Last time in class we learned about the city of Varanasi, also called Benares. This is a city located by the river Ganges. It is known as a holy city for Hindus, Buddihists and Jains. It is one of the oldest cities in the world. In class we also watched a documentry video about Varanasi. This documentary clearly showed the religious importance of the river Ganges. Ganges is said to have its origins in the tresses of Lord Shiva. The people of Benares worship different gods. You can tell which god they worship by the marks on their forehead.
The river is considered to be pure water and many people take holy bathes in the river to purify themselves. People in Varanasi are heavily involved in pilgrimage. There are five sights of pilgrimage in this city. In the first one poeple walk in a long circle (about 168 miles) around the city; the next one is a 55 miles long circle around Varanasi;the third one is a 15 mile circle; the other one is a smalle circle in the city of Varanasi; the last and the most populated one is in the temple of Varanasi, which has 72 shines. Many rituals are performed in this city usually for the pleasure of Lord of disruction, Shiva.