The Suicide Temple of Varanasi

Dying in Varanasi has a special benefit. Those who pass in the holy city of Varanasi, go straight to the heaven. For this reason religious people have been coming to the city when they see their end nearing since the ancient time.

But what if one cannot wait to die naturally? Committing suicide is a way; but suicide is condemned in the sacred scriptures. To address this dilemma, a temple situated deep inside the formidable maze of narrow streets of this ancient city, had a curious solution– Suicide assisted by priests.

The Kashi Karvat temple holds no particular significance today; but it was supposedly a short-cut to the heaven in the past.

The entrance of the Kashi Karvat temple (Photo by Yogesh Agrawal)

Historian Jonathan Parry observes in his book titled Death in Banaras:

It is said that in a less corrupt age a karvat, or saw, was suspended from the roof of the shrine and would spontaneously fall on those on whom Shiva chose to bestow his blessing.

However, Christopher Justice describes in Dying the Good Death: The Pilgrimage to Die in India’s Holy City:

The temple is focused around a hole in the floor which opens into a large cavernous room below. On the floor of this room, about 30 feet down and directly below the opening, is a Shiva linga—the phallic, stone emblem of Shiva and main focus of his worship—which the pujari says sprang out of the ground on its own accord. He explained that the lower floor level was the original level of the city of Kashi, before a lot of people lived there and the level was gradually built up. The temple takes its name from the karvat (weapon or saw) which used to be down in this lower room, the opening. Before British times, people used to come and obtain moksha by throwing themselves down the hole and onto the blade, thus killing themselves. They would go straight to heaven, as from the temple, below this room, there is a direct water connection with the Ganges.

Was it only suicide?

Scholar and writer Rana Singh writes in his book Banaras: Making of India’s Heritage City:

On the name Of moksha, the Brahmin priests of the temple of Kashi Karvat were religiously murdering innocent and devout Hindus (cf. Justice 1997: 43-45) This place was used by the pandas and pujaris (priests) to persuade pilgrims to commit ritual suicide during the medieval period (16th-17th centuries). According to local sources these pandas would throw innocent devotees from the upper part of the well, where they would fall on a big sword kept there. Their wealth was taken by the pandas. By the description of Mallik Muhammad Jayasi, a contemporary of Akbar (r. 1556-1605) and Alexander Hamilton (1744) it was clear that the tradition of killing people or ritualistic suicide was already in practice.

Food for thought.

How was the temple named Kashi Karvat

Kashi is a popular and ancient name for the city and Karvat is a Hindi word with more than one meaning.

According the popular belief, Karvat of Kashi Karvat refers to the saw. The saw found in the temple allegedly has a mention in a story in the scripture Skanda Purana, which Christopher Justice pens as:

Lord Krishna came one day, riding on his tiger, to test a certain king. He and his wife had only one son. Krishna demanded that they give their son up as meat for his hungry tiger. It was very important never to send a guest away hungry and, realizing it was a test, they agreed. Husband and wife, on either end of a saw, cut up their son and fed him to the tiger. Krishna was very pleased. The king was rewarded, the son was brought back to life, and the saw became famous as being a direct link to Krishna.

However, according to another theory, the Karvat stands for ‘turning body’ into the well where the saw was kept.

The other Kashi Karvat temple

Today, an entirely different temple is popularly known with the name ‘Kashi Karvat’. This temple, about which we have a separate article, was build centuries after the suicide ritual at the original Kashi Karvat was banned.

Perhaps sensible people of the city decided to take the dark past related to the Kashi Karvat temple away and call another temple with the same name, which happens to have multiple harmless legends associated; and is conveniently situated near the famous Manikarnika Ghat that one cannot pass without noticing the leaning temple.

Temple location

See the location of the Kashi Karvat Temple on Google Maps.

A Travel Story by Nishita, Varanasi and Gods of India

Varanasi - The City of God's Stories

 15th Mar 2017

By Nitisha Pandey

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The name Varanasi comes from combining Banaras and Kashi, the twin cities that are filled with culture, history and a lot of stories. Mark Twain said," Varanasi is older than history, older than legend, even older than tradition and twice as old as all of them put together." His words perfectly capture the essence of what the city has to offer for a traveler looking for solace and satisfaction.

I arrived in Varanasi on the morning of 15th March at 8 PM from Jamshedpur which is my hometown by the Neelanchal Express which was running late by 2 hours. I had already booked a room at Zostel Varanasi and hence took the auto from the station to the hotel. The checkin was very smooth and after freshening up, I started my wanderings around the holy city. My first stop was Pizzeria, a popular eatery by the Assi Ghat which gives you bad Pizza but an amazing view. The sun was up in all its glory which made the Ganges shimmer in blue and the sand glitter in white. I walked around the ghats for a while capturing the art on the walls and admiring the creation of God for his abode.

