Tale of Two Cities

MAY 2021

Two cities have defined ancient and modern civilisation. These two cities are also defining the current political narrative of their countries. The consequences of these cities have been intense for the last 2000 years.

We observe the two cities from their past construct and how they are similar yet so different.

Broadly, the two cities are the citadel of the world's greatest religions. Jerusalem is home to Judaism, Islam and Christianity. Benares is home to Hinduism, Buddhism, Islam, Christianity and Sufism.

• जेरूसलम और बनारस - दो शहरों की समरूप विलोम कहानी  

While we see Jerusalem as a source of conflict for the last 20 centuries, Banaras has been a confluence of peace for the same number of years.

Why is this behaviour observed?

There are no clear answers. Maybe it is about the construct of the city’s psyche. Yet one of them respects all and the other contests. Who knows, these same religions of peace are competing for physical space in Jerusalem while they are not in Banaras.

The spiritual landscape of the two cities is diverse, yet one is accommodating while the other is perpetually in conflict.

What other factors might be responsible?

The very reason why Banaras continues to thrive spiritually is its inherent nature of absorbing all faiths and religions. 

As a result, it has been a centre of education, music, fine arts, intellectual well-being, and representation for the world's significant religions.

 Moreover, the language of communication is a fertile mix of Hindi and Urdu, used seamlessly without distinction.

Banaras as a city is not divided into religious lines. Everything that touches one daily life belongs to one and all, like food, agriculture, clothes, trade, music, dance, places and language. 

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However, it is the artisans and craftsmen that compose the community. The supply chain of crafts and skills binds them into a harmony of religion and culture.

Those who live in Banaras derive their character from the city's traditions. As a result, they find pride to be called “Banarsi”, an identity over and above everything else.

Another observation is about the continuity and mixing of music and performing arts. It has been a catalyst to religious tolerance and cohesion in society.

“ 

... they find pride to be called “Banarsi”, an identity over and above everything else.

Fine arts and performing arts communicates without a language. It transcends the barrier of division and conflict. 

Over centuries, the performing arts, painting, intellectual discourse, religious traditions, food, craftsmanship, and intertwining in routine have kept Banaras peaceful and enriching. 

The city has always appealed to the aesthetics, the “philosophy of art”, bringing openness and reciprocity even in diversity. Aesthetic connections, scientifically, have proven to facilitate engagement and resolve conflicts. In the case of Banaras, it was the very foundation of the city, ever since.

Unfortunately, these elements of binding do not exist in Jerusalem. There is nothing common amongst the people contesting for their religious sites.

If the world wants to end the fight for Jerusalem, the solution lies in promoting arts, common education institutions, and a single market for artisans and cuisines. Building walls will only bring a false sense of protection and peace.

GEOGRAPHY

JERUSALEM   

Jerusalem is a Western Asian city located on a plateau in the Judaean Mountains between the Mediterranean and the Dead Sea.                       

VARANASI / BANARAS

Traditional etymology connects the name "Varanasi" to the names of two Ganges tributaries that create the city's borders: Varuna, which is still running in northern Varanasi, and Assi, which is now a minor stream in the city's southern half, near Assi Ghat.

The ancient city is located on the Ganges' northern edge, surrounded by Varuna and Assi.

• जेरूसलम और बनारस - दो शहरों की समरूप विलोम कहानी

ORIGIN

JERUSALEM   

It is one of the world's oldest cities and is sacred to the three major Abrahamic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

Jerusalem was destroyed at least twice in its lengthy history, besieged 23 times, 44 times taken and regained and 52 times invaded.

The site of this earliest village is known as the Ophel ridge by some. The town became the religious and administrative center of the Kingdom of Judah in the eighth century.

Jerusalem was partitioned after the Arab-Israeli War of 1948. The western half of the New City was taken over by the newly founded state of Israel, while the eastern half, along with the Old City, was taken over by Jordan.

West Jerusalem was among the areas captured and annexed by Israel in six day war of 1967.

On January 23, 1950, the Knesset passed a resolution declaring Jerusalem to be Israel's capital.

