Chandraprabha Sanctuary

Chandraprabha sanctuary is situated to the Southeast of Varanasi. Though one of India's lesser-known sanctuaries, Chandraprabha is endowed with beautiful picnic spots, dense forests, and scenic waterfalls like Rajdari and Devdari that attract a large number of tourists. The Chandraprabha sanctuary was established in May 1957. Asiatic lions were introduced at Chandraprabha in 1958. To start with the exercise was successful, with the number of lions rising from three to 11 by 1969. However, the next year the lions were found missing. The plan to put lions was again revived in 1993 but sadly not much has happened since then.

Flora And Fauna
A variety of wild animals and plant life are found at Chandraprabha. The animal life includes blackbucks, chital, sambhar, nilgai, wild boar, porcupine and Indian gazelle. The reptilian species include gharial and python. In terms of flora, it is a typical dry deciduous forest, composed of gneiss and laminated stone.

Reaching Chandraprabha
Chandraprabha sanctuary is about 55 km from Varanasi. The most convenient way to reach the Chandraprabha sanctuary is by hiring a taxi and driving down. The journey takes approximately two hours. The nearest rail junction is Varanasi, well connected to most parts of India.

Excursions in Varanasi

Dhamekh Stupa, Sarnath" align="RIGHT" border="0" width="244" height="148">There are a number of historical and religious places and towns around Varanasi that are worth visiting. Some of the important and famous are Sarnath, Chunar, Jaunpur, Kaushambi, Kushinagar and Vindhaychal. Sarnath is about 10 km from Varanasi and is famous for being the place where Lord Buddha preached his first sermon after getting enlightenment. Sarnath is an important pilgrimage place for the Buddhists as it was here that the wheel of dharma was set in motion. Sarnath also boasts of a number of monuments and edifices ranging from the Ashokan period to the 12th century.
Chunar is about 40 km from Varanasi and is known for the Chunar fort. The Chunar fort looks beautiful upon the Kaimur Hills that provides a fantastic view of the meandering Ganga River. This is the same 'Churnargarh', on which the famous Hindi classical novelist Devinandan Khatri based his renowned work 'Chandrakanta'. Another important and historical place around Varanasi is Jaunpur. The Tughlaq ruler, Feroz Shah built Jaunpur in 1360. It was built to guard the eastern frontier of the kingdom. The town still has some of the beautiful monuments of that period.
Vindhyachal is about 90 km from Varanasi and is one of the several Shaktipeeths in India, which is believed to be the abode of Goddess Durga. Besides these cities and towns, one may also visit the Kaimoor Wildlife Sanctuary spread over an area of 500 sq km and the Chandra Prabha Wildlife Sanctuary. Chandra Prabha Wildlife Sanctuary is situated in the Chandauli district and has rich flora and fauna. Kushinagar is yet another important excursion point around Varanasi. Lord Buddha breathed his last at kushinagar.

Yoga at Varanasi

Varanasi has been a great center of Indian philosophy, spiritualism, Ayurveda, Yoga and mysticism. Yoga is a way of balancing and harmonizing the body, mind and emotions. Yoga is done through the practice of asana (the physical exercise), pranayama (the breathing technique) and mudra. All these practices purify the body, mind and energy system to prepare the ground for higher practice of meditation and for the ultimate experience of cosmic consciousness.
The word yoga is derived from the Sanskrit word "Yog", which means "unity" or means to join. This unity or joining is described in spiritual term as the union of Shakti (energy) with his consort Shiva (the supreme consciousness) and this is the central theme of yoga. At Varanasi, there is a great tradition of Yoga learning and this continues even to this day. Traditionally, Ashrams and Muths have been the center of Yoga practice and learning and with the establishment and development of modern institutions of learning, Yoga has been given due place in their curriculum.
There are separate faculties and departments of Yoga, Ayurveda, and Meditation and Astrology in B.H.U. and Sampurnanand Sanskrit University. Varanasi is the center for Yoga, Ayurveda, Meditation and Astrology. Following are main centers for Yoga, Meditation and Astrology.