View from Pizzeria, Assi Ghat

Wandering around the ghats

I had booked the Zostel offer for the boat ride across the Ghats on the Ganges River and then viewing the famous Ganga Aarti. Our companion was Sunder who was a fabulous storyteller. We took off on his boat from Dashwamedha Ghat towards Manikarnika Ghat - the one where a thousand funerals are performed in a day. "It is an irony that we consider the holy river Ganga to clean all our sins but we aren't able to keep her clean", I thought while on the boat ride. Being present in every second of every moment that you're living while you travel makes you a tad more philosophical and aware I guess.

As the dusk approached, Sunder took us towards the Ganga Aarti which is one hell of a spectacle. Hundreds of people gather each day to witness this marvel - where belief, spirituality, religion come together in utmost coherence. I was in awe; the chants of the pandits will make you feel so clear in your mind and heart that happens when you're at peace with yourself.

The first day ended with trying all the delicacies at Deena Chat which very famous. Dahi Vada, Samosa Chat, Golgappa and Alloo Tikki Chat were the ones I tried and all of them were yummy. The rooftop of Zostel has a pretty ambience where you can chill for a while after a tiring day. I ordered some pasta and sandwiches for dinner and chose to call it a day.

Zostel Cafe

Day 2 began with super yummy breakfast comprising Kachori and Jalebi at a local shop. Then began the exploration on the outlines of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple. Since the line was very big, I choose to explore the lanes of Banaras and capture stories on the way.

For the love of Doors and Red.

It happens only in India

Blue Lassi shop is recommended by all locals and is a favorite of all the travelers. How could I not go there? The place has been running for almost 75 years and every person who comes by, put up their passport picture or a memory on the walls of this tiny little blue shop. The lassi was decent too.

With lunch at The Brown Bakery, I chose to end my day. I was taking the train to Agra in the evening which was my next stop in this travel plan.A

Banaras Ghats – True Essence of India – A travel Story

By sudeep -

 

Dec 7, 2014

 

12722

 

650

A new beginning …

Banaras is one of the favorite destinations, not only for those who seek peace and serenity or those who visit for sacred reasons, but also for Photographers. A true heaven for travel Photographers, with loads of stories to share. We have a travel story shared to us by Ashwini Kapoor, with some powerful images captured in and around Banaras Ghats by him.

Ghats in Varanasi or Banaras are riverfront steps leading to the banks of River Ganga. This city has nearly 100 ghats.Most of the ghats are bathing and puja ceremony ghats, while a few are used exclusively as cremation sites, namely Mankarnika Ghat, Harishchandra Ghat.

The famous and oldest ghats of all these are the Dashashwamegha, the Manikarnika and the Harishchandra Ghat. Some of the ghats are made there by Hindu rulers such as Ahilya Bai Holkar of Malwa region, Peshwa’s of Gwalior, Man Singh of Amber, Jai Singh of Jaipur etc. Some of the famous personlities of Benaras have named the ghats on their own name. Munshi Ghat is after Hindi poet the Munshi Premchand, Tulsi ghat is after Hindu poet the Tulsidas who has written Ramcharitmanas. Many ghats are associated with the legends in Varanasi like the former Kashi Naresh owns Shivala or Kali ghat.

Most of the ghats were made at the time of Maratha. Marathas, Holkars, Bhonsles, Shindes (Scindias), and Peshwes (Peshwas) has been as patrons of present-day Varanasi.

Dashashwamedh Ghat is located close to Vishwanath Temple, and is probably the most spectacular ghat. Hundreds of people gather here to view the famous Ganga aarti everyday twice, in morning and evening.

In Hindu traditions, cremation is one of the rites of passage and the Ghats of Varanasi are considered one of the auspicious locations for this ritual.At the time of the cremation or “last rites,” a “Puja” (prayer) is performed. Hymns and mantras are recited during cremation to mark the ritual. The Manikarnika and Harishchandra Ghats are dedicated to the cremation ritual. Annually, less than 2 in 1000 people who die in India, or 25,000 to 30,000 bodies are cremated on various Varanasi Ghats; about an average of 80 per day. This practice has become controversial for the pollution it causes to the river.In 1980s, the Government of India funded a Clean Ganga initiative, to address cremation and other sources of pollution along the Ghats of Varanasi. In many cases, the cremation is done elsewhere and only the ashes are dispersed into the river near these Ghats.

