I left on 26th December, 2024 with my mother and grandmother to Varanasi. In the airplane, I read books, ate pasta and drank hot chocolate.

When we reached, the car we took to reach our hotel, had a poster of “We welcome you Mishku and family” We also stopped at a teashop from where I got my chips.

Our hotel was “Ganges View”. The hotel room was very traditional. After 15 min, we went to a beautiful “Ganga Pooja”.

We spent some time there and then we went to a restaurant called “Green garden restaurant” for dinner. I had delectable Hakka noodles there. After that, I went to the “Sankat Mochan Temple”. Then I slept…

When I woke up, I went to the morning “Ganga Pooja”. After that we went for a boat ride, where our boatman was a singer!! We enjoyed his songs a lot and our story-teller Anupam bhaiyaa told us all about Banaras and its stories.

We then went for a long walk, where we first went to a Vishnu temple (Jagganath) where the storyteller told us about the history of the temple. We then went to the birthplace and statue of Rani Laxmi Bai. Over there, the storyteller told us about the life of Rani Lakshmi Bai.

From there we went to a wrestling stadium. We were told about wrestling in Banaras. We then went to Tulsidas’s house where the storyteller told us about his life.

Later, we went to a pond which is known to heal the people who are not well, As the long walk ended, we went to a small snack shop where we ate Jalebis.

After some hours in the hotel room, we again went for a long walk. Over there, we saw many “ghats and small shops”. The storyteller explained us all about them. We also saw the best view of the city and the house of an author named Bhartendu Harishchandra.

We again went to a boating ride where the water was lit by a lot of diyas floating in it. I also floated a few diyas in the Ganges.

We then went to flower market. We also went to a spectacular “mandir” where we were told the exciting history of it. I was given a task to find an odd one out pillar in it. It was hard but fun.

In one of a hilly street, we ate a lot of snacks like chaats, juices and nan-khatais (these are special in Banaras as they are eaten on Rath Yatra festivals). We then went back to the hotel where we spent some time.

After that, I went to Pizzeria and a book shop from where I got a few books and mouth-watering pizza. Once I ate the pizza, we went to the Kashi Vishwanath mandir. It was beautifully decorated. Over there, I got a garland which the Pandit gives if the god blesses you.

We took part in the Shiv aarti and went back to the hotel. When I woke up the next day, we went and explored the ghats. Over there, I ate Maggie and took a dip in Ganga. I also met two kids dressed as Shiva and Parvati and we got Maggie for them as well, clicked pictures and got teekas done.

Then we went back to the hotel room for about 30 min. Later, we went to a weaving area. Over there, I learnt how to make a saree on a handloom (I even tried making one). Then the weaver gave me many materials related to weaving.

From there we went to house in which many sarees were shown. Over there, the story-teller gave me an introduction sheet of a TREASURE HUNT!!

It was about a raga which broke into 3 piece. I had to join in with help of clues and riddles. My team had me, nani and mumma and the story-teller. He then gave me the first clue.

Clue 1

In a place where time stands still, a shadow whispers the secrets of the sun. Seek the timekeeper’s treasure and find the first piece of the melody.

And with that, there was an envelope in which therewere tickets for Man Sing observatory! We went there and I explored the observatory. And then I found another envelope. On that it was written “For Mishku” so it was definitely clue 2 and it also had the first piece of raga! We then stopped for some mouth-watering dosas in a cute café.

Clue 2

The melody’s 2nd fragment lies where childhood dreams are carved from wood. Follow this path to find another piece of this raga.

“Vishwanath Toys Emporium”

This time the story-teller told me to find the way myself using signboards and local people’s help. When we reached, they gave me a toy in which I had to find Clue 3 and the second piece of the raga. When I found it, it was something like this.

Clue 3

The final fragment awaits where strings sing and melodies soar. Bring the pieces of your raga and unlock your last melody.

“International Music Ashram”

We went there, I gave the musician all pieces of ragas and then he gave me the last (third one)! I joined them all together and got a certificate. We then enjoyed their brilliant music performance.

Then we went into a boat and saw the Ganga Arti again and later went to the hotel and slept. When I woke up the next day, we had breakfast and left for “Vishwanath Mandir” and Bhairavnath mandir. We then went to a snacks shop and ate snacks. Also we rested for sometime at ghats.

We finally left for the airport. I read my book and ate lot of snacks. Finally, I reached Mumbai.

Trivia time!!

• Varanasi is also called Kashi and Banaras
• Kashi is famous for ghats and it’s mythological history
• Banaras is the oldest living, continuously inhabited city.
• As per google, Varanasi’s population is 17 lakhs!

Also meet our amazing story teller, Anupam Bhaiyaa. Special thank you to Roobaroo Walks!

And thank you to mumma for adding photos to my Travelogue.