We are digging the earth in 5X5 meter blocks till a depth of 5-6 meters to
find out archeological remains," she said. Based on the earlier findings, the
ASI records say that the site of Rajghat perhaps represents the ancient Kashi.
This area has been one of the oldest settlement sites and still possesses natural
groves and old remains. This mound was excavated by BHU and from 1960 to
1969 and a trial trench was dug in 1957. The excavation carried out at
Rajghat brought to light artefacts dating back to 8th century BC to 18th
century AD.

"We would take help of carbon dating technique

to ascertain the antiquity of our findings,"
she said.

Vidula, who is associated with Jnana Pravaha,

Centre for Cultural Studies and Research, said,
"During my tenure at BHU I had led the
excavations in the periphery of Varanasi at
Ramnagar (2004-2005 & 2006-2007) and Akatha
(2001-2002 & 2002-2003). The archaeological
remains found at Akatha suggested that it had a
settlement in 1800 BC while Ramnagar had
settlement in 1750 BC. These findings of Akatha
and Ramnagar compelled us to do a fresh
exercise to ascertain the actual age of Kashi
(Varanasi), which has a living history from 800
BC based on earlier excavations at Rajghat."

"The undisrupted occupation of Kashi region

since ancient times till date played a vital
role in the make up of modern Varanasi. The
fact is that Kashi was not established by any
royalty, but it has been nurtured by people and
folk culture," she said.

Vidula, who has also authored a book, Ancient

Varanasi (An Archaeological Perspective), had
already mentioned in it that ancient remains of
Varanasi, which were unearthed at Kashi-Rajghat
about four decades ago, could demonstrate that
this holy city was inhabited around 9th century
BC and had attained status of a promising urban
centre by 3rd century BC.

Sarnath, the place of first sermon of Gautam

Buddha, retains archeological remains from the
time of the Maurya king Ashoka. But,
excavations as Aktha reveal that this
settlement had greater antiquity than that has
been obtained at Kashi-Rajghat. Glimpses of its
past come through the descriptions of ancient
texts and archaeological remains. The
information available from the former is
fragmentary in nature, while archaeological
records, an authentic base for the
reconstruction of the past, are ever growing.
The discoveries and findings add and modify the
known history. The recent archaeological
investigations, as the one at Aktha, has
brought to light new evidence which is
significant and needs to be added to the
history of Varanasi, she mentioned.