Photographers would find this place as a heaven, to capture the essence of real street life, still life and some of the most candid moments of people. Life close to the banks of river ganga ( Ghats ) is beautiful in its own way. From chanting mantras, sadhus, aghoris, you would find everything here. Photography on ghats can be done either by walking or one can hire a boat and can get a panoramic view of the Ghats. You would have an option to travel on to the other bank of river ganges, which is full of sand, sun, horses, etc. I would suggest this place to everyone visiting India.

Here are few more pics from Ashwini’s Library of clicks at Varanasi…

Do subscribe to our blogs for more travel stories. If you have a travel story to share, write to us at tiwarisudeep04@gmail.com

A SHORT CRISP NOTE ABOUT VARANASI HISTORY

Varanasi (or Benares, Banaras, Kashi), on the left bank of the Ganges, is one of the seven sacred cities of the Hindus. Among the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world, its early history is that of the first Aryan settlement in the middle Ganges valley. By late 2nd millennium BCE, Varanasi was a seat of Aryan religion and philosophy and a commercial and industrial centre famous for its muslin and silk fabrics, perfumes, ivory works, and sculpture. The capital of the kingdom of Kashi during the time of the Buddha (6th century BCE), who gave his first sermon at nearby Sarnath, it remained a centre of religious, educational, and artistic activities as attested by the celebrated Chinese traveler Hsüan-tsang, who visited it in c. 635 CE and said that the city extended for about 5 km along the western bank of the Ganges.

Manikarnika 1832

Varanasi declined during the early centuries of Muslim rule in India, from 1194. Its temples were destroyed and its scholars fled to other parts of India. In the 16th century, Akbar brought some relief to the city's religious and cultural activities. Setbacks came again during the reign of Aurangzeb but the Marathas later sponsored a revival. It became an independent kingdom in the 18th century; under British rule it remained a commercial and religious centre, and in 1910, the British made Varanasi a new Indian state (until 1949). 

Varanasi has the finest [religious] river frontage in India, with miles of ghats (steps) for bathing;

Rajendra ghat 1890

an array of shrines, temples, and palaces rises tier on tier from the bank. More than a million pilgrims visit each year; many hope to die there in old age. A center of Hindu learning through the ages, it has lots of schools and countless Brahmin pandits. Its three universities include the large and important Banaras Hindu University (1915) and over a dozen colleges. A centre of arts, crafts, music and dance, it is also famous for its production of silks and brocades with gold and silver threadwork, as well as for wooden toys, bangles made of glass, ivory work, and brassware.

Shitala devi ghat 1830

History of Varanasi (As of modern Historians)

Varanasi, a most famous and oldest inhabited city of the world, originally known as the Kashi (Kashi word was derived from the ‘Kasha’ which means the brightness). Varanasi is renowned by many names, some of are Brahma Vardha, Anandakanana, Avimuktaka, Mahasmasana, Kasi, Sudarsana, Surandhana and Ramya. Currently Kashi is known by the name Varanasi which was derived from the two tributaries of the holy River Gange named Varuna and Assi. Kashi is situated at the banks of the Holy River Ganges in the Uttar Pradesh state of India.

Varanasi city is the center of a variety of cultural and religious activities of the Northern India including learning, literature and art from years. It is also known as the city of God as it is considered that it was manufactured by the Lord Shiva. It is the center for origination of the Hindustani classical music from Benares Gharana. It is the birth place and work place for many Indian philosophers, poets, writers, musicians and other great personalities. It is the place where Gautama Buddha has given his first sermon at the holy place named Sarnath.

Ancient Varanasi

Location of the Kashi

It is located in the North India in the middle valley of Gange, in the east part of the UP state and around 320 kilometres southeast to the Lucknow. It is situated about 797 km towards southeast of the New Delhi, 121 km towards east of Allahabad and 63 km towards south of Jaunpur. It is considered that people make a panch koshi parikrama between the Varuna and Assi ghat (a five mile, 8.3 km distance) which ended at the Sakshi Vinayak Temple.

According to the Hinduism and Jainism, Kashi is the most holy city of the seven sacred cities. It is believed by the Hindus that one who dies in the Varanasi will get salvation from the cycle of birth and death and finally intermingled in to the Lord Shiva.

It has become the most famous place for tourism in India because of its culture, tradition, sightseeings, attractive places, ghats, fairs, festivals and temples. Many of its old temples have been destroyed decades ago in the 12th century in the time of the Muslim King Mohammad Ghauri. The current temples and other religious places in Kashi are of 18th century.