• B.H.U.
• Man Mandir
• Bhring Sanhita Kendra, Bhadaini
• Center For Yoga & Meditation, Nirala Nagar
• Pragya Yoga Institute, Jagat Ganj
• S.S.U.
• Gayan Pravah
• Kashi Yoga Sangh, Sankat Mochan
• International Yoga & Meditation Centre, Nagawa

Varanasi Music

Music is supposed to be the soul of life. By virtue of being the oldest living city, Benaras has its own rich history and treasure of music. According to mythology, when Renu (son of Vishwamitra) and Mahagovind founded Kashi (Varanasi), they also brought with them the Aryan traditions and the Vedic culture. Lord Shiva is the presiding deity of Varanasi and is also considered as the lord of dance and music. According to the Puranic tales the Apsaras, Gandharvas and Kinnars lived in Varanasi and made the musical tradition of Varanasi a rich one.
Going back to history, we find numerous instances and examples of dance, music and drama evolving in Varanasi. Excavations at Varanasi have shown a terracotta figurine, in which two musicians are playing percussion instruments. The literature of ancient and medieval times also point out to a great tradition of music in Kashi or Varanasi. The Bhakti movement in the medieval period also contributed to the development of music in Varanasi. Great saint Chaitanya and Vallabhacharya played an important role in the development and popularity of music in Varanasi. Saints like Surdas, Kabeer, Raidas, Meera and Tulsi also made rich and valuable contributions to the devotional music and their Bhajans are popular to even this day.
Benaras also developed as a great center of Dhrupad style of singing. In the 16th century, Govind Chandra ruled Varanasi and during his regime Dhrupad was the royal music. With the development of Dhrupad, other styles like Dhamar, Hori and Chaturang also grew. The Famous Assarwari, "Ghunghat ke pat Khol" was made famous by the Nirgun singers of Kashi while Meer Rustam (the Nawab of Awadh) patronised Music Festivals like Jhoola, Jhoomar, Kajri, Birha, Dangal, Gulab Bari and music festivals on boats. Over a period of time Tappa form of singing also became popular in Varanasi and its main exponents were Shori Miyan, Gammu Khan and Shade Khan.
Over a period of time, the Maharajas of Kashi or Varanasi also gave patronage to music and that resulted in making Varanasi a great center of music. Here, it's important to note the contribution of Maharaj Prabhu Narayan Singh, who gave patronage to Bahadur Shah's court Musicians like Waris Ali, Akbar Ali, Nisar Khan, Sadiq Ali and great Ashiq Ali Khan. Ali Mohammad and Ali Bux, the sons of Basat Khan, were considered the "jewels" of Kashi Darbar. Thus, a galaxy of great musicians made Banaras a great center of music. Varanasi saw the development of Banarasi Thumri, Dadra, Chaiti, Hori, Bhairavi, Kajri, Tarana, Ghato and much more. Besides these major streams, lesser-known forms like Tirwat, Sadra, Khamsa, Lavni, Chaturang, Sargam, Ragmala, Kirtan, Qauwali, Kathagayan, Bhajan and Ramayan also developed at Varanasi.
Varanasi is also associated with many great instrumentalists. Sehnai maestro Ustad Bismillah Khan is famous world wide while Sitar maestro Pandit Ravi Shankar has earned wide acclaim throughout the world. Other instrumentalists who have left their mark are Madan Mohan, Bhola Nath, Pathak, Mannuji, Amarnath Mishra, Brindwan Das, Ramdeo and Subodh Babu

