Day 8:
Morning arrive and check in at hotel. After breakfast visit the
temples of Varanasi.Varanasi is said to be the oldest
surviving city of the world. Varanasi is also called as Kashi or
Benaras. Being the most venerated pilgrim place
in Hindu religion, Varanasi is said to be a museum of temples. Also called the
city of temples, Varanasi is home to about 2,000 temples. People from all
parts of India as well as the world come to Varanasi to visit these temples,
making the holy temples of Varanasi amongst the most visited temples in
India. Many important and famous temples are located at Ganga Ghats (river
front), adding to the religious value of the holy river, Ganges. Most of the
temples that are located on the Ganga Ghats are old and date back to the
medieval period. According to legends the first Siva Jyotirlinga, the fiery pillar
of light, came through the earth here and flared into the sky. Therefore
Varanasi is also called Kashi, "the City of Light." The Kashi Vishwanath
temple, located near the Ganga Ghats, is the most famous and important
temple of Varanasi. In this temple resides the guardian of the holy city, Lord
Shiva. Other important temples of Varanasi are the new Vishwanath temple,
the Sankat Mochan temple, the Durga temple, the Kal Bhairav temple and the
Mritunjaya temple.Afternoon visit to Sarnath- the holy shrine of the Buddhist
where LORD BUDHA preached his first sermon after he had gained
Enlightenment. Sarnath, located just 12 km from the Hindu holy city of
Varanasi, is the site of the deer park where Gautama Buddha first taught the
Dharma after his enlightenment. Sarnath is one of four holy Buddhist sites
sanctioned by the Buddha himself for pilgrimage. The other three sites are:
Lumbini (birth); Bodh Gaya (enlightenment); and Kushinagar (death). Sarnath
has previously been known as Mrigadava, "deer park," and Isipatana,
meaning the place where holy men (Pali: isi) fell to earth. The latter name is
based in the legend that when the Buddha was born, devas came down to
announce it to 500 holy men. The holy men all rose into the air and
disappeared and their relics fell to the ground. The current name Sarnath,
from Saranganath, means "Lord of the Deer" and relates to another old
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