King of Kashi

The King of Kashi, Kashi Naresh, become the chief guest and organizer of all the cultural as well as religious celebrations of the Varanasi city. The culture of Varanasi is very old and religious, which is intimately connected with the Gange River.

From the eighteenth century, Varanasi became an independent Kingdom of Kashi. Kashi Naresh’s generations still lives in the fort of the Ramanagar. It is situated at the east of the Varanasi at the right bank of the River Ganges. This Fort was built by the Kashi Naresh “Raja Balwant Singh” in the eighteenth century.

The Ramnagar fort and its museum tell the true history of the kings of Benares. The king of Ramnagar was the chief cultural patron and known as the essential part of all religious celebrations of Hindus.

The modern Varanasi was built at the time of Rajput and Maratha kings. The kings of Varanasi were continued to be important through much of the British rule including the maharaja of Benares, or Kashi Naresh until independence of India and during the reign of the Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh. Anant Narayan Singh, the son of Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh, became the next king of the Benares after his father death.

It is the most cultural and spiritual capital of the India which is renowned for having the largest residential University of Asia Benares Hindu University. It is the holy city where the most famous Hindu Epic Ramcharitmanas was written by the Goswami Tulsidas. People often say the Varanasi by the name city of temples, the holy city of India, the religious capital of India, city of lights, city of classical music, city of learning and oldest living city on the earth as well.

The Etymology of Varanasi

The origin of the name of Varanasi is behind the names of two rivers, the Varuna and the Assi. The old speculation about its origin is that the river Varuna itself was known as Varanasi. With the time passes, the Varanasi was known as Avimuktaka, Mahasmasana, Surandhana, Anandakanana, Brahma Vardha, Sudarsana, Ramya, and Kasi.

According to the Rigveda, Varanasi was referred as Kasi or Kashi. The Varanasi is known as the centre of learning, literature, art as well as culture. The glory of the city has been described in the Kasikhand in 15,000 verses in the Skanda Purana.

The God Shiva says, in the ancient, Varanasi city was founded by the Hindu deity the Lord Shiva which makes it one of the most important and old pilgrimage destinations in the India. There was a general belief that the Varanasi stands on the “The Trishool” (also known as Trident), the weapon of the Lord Shiva. The name of the city is mentioned in many Hindu scriptures such as the Rigveda, Skanda Purana, the Ramayana, and the Mahabharata.

Varanasi is around 3000 years old city in the world. It is the most famous city for its muslin, silk fabrics, perfumes, ivory works, and various sculptures. It is also known as the center of most religious and artistic activities. Some of the historical figures of the 18th century of Varanasi are Parshva, some of the earliest and 23rd Jain Tirthankara who lived in the Varanasi. Earliest (at the time of Gautama Buddha), Varanasi was the capital of Kashi Kingdom. Varanasi city is famous for its religious importance from the 8th century when Adi Shankara was started worshiped as a Lord Shiva.

Varanasi was ruled by the Muslim ruler Qutb-ud-din Aibak who had destroyed thousands of the temples and religious monuments in the year 1194. Thousands years later, after the Afghan invasion, some new temples were established in the 13th century. Some of the other old temples were also destroyed by the rulers in   the year 1496. Even after facing such difficulties, Varanasi has maintained its honor as a cultural center of   the religion and education. Varanasi has been lead by the most popular personalities such as the Kabir Das, Ravidas who were the superior saints and poets of the Bhakti of the 15th Century. Guru Nanak Dev (founder of the Sikhism) had visited the Varanasi at the religious festival, Shivratri in the year 1507.

Cultural importance of the Varanasi was improved greater around 16th century during the time of the Mughal emperor, Akbar. Some new temples of the Lord Shiva and Vishnu were built by the Akbar. One of the temples of the Goddess Annapurna was made by the king of Poona. In the 18th century, tourism in the city has started by the people.

Varanasi is told (by the Mark Twain, a famous Indophile) as the older than history, older than tradition and legend. A great legend, Annie Besant, had worked in the Varanasi and promoted the theosophy as well as established the Central Hindu College which was later developed as the big university named Benaras Hindu University in 1916.

A brief history of Varanasi

Benares is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together.– Mark Twain

Banaras (or Kashi or Varanasi) is one of the oldest cities in the world, which have been constantly inhabited. If we look at the archaeological evidences, remains from the year 1200 BC have been found here. While there are also indications that this city could be living since 3000 BC, or even older.

This ancient city has seen many-many generations of human life. Varanasi has seen the progress of human civilisation since very ancient time. This fact helps this city to obtain the status of being the cultural capital of India.