The Jerusalem Law of 1980, one of Israel's Basic Laws, refers to Jerusalem as the country's undivided capital.

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VARANASI / BANARAS

In the Rigveda, an ancient Indian sacred collection of Vedic Sanskrit hymns, the city is referred to as Kāśī (काशी: Kashi) from the Sanskrit verbal root kaś- "to shine", making Varanasi known as "City of Light", the "luminous city as an eminent seat of learning".

The name was also used by pilgrims dating from Buddha's days.

During archaeological excavations at Varanasi, many Jain images were excavated which dated to the 9th–11th centuries BC, while a few images date to the 5th century BC.

FINAL RESTING PLACE

JERUSALEM   

Like all religions, Jews have Jerusalem as their most sacred place to live and be buried. It has a cemetery since thousands of years and one of them is Mount of Olives. There are thousands of Jews buried there.

Like the Mount of Olives, there are other hills too. They are special because it is mentioned as sacred both in the Old Testament and the New Testament.

It has been connected to holy figures like Yahweh, Solomon, David, Absalom, Zechariah.

The garden of Gethsemane, located at the foot of Mount of Olives, is important because this is the place where Jesus was arrested the night before crucifixion and then ascended after his resurrection.

All Jews believe, as in the biblical verse Zechariah 14:4, they who lay buried at the Mount of Olives, will be resurrected first by Messiah.

VARANASI / BANARAS

For Hindus, Varanasi, is sacred. According to their belief, if a Hindu is cremated there, their soul attains liberation (moksha) and breaks the cycle of rebirth and death.

This is also defined as eternal peace.

• जेरूसलम और बनारस - दो शहरों की समरूप विलोम कहानी

MULTI RELIGION CITY

JERUSALEM

JUDIASM

             According to the Bible, King David captured the city from the Jebusites and established it as the capital of the unified kingdom of Israel, and his son, King Solomon, commissioned the construction of the First Temple.

CHRISTIANITY

             The sanctity of Jerusalem in Christianity was strengthened by the New Testament depiction of Jesus' crucifixion there, which had been preserved in the Septuagint, which Christians took as their own authority.

             The Church of the Holy Sepulchre was systematically divided into sections for the Greek Orthodox, Catholic, Armenian, Coptic, and Ethiopian churches.

ISLAM

             After Mecca and Medina, Jerusalem is the third holiest city in Sunni Islam.

             According to Islamic tradition, Jerusalem became the first qibla, or focal point for Muslim prayer(salat), in 610 CE

             According to the Quran, Muhammad performed his Night Journey there 10 years later, ascending to heaven.

             Although the Quran does not mention the term "Jerusalem," hadith indicate that Muhammad ascended to heaven from Jerusalem in the Night Journey, or Isra and Miraj.

             The Ottoman Empire conquered Jerusalem, as well as the rest of Greater Syria, in 1516.

VARANASI / BANARAS

             HINDUISM

             The Kashi Vishwanath Temple, on the Ganges, is one of the 12 Jyotirlinga Shiva temples in Varanasi. Throughout its history, the temple has been demolished and rebuilt multiple times.

             The temple's original location is the Gyanvapi Mosque, which is adjacent to it. Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore erected the shrine, popularly known as the Golden Temple, in 1780.

             The Kashi Vishwanath Temple of Shiva, the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple, and the Durga Temple are among the estimated 23,000 temples in Varanasi.

BUDDHISM

             Many religions, including Buddhism, have their origins here. Around 528 BCE, Buddha founded Buddhism here.

             Buddha gave his first sermon, "The Setting in Motion of the Wheel of Dharma", at nearby Sarnath, 10 km from Banares. The Buddha mentions it as one of the four pilgrimage sites that his dedicated disciples should visit.

             It was also the location of the Buddha's Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta, his first teaching following enlightenment, in which he taught the four noble truths and the teachings related with them.

             The Chaukhandi Stupa, which commemorates the location where Buddha met his first pupils in the 5th century BC, is also still standing.

