Luminous Kashi to Vibrant Varanasi
Contents: 1. The search. 2. The creation. 3. Two paths. 4. Luminous Kasi. 5. An explanation. 6. Siva. 7. Jyotirlinga. 8. Holy Kasi. 9. Kasi\'s charm. 10. Antiquity. 11. Name. 12. Divodasa\'s pot. 13. Early religions. 14. Jainism and Buddhism. 15. Vaisnavism and ... 16. The bhakti movement. 17. Temples. 18. Tirthas and Yatras. 19. Avimuktesvara and Visvesvara. 20. Kala Bhairava. 21. Hanuman. 22. Mathas or Monasteries. 23. Saints and Sadhus. 24. Scholastic traditinos. 25. Sastrarthas. 26. Pathasalas. 27. Ayurveda. 28. Literature and journalism. 29. Festivals and Melas. 30. Ramalila. 31. Ganga, Ghats and galis. 32. Pandas. 33. Thugs and Gundas. 34. Tourist interest. 35. Trade. 36. Banarasi silk. 37. Arts and crafts. 38. Painting. 39. Music. 40. Musical moments. 41. Banarasi Babu. 42. Mauj masti. 43. Elite. 44. Banarasi Mehfil. 45. Akhadas. 46. Mahamana Malaviya and Banaras Hindu University. 47. Historical background and chronology of events. 48. Pages from history. 49. Travellers and writers. 50. Old times and new. Notes. Bibliography. Glossary. Index.
"Scriptures give a distinctly unique place to Kashi / Banaras / Varanasi by declaring it to be a place not situated on the earth. Its importance in the history of Indian culture and religion will never be sufficiently extolled. It is a world of its own, symbolizing an embodying a whole civilization, a veritable mini India, unique in almost all respects. Varanasi is the oldest living city in the world. Today, Varanasi is a busy and congested city, afflicted with many problems. The resulting contradictions can be seen in its blend of spirituality and darkness, sanctity and filth, purity and deceipt, culture and grossness. Even then, the inexplicable charm holds sway.
Luminous Kashi to Vibrant Varanasi presents, as no other book has done before, all these aspects of this paradoxical and fascinating city, and gives an amazing quantity of information on the city, its history, culture and people; its temples and tirthas, mathas and institutions; its scholars, some of them the best in the country; its festivals and lilas; its literature, music, painting and culture; its silk trade and crafts; and its typical inhabitants: Sadhus, pandits, pandas, babus, rais, thugs and gundas. The book covers a breathtaking variety of topics, from the low to the high, the ordinary to the extraordinary, the blind faithful to the awakened, and the mundane to the divine. More than all, the book finds out, wit the help of mythology and metaphysics, the essence of Kashi -- its luminosity and its vibrancy! It finally says: walk not in the dark alleys, plunge not in the shallows, but move into the luminosity, and dive deep into the oceans of knowledge. The Kashi you find depends on how far you walk, how deep you dive." (jacket)