Sanskrit & Varanasi

Sanskrit is not only a classical language but also a repository of Indian cultural heritage. Sanskrit is the most ancient among the languages of the world. Its storehouse of knowledge is unrivaled and one of the most invaluable treasures of the world. Sanskrit language is a symbol of Indian tradition and thought, which has exhibited full freedom in the search of truth. The most interesting aspect of Sanskrit language is that it has shown complete tolerance towards other languages. Varanasi is a true example of Guru-Shishya tradition, which has helped in the growth and development of Sanskrit language.
Since ancient times, Varanasi is a great center of learning of Sanskrit language. Over a period of time, Varanasi has produced many great scholars of Sanskrit. Many great works of Sanskrit have also been penned at Varanasi. The Sampurnanand Sanskrit University was set up at Varanasi to keep intact the traditional scholarship and to strike a balance between India and western outlooks and to conduct research and to study various aspects of culture and spiritual literature. Over a period of time, this university has contributed towards the development of Sanskrit language by taking up the study and research on Vedas, Vedanta Purana, Ayurveda, Sahitya, Astrology, Theology, Mimamsa, Nyaya, etc.
The Sampurnanad Sanskrit University has played an important role in the development of Sanskrit language through translation and publication of specific texts as well cataloguing of manuscripts. It has also coordinated the oriental and occidental currents of thoughts, while preserving the ancient Indian tradition. It has helped in the grooming up of new and talented scholars who are well versed in the knowledge of traditional Sanskrit and fully acquainted with modern thoughts and are capable of carrying on comparative study on modern lines.

Astrology at Varanasi

Varanasi is a center of education and learning for centuries and is aptly called as the cultural capital of India. Scholars, intellectuals, philosophers, mystics and saints from all over the world have been coming to Varanasi, the capital of education. In earlier times, Varanasi was more famous for Vedic education and astrology (jyotish). Students and scholars from different parts came to the holy city to study and learn philosophy and astrology.

Thus, there developed a great tradition of learning of Vedic astrology or "jyotish shastra" at Varanasi. The system of Vedic astrology continues to even this day in Varanasi. It is very much evident in the "Guru Shishya parampara" of Kashi. In ancient and medieval period, jyotish was taught at "Ashrams" and "Gurukuls" and it continues to be taught at many of the present educational institutions at Varanasi. There are separate faculties Meditation and Astrology in B.H.U. and Sampurnanand Sanskrit University. Following are main center for meditation and astrology.

• B.H.U.
• Man Mandir
• Bhring Sanhita Kendra, Bhadaini
• Center For Yoga and Meditation, Nirala Nagar
• Pragya Yoga Institute, Jagat Ganj
• S.S.U.
• Gayan Pravah
• Kashi Yoga Sangh, Sankat Mochan
• International Yoga and Meditation Centre, Nagawa

Art & Culture of Varanasi

Benares, Varanasi" align="RIGHT" border="0" width="245" height="148">The art and culture of Varanasi is unique. It is the rich cultural tradition of Varanasi that makes it the cultural capital of India. A combination of archaeology, mythology, geography, art and history makes Varanasi a great center of Indian culture. Though Varanasi is associated mainly with Hinduism and Buddhism but one can find glimpse of many religious beliefs, types of worship and religious institutions at Varanasi. It is amazing to see the primitive worship cults being practiced at Varanasi.
Varanasi presents a complete museum of Indian art and culture. At Varanasi one can feel the changing patterns and movements in course of history. It has a rich and unique style of art forms and folk art. For centuries, Varanasi has produced master craftsmen and earned name and fame for its beautiful Sarees, handicrafts, textiles, toys, ornaments, metal work, clay and woodwork and other crafts.
Since ancient times, Varanasi has been the Capital of all knowledge (sarva Vidya ki Rajdhani). Varanasi has produced numerous famous scholars and intellectuals, who have left their mark in respective fields of activity. Varanasi is home to numerous universities, college, schools, Madarsas and Pathshalas and the Guru Shishya tradition still continue in many institutions. The literary tradition of languages, dialects, newspapers, magazines and libraries continue to even this day.
Varanasi presents a unique social and cultural fabric. Cultural and linguist pluralism and various ethnic groups are so very eternal to the holy city, Varanasi. At Varanasi one gets to explore the city of affluence, intellectuals, oral traditions, castes and customs, personalities, professions and communal harmony. There is another interesting facet to Varanasi, where one gets to enjoy Benarasi pans, Thandai, Gamcha, Bahri Alang and Mauj Masti.
Music, drama and entertainment are all synonymous with Varanasi. Benaras has long been famous for its music, both vocal and instrumental and has its own dance traditions. Add to this, Varanasi has a very rich stock of folk music and drama (esp. Ramlila), fairs and festival and the rich tradition of akharas, games and sports. All these combine together to give a distinct look to the city of moksha, Varanasi.