SIKHISM

             Guru Nanak visited Varanasi on two separate times. He first came to Banaras in 1502 as a young man on a pilgrimage, and then again in 1506, for religious enagament with the sages of Banaras. On the Maha Shivaratri festival day, he taught his Sikhism ideology.

             In 1666, the 9th Guru Tegh Bahadur (1664–1675) arrived in Varanasi, and his residence was Asu Bhairava Sangar (Nichibagh), which was also the residence of Guru Gobind Singh, the 10th and last Guru.

JAINISM

             The Jain Ghat or Bachraj Ghat is a Jain Ghat and has three Jain Temples located on the banks of the river Ganges and one them is a very ancient temple of Tirthankara Suparswanath.

             The Jain Ghat is believed to birthplace of Suparshvanatha (7th Tirthankara) and Parshvanatha (23rd tirthankara).

             After Parsvanatha, Mahavira came here in the 6th century BC.

             Parshvanath Jain temple is the temple of Jain religion dedicated to Parshvanath, the 23rd Thirthankara who was born at Bhelpur in Varanasi. It belongs to the Digambar sect of Jainism and is a holy tirtha or pilgrimage centre for Jains.

ISLAM

             Muslim settlement and influence began in Varanasi following the invasion by Mohammad Ghaznavi (1021–1030 AD).

             The Muslim sacred places in the city are of seven categories which comprise 15 mosques (masjid), 299 religious cultural sites called mazars, 197 crossings where the taziya procession crosses (known as imamchauks), 88 burial places called talaya, 11 special locations for prayer known as idgah, three sites for burying the taziyas, and 375 other religious sites.

             Varanasi is home to 15 historically noteworthy mosques. The Abdul Razzaq, Alamgir, Bibi Razia, Chaukhambha, Dhai Nim Kangore, Fatman, Ganje Shahada, Gyanavapi, and Hazrat Sayyed Salar Masud Dargah are particularly significant.

CHRISTIANITY

             In the 18th century under Warren Hastings's British administration, the city was under the East India Company.

             The East India company purposely promoted learning of Sanskrit and Hindu theology by instituting the Sanskrit School in 1791 to create a conducive climate to establish Christianity in the city, propagating Christian dogmas.

             In 1830, the first English Seminary, known as the Anglo-Indian Seminary, was established, and Christian missionaries began preaching.

             It was only the lower class of the Hindu society, who embraced Christianity.

             However, once British rule ended, Christianity did not spread further in Varanasi. There are 22 churches in the city.

• जेरूसलम और बनारस - दो शहरों की समरूप विलोम कहानी

AGE OF THE CITY

JERUSALEM   

The City of David, a section of Jerusalem, earliest exhibits trace of habitation in the 4th millennium BCE, in the form of nomadic shepherd encampments.

Permanent homes did not arise on the South-Eastern Hill until many decades later, when a small settlement emerged approximately 3000–2800 BCE, during the Early Bronze Age I or II.                         

VARANASI / BANARAS

Varanasi is perhaps the world's oldest city. Its holy history began around 800 BCE, as evidenced by excavations.

Excavations in 2014 uncovered artefacts going back to 800 BCE. Further excavations at Aktha and Ramnagar, two nearby sites, found artefacts going back to 1800 BCE, corroborating the theory that the area was populated at the time.

Author Mark Twain wrote in 1897 about Varanasi, "Benares is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together."

STRUGGLES & WARS TO TAKEOVER CITY

JERUSALEM   

             Siege of Jebus (1010 BCE), a siege by David, king of the United Kingdom of Israel, from biblical narrative

             Sack of Jerusalem (925 BCE), by Pharaoh Shishaq, from biblical narrative

             Assyrian siege of Jerusalem (701 BCE) by Sennacherib, king of the Neo-Assyrian Empire

             Siege of Jerusalem (597 BCE) by Nebuchadnezzar II of the Neo-Babylonian Empire

             Siege of Jerusalem (587 BCE) and destruction of the city and the First Temple by Nebuchadnezzar II

