Varanasi – Divine Chaos

Varanasi, the city of Lord Shiva, stands as a place where chaos and divinity intertwine seamlessly. If ever a place defined chaos in its purest form, it is Varanasi — a chaos that has persisted through millennia, uninterrupted and unmitigated.
The origins of Varanasi, also called Benares or Kashi, stretch back to antiquity. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world. Throughout its long history, two things have stood out: Varanasi has never been destroyed (earning the moniker of the eternal city) and it has never been planned.
The city has grown organically, not through the ambitions of a ruler or king, but as civilizations evolve — spontaneous and natural. Varanasi is a testament to the organic growth of human inquiry and insight, symbolizing wisdom accumulated over millennia, as well as the follies and frivolities inherent in human nature.
It is a city beyond time and space.
The Birthplace of Eternal Legends

Many believe Varanasi’s history extends beyond the reach of discovery. Legends tell of its creation by Lord Shiva himself, who, upon witnessing the world's cycle of birth and rebirth, decided to establish an eternal abode on Earth. Varanasi was thus born — located on Shiva’s trident, where the Ganges flows northward, defying the natural order as it seeks to cleanse the sins of humanity.
A City of Contrasts
Varanasi is difficult to love for many. Filthy, crowded, disorderly, and defiant of any system, it is chaos in its supreme form. Yet others are captivated by its unique energy — they sense a supernatural vibration in the air, lifting them to higher levels of consciousness. What, then, is the real Varanasi?

A city teeming with people and consumed by heat, squalor, and chaos, it has survived being engulfed by diseases and epidemics — a miracle defying explanation. The city’s ability to absorb thousands of visitors daily without losing its inherent calm is another mystery. It reveals different aspects to different people. Some are overwhelmed by the sights and see only sweat, dust, and grime. Others feel the pulse of a rhythm felt only by them.
To me, Varanasi is a deeply layered city with profound depth, swathed in a timeless mystique and magic. If ever disorder was the order of a place, it must be Varanasi.
The Immortality of Kashi
Varanasi is often spoken of as an eternal city, alongside Rome and Jerusalem. But while these cities have faced destruction and rebirth, Varanasi has known a unique immortality. Its resilience is attributed to the belief that the city is located at the cosmic centre of the universe, where Shiva’s trident marks the axis of creation.
This belief, though metaphorical, speaks to the city’s spiritual significance—a place where the divine and the mundane coexist.
The Eternal Fire

Manikarnika and Harishchandra are the two cremation ghats of Varanasi. Here, the cycle of life and death can be most poignantly observed. The fires of the burning pyres at these ghats have never ceased to illuminate the surroundings, and more importantly, the human mind. Here, the reality of our physical world becomes starkly clear, offering a devastating realization of the ultimate end that awaits us all.
Yet, amid the smoke and ash, a strange serenity pervades, and a sense of detachment from the material world emerges, rekindling an inquiry into the larger meaning of life.
Modernisation of the Ancient
In recent years, Varanasi has undergone a physical transformation. Better and wider roads, flyovers, and new shopping malls have altered the cityscape. The Vishwanath temple premises have seen unprecedented expansion, with a newly created corridor connects the Ganges to the sanctum sanctorum, enabling thousands of devotees to collect Ganges water and offer it to the divine Shivalinga.
These developments have attracted even more visitors, though official data is scarce. The economic benefits are clear, with increased employment, especially in services catering to the influx of pilgrims. Every third establishment on a typical street is now a food joint, and the income of a significant portion of the population has risen.

However, these changes have brought challenges as well. The additional flow of humanity has further stressed an already fragile service infrastructure. Garbage accumulation, for instance,  has increased, placing a strain on civic and conservancy services. The infrastructure surrounding the temple, despite the temple’s expansion, remains inadequate to cope with the increased traffic. The roads are crowded with people, and traditional modes of transport still dominate, making navigation difficult. 
Varanasi is bursting at its seams.
A Microcosm of the Divine
Lord Shiva is unique, and so is his abode, Varanasi, and so  are His devotees. Varanasi is not merely a habitation; it is a microcosm of His creation, with all its beauties and idiosyncrasies. For a rational mind, the idea of millions coming to Varanasi, enduring discomfort on an extraordinary scale just to get a fleeting glimpse of Baba Vishwanath, may seem absurd. Such intense devotion defies all reason, yet millions continue to do so, drawn by a force beyond comprehension.

Varanasi is beyond description, a land of embodied chaos and eternal mystique. Perhaps the uniqueness of Varanasi is that despite all the inconveniences it would offer a casual traveller, a devout pilgrim or a permanent resident, its charm and appeal remain undiminished, a tribute to its abiding allure and magical spell.

(Uday Kumar Varma is an IAS officer. Retired as Secretary, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting)