- It is believed to be one of the first cities to be built on earth - It is thought to bring moksha to those who die there - The city is mentioned in many epics in the sacred texts as being ‘the foremost city of Shiva’ - The city lies on a sacred turning of the Ganges river and so is believed to be especially favoured by the Gods.
It is also important because two tributaries, the Varuna and Asi river meets here. Due to this reason, the river near varanasi is believed to have alot of purification capability. Thats why people come here to cremate.
And it's a city famous for the cremation ghats, so its important for death rites - maybe this could tie in with Tim's point about the city being associated with Shiva? This means that a lot of Hindus go there to die as well, to better their karma, and to have their ashes scattered in the river Ganges, i.e. Varanasi is a pilgrimage city for cremation.
- It is believed to be one of the first cities to be built on earth
ReplyDelete- It is thought to bring moksha to those who die there
- The city is mentioned in many epics in the sacred texts as being ‘the foremost city of Shiva’
- The city lies on a sacred turning of the Ganges river and so is believed to be especially favoured by the Gods.
It is also important because two tributaries, the Varuna and Asi river meets here. Due to this reason, the river near varanasi is believed to have alot of purification capability. Thats why people come here to cremate.
ReplyDeleteIt is also blessed by Shiva when the priest returns the Sati's jewel to him.
ReplyDeleteAnd it's a city famous for the cremation ghats, so its important for death rites - maybe this could tie in with Tim's point about the city being associated with Shiva? This means that a lot of Hindus go there to die as well, to better their karma, and to have their ashes scattered in the river Ganges, i.e. Varanasi is a pilgrimage city for cremation.
ReplyDelete