             Siege of Jerusalem (162 BCE) by Seleucid general Lysias

             Siege of Jerusalem (134 BCE) by Seleucid king Antiochus VII Sidetes

             Siege of Jerusalem (67 BCE) by Aristobulus II of Judea against his brother, beginning the Hasmonean Civil War

             Siege of Jerusalem (64 BCE) by Hyrcanus II and allied Nabateans against his brother Aristobulus II

             Siege of Jerusalem (63 BCE) by Pompey the Great, intervening in the Hasmonean civil war

             Siege of Jerusalem (37 BCE) by Herod the Great, ending Hasmonean rule over Judea

             Siege of Jerusalem (70 CE) by Titus, ending the major phase of the First Jewish–Roman War

             Sasanian conquest of Jerusalem (614) by Shahrbaraz, part of the Roman-Persian Wars

             Siege of Jerusalem (636–637) by Khalid ibn al-Walid; first Muslim conquest of the city

             Capture of Jerusalem by Atsiz ibn Uwaq (1073 and 1077), Turcoman mercenary commander

             Siege of Jerusalem (1099) by the Crusaders in the First Crusade

             Siege of Jerusalem (1187) by Saladin, resulting in the capture of the city by the Ayyubid Muslims

             Siege of Jerusalem (1244) by the Khwarezmians, resulting in the recapture of the city from the Christians

             Siege of Jerusalem (1834) by Arab villagers during the 1834 Arab revolt in Palestine

             Battle of Jerusalem (1917), the city is captured by British and Commonwealth forces during the Sinai and Palestine campaign of World War I

             Battle for Jerusalem during the 1948 Arab–Israeli War

             Capture of East Jerusalem by Israel (1967), during the Six-Day War

VARANASI / BANARAS  

There have been no wars for city of BANARAS. Rulers, Kings, Administrations have come and gone.

             The city always continued to be seat of intellectual learning and religious practices.

             Except for Aurangzeb, who destroyed many Hindu temples, all the rulers, have contributed to multi-religion composition of the city.

             After demolishing a Hindu temple, Mughal ruler Aurangzeb erected the Gyanvapi Mosque in 1664 CE.  The mosque's name, Gyan Vapi (Sanskrit: "the well of knowledge"), is taken from a well of the same name found inside the mosque's grounds.

             In 1669, Aurangzeb erected a mosque over the remains of a temple, naming it Alamagir Mosque after his own honorific title "Alamgir," which he had taken after becoming Mughal emperor.

             The destroyed Hindu temple was devoted to Vishnu and was built by Maratha leader Beni Madhur Rao Scindia.

MULTICULTURAL CO-EXISTANCE

JERUSALEM   

Today, those walls define the Old City, which has historically been split into four quarters—known as the Armenian, Christian, Jewish, and Muslim Quarters since the early nineteenth century.

Under Suleiman the Magnificent, Jerusalem had an era of restoration and tranquilly, including the building of the walls that still define what is now known as the Old City of Jerusalem.

Suleiman's and successive Ottoman Sultans' reign ushered an era of "religious harmony"; Jews, Christians, and Muslims all had religious freedom, and it was normal to locate a synagogue, a church, and a mosque on the same street.

The Old City of Jerusalem is home to several religiously significant landmarks, including the Temple Mount with its Western Wall, the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa Mosque, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre. The Garden Tomb is located just outside the Old City.

The population was categorized into four primary communities: Jewish, Christian, Muslim, and Armenian, with the first three further subdivided into numerous subgroups depending on religious affiliation or country of origin.

The Muslim community encircled the Haram ash-Sharif or Temple Mount (northeast), the Christians largely resided near the Church of the Holy Sepulchre (northwest), the Jews predominantly settled on the hill above the Western Wall (southeast), and the Armenians largely dwelt around the Zion Gate (southwest).

By 1948, Jerusalem was home to one out of every six Jews in Palestine.

Today, Arab inhabitants of Jerusalem who do not wish to be Israeli citizens are issued an Israeli identification card, which permits them to pass through checkpoints with relative ease and travel throughout Israel, making it simpler to find job.

