Lane's of Varanasi

Above the Ghats of Varanasi its a unique system of narrow lanes that intrigues visitors most. Sometimes its really mesmerizing to see all these lanes reaching somewhere after giving a sense of looseness. One can enter any of the lane & measure through more narrower lanes to the end of the city. 

These lanes are designed as such like the sinew of a human body. Varanasi is not a city only its Shiva itself. City is embodiment of Shiva Linga itself, from Assi to Varuna river just make a circle and the road which move along Panchkoshi road & one will discover it's Shiva Linga. 

And there is not a single doubt that these lanes are his sinew spreading from Assi to Varuna. The luminous eternal light emergence was this city's boundary itself.  

Ancient story says when Lord Vishnu & Brahma were fighting for the supremacy; a light emerged that had no beginning and nor ending. Lord Vishnu dug deep to find the base of light source & Brahma went upward in sky to find the beginning of it, but of no avail. 

Lord Vishnu revered the light but Brahma lied that to see the beginning. At that point of time Lord Shiva emerged from the light & at the same time bought along Kal Bhairav ferocious side of Shiva & Kal Bhairav cut the fourth head of Lord Brahma. Till date its hard to find a temple dedicated to Lord Brahma in India. That luminous light is Varanasi & its lanes are sinew. Its not a city its live entity.

The architecture of the lanes are so unique representing master works of ancient India. In Indian architecture social gathering was so important the they built buildings in vicinity & left the vast areas for greenery. 

The houses in lanes are four to five stories high rather than occupying more lands. They are going upward to space for newer members of family. 

From inside its like having an inner Varanda, encircled by rooms. For ventilation its a unique architecture. When the houses go upward they start to make narrow lanes much cooler in summers. 

In India when scorching temperature of 45 degree hits the Ganges plains its really hard to sustain; but these lanes are unique & so designed that one can tickle this heat easily with a laugh of Banarasi.    

-Siddharth Singh