Let’s discuss few selected eras of the history of Varanasi aka Banaras aka Kashi–

Varanasi in Vedic Era

According to the Hindu mythology, city was founded by God Shiva. Varanasi is still called ‘The City of Shiva’; and devotion to Shiva can be seen in the city abundantly.

Varanasi has seen the Vedic religion flourishing from its own eyes. References to Kashi is frequently found in ancient Hind scriptures such as Vedas, Upnishadas, and Puranas.

Varanasi holds a divine and important status since the beginning of the history of Hinduism. In Upanishadas, it was referred as the holiest city of all.

Varanasi in Buddhist Era

Varanasi continued to keep its status of importance in the Buddhist Era as well. The city was referred in Buddhist texts in abundance. The ship of Buddhism first sailed circa 528 BC, when Gautam Buddha gave his first sermon near Varanasi, at the places known as Sarnath. It is believed by some scholars that Buddha started the life of Buddhism here because Varanasi held significant power and importance in India that time. Significant enough to affect the religious belief of entire India.

Kashi was among the sixteen Mahajanpadas (refers to the sixteen kingdoms and oligarchic republics) of sixth to fourth centuries BC, and Varanasi was its Capital. Before the era of Buddha, Kashi was the most powerful among the sixteen mahajanpadas of India.

According to the famous Chinese traveler Hiouen Thsang (Xuanzang), who traveled to Banaras circa 635 AD, described Banaras as rich and prosperous place.

Varanasi was important for Hinduism and Buddhism both; and both religions coexisted rather peacefully, while peaceful coexistence of religions was rare in the world.

Varanasi in Muslim Invasion Era

Muslim kings and emperors loved Varanasi. Loved for attacking, looting, and demolishing purposes, unfortunately; especially the Hindu buildings. Qutb-ud-din Aibak in the year 1194, Feroz Shah Tuglaq in 1376, and Sikander Lodi in 1496 destroyed every old temples in Varanasi. For centuries Varanasi lived in the era of declination and suppression, and lost thousands of its temples.

This suppression of native culture continued under the Mughal dynasty till the second half of 16th century. In the year 1556, Akbar of Mughal Dynasty became the emperor. Despite belonging to a Muslim dynasty, Emperor Akbar was secular. He built Hindu temples in city, and in his reign, Hinduism began to flourish again. However, the descendants of Akbar did not continue his secular traditions; and they went back to the routine of suppression of Hinduism. Mughal emperor Aurangzeb was particularly fierce against Hinduism; and during his reign, Varanasi again experienced major blows.

Varanasi in the British Invasion Era

After the death of Aurangzeb, Mughal dynasty weakened considerably. Keeping hold on the regions began to become more difficult since many Hindu landlords began standing against the Muslim rule. To address this problem, establishment of a Hindu king who would pay allegiance to the emperor, was decided. It resulted the dynasty of rulers of ‘the Benares State’ that lasted till the independence from the British rule.

Mansa Ram was the first king of the dynasty. After him, Balwant Singh became the king of the Benares State. There was a rustle between Balwant Singh and Delhi. Raja Balwant Singh with the aid of British, disconnected state of Banaras from the Delhi rule. Raja Balwant Singh also managed to keep sovereignty of the state while keeping peace with the British. However, British grasp on the State of Benares continued to get stronger. After Balwant Singh, Chait Singh continued the struggle on. However soon the Benares state was forced to remain only a princely state in the British Raj. Afterwards, Benares State remained a princely state and paid allegiance to the British Raj.

Post Independence Era

India achieved the Independence on 15 August, 1947. Hopes were high after the independence, when the nation began a new journey on its own. However, a demon of corruption culture raised its head, and continued to grow stronger.

Post independence era has not been very fruitful to the ancient city which has a glorious distant past. Due to the negligence from the governments and various other reasons, development of the city is slower than other major Indian cities. As a result, Banaras region saw its citizens leaving the city to larger cities for opportunities, while also attracting immigrants in large count from eastern Uttar Pradesh and Bihar states.

Currently, Varanasi is a major city. It serves as a major commercial centre in the eastern Uttar Pradesh state and western Bihar state. Holding 4 universities (including Banaras Hindu University – BHU, one of the most prominent universities in India), Banaras is a notable centre of education.

Religious and cultural importance is maintained, and Banaras is respected by Hindus and Buddhists in particular from entire world.

In the 2014 parliamentary elections of India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi was elected as the ‘Member of Parliament’ from Varanasi. Prime Minister has vowed to return the city its glory.