Arab residents in Israel are eligible for subsidised healthcare and social security benefits, as well as the opportunity to vote in municipal elections.     

VARANASI / BANARAS

BANARAS, India ’s greatest religious centre, is the holiest of the seven sacred cities (Sapta Puri) in Hinduism and Jainism. It was crucial in the growth of Buddhism and Ravidassia.

Shri Guru Ravidass Janam Asthan in Sir Gobardhan is the ultimate pilgrimage or religious centre for Ravidassia devotees.

The city has long been an intellectual and musical centre, with many notable Indian philosophers, poets, writers, and musicians residing or having formerly resided there.

Varanasi was the birthplace of several key Bhakti movement luminaries, including Kabir, who was born here in 1389.

Ravidas, a 15th-century socio-religious reformer, mystic, poet, wanderer, and spiritual figure was born here and resided in the city.

The city's religious prominence grew further in the 8th century, when Adi Shankara made Shiva worship an official sect of Varanasi.

Tulsidas wrote his epic poem called Ram Charit Manas in Varanasi.

Varanasi was the birthplace of the Benares gharana style of Hindustani classical music.

Kulluka Bhatt wrote the best-known account of Manusmriti in Varanasi in the 15th century.

The music legacy of Varanasi may be traced back to the Pauranic (ancient legend) era. Shiva is credited with developing music and dancing styles, according to ancient folklore.

During the mediaeval era, the Bhakti movement Vaishnavism gained in prominence, and Varanasi became a booming centre for musicians such as Surdas, Kabir, Ravidas, Meera, and Tulsidas.

During Govind Chandra's monarchic reign in the 16th century, the Dhrupad style of singing acquired royal favour, giving rise to various related genres of music such as Dhamar, Hori, and Chaturang.

At the moment, Varanasi-based Dhrupad master Pandit Ritwik Sanyal is striving to resurrect this art form.

Varanasi is also linked with several notable instrumentalists, like Bismillah Khan and Ravi Shankar, the legendary sitar musician and musicologist who received the country India’s highest civilian honour, the Bharat Ratna.

• जेरूसलम और बनारस - दो शहरों की समरूप विलोम कहानी

CROSS CULTURE DEVELOPMENT AND RELIGIOUS TOLERANCE

JERUSALEM   

Brother Elia of Assisi was the first provincial or superior of the Franciscan religious order created by Francis of Assisi.

In the year 1219, the founder personally visited the region to preach the Gospel to the Muslims, who were seen as brothers rather than foes.

In 1482, the visiting Dominican priest Felix Fabri described Jerusalem as "a dwelling place of diverse nations of the world, and is, as it were, a collection of all manner of abominations".

As "abominations" he listed Saracens, Greeks, Syrians, Jacobites, Abyssinians, Nestorians, Armenians, Gregorians, Maronites, Turcomans, Bedouins, Assassins, a possible Druze sect and Mamluks.

Whenever tensions between the Christian groups grew the keys to the shrine and its doors were safeguarded by a pair of 'neutral' Muslim families.

Around 150 Jewish families came in Jerusalem from Yemen in 1882. Initially, they were spurned by the Jews of Jerusalem and were embraced by the Christians of the Swedish-American colony, who referred to them as Gadites.

These days, under Israeli administration, people of all religions have practically unrestricted access to their sacred places. The main exceptions are security constraints.                  

VARANASI / BANARAS

Varanasi was part of the Kingdom of Kashi during the period of Gautama Buddha.

Under the Mughal emperor Akbar, who invested in the city and supported the construction of two major temples devoted to Shiva and Vishnu in the 16th century, Varanasi saw a Hindu cultural rebirth.

During this time, the Raja of Pune built the Annapurna Mandir and the 200-metre (660-foot) Akbari Bridge.

In 1507, Guru Nanak visited Varanasi for Maha Shivaratri, a voyage that had a significant influence in the establishment of Sikhism.

The two gold-plated pinnacles of Kashi Vishwanath temple were gifted in 1839 by Ranjit Singh, the king of Punjab.