According to her book, on account of the

archaeological remains of Kashi-Rajghat and
Sarnath -- the stretch of the cultural zone of
Kashi -- was considered to be within a five
kilometre radius from the nucleus of the modern
city of Varanasi -- the Pucca Mahal locality.
Besides, ancient texts and modern studies on
human geography suggest that the large urban
set ups like Varanasi needed to be supported by
a number of satellite settlements of feeding
centres which, though small entities occupying
peripheral region, remain integral part of
settlements of Varanasi-Sarnath region. The
first colonization of Kashi region, on account
of these findings, could be pushed back about
500-600 years.
Yet, what is 500- 600 years- Kashi is way older
than that!!!
We all know the sacred sthan or place of
worship which exists in the coordinates
25.2820 N, 82.9563 E, is a place like none
other. We know it is the place of Kashi
Vishwanath or Lord Shiva and his consort Maa
Annapurna.
No one goes hungry in Kashi and for a Hindu to
die in Kashi, on the banks of the river Ganges
means they are going into Devachanic bliss,
emancipation from the endless cycles of birth
and death. Numerous pilgrims hoping for this
reach Benaras at the twilight hour of their
life.
Yes this place is so sacred. This is no
nonsense, its the higher vibrations of this
place which take you into the higher realms,
and if your karma permits you will die there
and reach these heights. But not everyone can
die here, if your karmic fruits do not permit,
you will not and simply cannot die here to
reach Devachan; the important lingams is
Tarakeshwara, Shiva as Lord of Taraka Mantra,
the prayer of crossing at the time of death.
Tarakeshwar will take you to the land of pure
consciousness if you surrender your mind, body
and atman to him at this holy tirthasthan.
From the dawn of history Kashi-Varanasi has
been a great seat of Learning. Many famous
works in Sanskrit language are said to have
been produced in the city. It enjoys a pride of
place among the Educational centres of India,
being the seat of Kashi Vidyapeeth,
Sampurnanand Sanskrit University( built in the
style of Gothic Architecture), Islamic
University (Jamia-Milia) and the Great and the
biggest residential University of Asia -
Banaras Hindu University (BHU) founded by
Mahamana Pandit Madan Mohan Malviya in 1916.
it is also famed as a place known for its
heritage in music, literature, art and craft.
It is a cherished name in the art of silk
weaving. The Banarasi silk sarees and brocades
are prized all over the world. The classical
musical styles or 'gharanas' are woven into the
lifestyle of the people and are accompanied by
musical instruments that are manufactured in
Varanasi. Many religious texts and theosophical
treatises have been written here.
So many holy men come and go in Kashi and some
had made it home, like Baba Trailanga Swami,
who was himself the walking, talking Shiva of
Benaras.
Even Baba Vishuddhananda went there and
established an ashram; he also did the sthapana
of the Navamundi Mahasana there(the explanation
of the Navamundi Asana is available on my blog
for interested seekers). The entire city of
Shiva is regarded as Mahashmashana, the Great
Cremation Ground for the corpse of the entire
universe.
Mahavatar Babaji goes regularly to Kashi; in
fact Paramhamsa Yogananda met his guru
Yukteshwar Giri in Benaras. There are so many
anecdotes about Varanasi and holy men that I
could go on and on forever.
But did you know that the etheric Kashi that
exists above the sthula version is a rather
interesting place. Of course things in the
ether are larger than in the physical world,
the place is less dense and the vibrations are
purer than here. There are references of this
in the Puranas.
Past smaller ghats such as Mansarovar Ghat,
named after the holy lake in Tibet, and Narada
Ghat, honouring the divine musician and sage,
lies Chausathi Ghat, where impressive stone
steps lead up to the small temple of the
Chausathi (64) Yoginis. Images of Kali and
Durga in its inner sanctum represent a stage in
the emergence of the great goddess as a single
representation of a number of female
divinities. and Chausatti yoginis are all
awakened in the etheric Kashi; so are the
lingams of Vishweshwar, Dhundiraja.
There is another state of Kashi besides the
above mentioned two and that is the causal or
the adhyatmic one. Did you know that throughout
Bharatavarsha it was famed that there are never
and there can never be any earthquakes in
Kashi.
In ancient times, Kashi was called
Avimuktakshetra, in its adyatmic ir causal
state.
When the Kundalini awakens, it rises from the
muladhara chakra and step by step reaches the
sahasrara chakra through the others; but as it
rises, it also falls back- its all dependant
on ones karma. The chakras in which it may
fall back and rise again are Swadhisthan
chakra, Manipura chakra, Anahata chakra and
Vishuddha chakra. Understand that nothing is
static in this Universe, everything is
constantly vibrating and so are the chakras.
But in the state of Avimuktakshetra, the
vibratory influence fades away, and the yogi
can be assured that once the kundalini has
risen here, it will never fall back into the
other chakras.
This allegory means that Kashi will never have
earthquakes. This is the hidden meaning, the
secret of Kashi or rather of Avimuktakshetra!!!
On the two sides of Kashi flows rivers Varuna
and Asi, they are the symbols of Ida and
Pingala, the Surya and Chandra nadis. Sushumna
is far too spiritual to have any physical
symbol.
Lolarka Kund, the Trembling Sun", a rectangular
tank fifteen metres blow ground level,
approached by steep steps is now almost
abandoned, except during the Lolarka Mela fair
(Aug/Sept), when thousands come to propitiate
the gods and pray for the birth of a son,
Lolarka Kund is among Varanasis earliest
sites, one of only two remaining Sun sites
linked with the origins of Hinduism. Equated
with the twelve adityas or divisions of the
sun, which predate the great deities of Modern
Hinduism, it was attracting bathers in the days
of the buddha. So this place is prehistoric!!!
On certain days like during the mahakumbha, the
energy moves from ida and pingala into sushumna
and therefore bathing in the Ganges that day
purifies your karmas and takes you to Moksha.
So understand the subtle meanings behind why
our ancestors had given so much to importance
to the mahatirthasthanas!!!