Tour Guide, Varanasi, India
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Varanasi, the holiest Hindu city does not need any introduction, other countries know it as the oldest living city on earth, while the Indians as the abode of Lord Shiva. Shiva is a concept in itself which cannot even be defined, but we will try to talk about him or her in a separate article.
The international guests often ask that what it means by being the oldest living city, the answer to it is quite simple, that the city has been continuously inhabited for ages.
There is a famous saying that the history of Varanasi is as old as the history. The line seems true to a large extent. When we talk about history it is of two types- A- documented and B- excavated history. The documented history has taken the city to 1500 BCE and excavated one has taken it to 800 BCE. Thus it has been proved that the city is there since the time when Vedic or Aryan civilization in India started.
That was what history says about its antiquity, now let us talk about what mythology has to say about it. There is a common belief which is duly supported by the religious books of Hinduism that the eternal city of Varanasi is not situated on this planet earth, and that is why the geological changes cannot affect the city. The Hindus strongly believe that the city of Varanasi is situated on trident of Lord Shiva, Trident is the weapon which is always there with Shiva, and this is the reason why the geological disasters which the whole earth cannot end the civilization of the city, its immune from the disasters and epidemics, and this is the reason why the city has been continuously inhabited since time immemorial and has never been as a dead city. These are a few reasons why the city is called the eternal city.
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