Guru Gobind Singh sent five of his disciples to a school in Varanasi to learn Sanskrit, which is still in operation and is known as Guru Nanak Sanskrit Vidyalaya in Bisheshvarganj.

Throughout Muslim control in the Middle Ages, the city remained an important centre of Hindu devotion, pilgrimage, mysticism, and poetry, contributing to its reputation as a cultural and religious education centre.

In the 18th century, Muhammad Shah commissioned the building of an observatory on the Ganges, linked to Man Mandir Ghat, with the goal of discovering flaws in the calendar and revising existing astronomical tables.

The Mughals granted formal recognition to the Kingdom of Benares in 1737, and it remained a dynasty-governed province until Indian independence in 1947.

After demolishing a Hindu temple, Mughal ruler Aurangzeb erected the Gyanvapi Mosque in 1664 CE.  The mosque's name, Gyan Vapi (Sanskrit: "the well of knowledge"), is taken from a well of the same name found inside the mosque's grounds.

Aurangzeb erected the Alamgiri Mosque upon the ruins of a Hindu temple in the 17th century. The destroyed Hindu temple was devoted to Vishnu and was erected by Maratha leader Beni Madhur Rao Scindia. 

When Emperor Aurangzeb conquered Banaras, he ordered the complete demolition of all Hindu temples in the city. In 1669, Aurangzeb erected a mosque over the remains of this temple, naming it Alamagir Mosque after his own honorific title "Alamgir," which he had taken after becoming Mughal emperor.

Under Muslim rule, the Nawab of Awadh, the Nirgun singers of Kashi popularised not just the Assarwari song "Ghunghat ke pat Khol," but also singing performances such as festivals on boats floating down the Ganges River.

Under the administration of British Governor-General Warren Hastings, Jonathan Duncan established a Sanskrit College in Varanasi in 1791.

By establishing the Sanskrit School in 1791, the East India Company purposefully fostered studies of Sanskrit and Hindu religion in order to create a conducive atmosphere for the establishment of Christianity in the city.

In 1916, Annie Besant created the Central Hindu College, which subsequently provided the cornerstone for the establishment of Banaras Hindu University. 

Besant founded the college because she wanted "to bring men of all religions together under the ideal of brotherhood in order to promote Indian cultural values and to remove ill-will among different sections of the Indian population."

Varanasi is renowned as the "microcosm of India" in Indian holy geography. Varanasi also contains 12 churches, three Jain mandirs, nine Buddhist shrines, three Gurdwaras (Sikh shrines), and 1,388 Muslim holy places in addition to its 3,300 Hindu sacred sites.

The Maratha and Bhumihar Brahmin monarchs built much of what is now modern Varanasi in the 18th century.

MUSIC & PERFORMING ARTS

JERUSALEM

The Jerusalem Symphony Orchestra, was established in the 1940s

In 2009, Jerusalem was designated as the Arab Cultural Capital. It is home to the Palestinian National Theatre, which works to reinvigorate Palestinian interest in the arts via cultural preservation.                

VARANASI / BANARAS

The Kashi Naresh (Maharaja of Kashi) is Varanasi's major cultural patron and an integral feature of all religious ceremonies.

Popular celebrations were Jhoola, Jhoomar, Kajri, Birha, Dangal, and Gulab Bari, a tradition that is being practised today.

The Tappa style of singing was popularised during this period by Muslim performers Shori Miyan, Gammu Khan, and Shade Khan.

During the reign of Moghal Emperor Bahadur Shah II, notable musicians were Waris Ali, Akbar Ali, Nisar Khan, Sadiq Ali, and Ashiq Ali Khan. 

During this period, the Banarasi Thumri, Dadra, Chaiti, Hori, Bhairavi, Kajri, Tarana, Ghato, and other local music forms evolved.

Additionally, new forms like as Tirwat, Sadra, Khamsa, Lavni, Chaturang, Sargam, Ragmala, Kirtan, Qauwali, Kathagayan, Bhajan, and Ramayan kirtan were developed.

Pandit Ram Sahai founded the Benares gharana of tabla over two centuries ago, and renowned performers from this gharana include Kishan Maharaj, Samta Prasad, Kumar Bose, and Samar Saha. Gandharva, a class of musicians, educates their daughters in music and dance.

The sitar and shehnai are the most well-known musical instruments in Varanasi. Both of these instruments are influenced by Muslim monarchs entering from the west and Hindu kingdoms in south India.

• जेरूसलम और बनारस - दो शहरों की समरूप विलोम कहानी

TOURISM IN HISTORIC TIMES

JERUSALEM   

Christian pilgrims have travelled to the Holy Land for many reasons. In the fourth century, nobles travelled there in search of the ascetic life (thereby escaping "worldly" burdens).

 Others later went in expectation of the Last Judgment, prophesied to take place outside the city walls of Jerusalem. Still others went as payment for their sins.

Rodulf Glaber, writing in1044, tells the storey of pilgrims. "At the same time from all over the world an innumerable crowd began to flock to the Sepulchre of the Savior in Jerusalem — in greater numbers than anyone had before thought possible. 

Not only were there some of the common people and of the middle class, but there were also several very great kings, counts, and noblemen"           

VARANASI / BANARAS

The famous Chinese traveller Xuanzang, also known as Hiuen Tsiang, who visited the city in 635 CE, confirmed that BANARAS was a centre of religious and artistic activity and that it extended for around 5 kilometres (3.1 mi) along the Ganges' western bank. 

When Xuanzang visited Varanasi in the 7th century, he termed the city "Polonise" and stated that it contained 30 temples and 30 monks.

The very first visitors arrived in the city in the 16th century. The architectural splendour of the Vindu Madhava temple on the Ganges bank was praised by the French explorer Jean-Baptiste Tavernier in 1665.

Tourism in the city began to flourish in the 18th century.

NON-RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT through the Ages

JERUSALEM

Under Suleiman the Magnificent, the city walls encircling Jerusalem were reconstructed for the final time in 1538.

VARANASI / BANARAS

During this time, the road infrastructure was also developed. Emperor Sher Shah Suri expanded it from Kolkata to Peshawar, and it became known as the famed Grand Trunk Road during the British Raj.

The Ramnagar Fort, along the Ganges' eastern bank, was erected in the 18th century in the Mughal style, with carved balconies, open courtyards, and attractive pavilions.

The Jantar Mantar observatory, built in 1737, is positioned above the Ganges ghats, near the Manmandir and Dasaswamedh Ghats, and near the palace of Jai Singh II of Jaipur.

 While less equipped than the observatories in Jaipur and Delhi, the Jantar Mantar does have a working equatorial sundial that allows measurements to be observed and recorded by a single person.

One of World’s largest residential universities is Banaras Hindu University (BHU).

Varanasi evolved into a significant industrial centre, known for its muslin and silk textiles, fragrances, ivory works, and sculpture.

Varanasi is a prominent arts and design centre. Silks and brocades with gold and silver thread work, carpet weaving, wooden toys, glass bangles, ivory work, fragrances, artistic brass and copper ware, and a variety of handicrafts are all produced here.

Hand-knotted Mirzapur carpets, rugs, dhurries, brassware, copperware, wooden and clay toys, handicrafts, gold jewellery, and musical instruments are among the other significant items produced and marketed in Varanasi.

Betel leaves (for paan), langra mangoes, and khoa (solidified milk) are also important agricultural produce known from ages.

Additional Notes

             In 614, the soldiers of Chosroe II, monarch of the Sassanids, who had governed the Persian Empire from the third century, invaded Jerusalem, conquered the city, and took the holy cross relic.

             Caliph al-Hakim ibn Amar Allah demolished the Church of the Holy Sepulcher (the church erected on the reputed location of Jesus' death and resurrection) in 1008. 

Then his forces began pillaging churches and monasteries throughout the Holy Land, and many of Christians converted to Islam in order to avoid the "Mad Fatimid Caliph."