Kashi might be the abode of the gods, but it also been ruled by various kings, who left their imprint on the city. The Raja Ghat on the river, for example, was built by one of them, and history tells us that one of the kings actually jumped from one of its high turrets while trying to escape the British troops during the mutiny, and actually succeeded!
Our first view of the Ramnagar Fort from the boat
The last remnant memory of the kings of Benares is the Ramnagar Fort and Palace on the opposite banks of the Ganga, in a section of which the present scion of the royal family still resides. The palace is about 15Kms away by road, and an auto takes about half an hour to reach there. We however chose the longer, but more interesting and relaxing option- that of taking a row boat to the palace across the river. The journey took us a good one and a half hours, but the sheer bliss we experienced made every minute worth it!
The palace has now been converted into a museum, which closes around 4:30PM. If you want to have a leisurely stroll among the various antiquities displayed, make sure you keep at least 2 hours for the palace alone.
The entrance to the fort- the Lal Darwaza
The first section of the museum has various vintage cars belonging to the royal family. After this, we are led back in time thanks to the impressive collection of howdahs and palanquins made of silver and ivory. It is indeed wonderful to see such magnificence, and one wonders what things would have been like when the kings were at the height of their glory. The next section comprises entirely of weapons, something my son enjoyed thoroughly. He is just 5 years old, and doesn’t really relate to vintage cars and palanquins, but weapons – swords, shields and guns- these are things he certainly finds fascinating! We had the same experience at Akkalkot, and I still wonder why men have always been fascinated by weapons and killing. It is rare to find a fort or palace museum without a display of weapons. One can understand that kings in those days spent most of their time fighting, but to think that they took more care to store and preserve weapons more than other things like written records, for instance, is something that I am unable to digest.
Entrance to the Palace
Anyway, coming back to the museum, the portions I found most interesting were those which displayed beautiful works of art, and gifts from kings of other states. These were truly worth seeing, considering that with the great advances in science and technology, it is impossible to come across such wonderful handwork. Carvings on ivories, brass and bronze, tapestries from various regions of ancient India… The list goes on and on
The Palace
The section containing the ancient clothes of the kings, priceless collections from their wardrobe, don’t look so priceless any more. Most of them are moth eaten, and deserve much more care than they are given at present. The section containing portraits of the rulers is good though, and a must-see for al history buffs.
The Palace Door
The pride of the museum is an ancient clock which displays not only the year, month, week, and day, but also astronomical facts about the sun, moon and constellations of stars! The fact that this clock is working till date is impressive in itself, and makes a visit to the museum worthwhile.
Another Section of the Palace
The name ‘Ramnagar’ is believed to have been given by the kings of Benares, when they decided to build their fort at this place. In ancient times, it was known as Vyasa Kashi, because the great Sage Vyasa (of Mahabharata fame) is believed to have lived here. According to the legend, Vyasa once incurred the wrath of Lord Shiva, who exiled him from Kashi. Vyasa chose to reside on the opposite bank of the Ganga, from where he could at least see the holy city. Thus this place came to known after him as Vyasa Kashi.
The Palace- The circled portion shows the entrance to the passage leading to the Vyasa Temple
The Palace and the Temple(on the right)
A tunnel-like passage from the quadrangle of the fort leads us under the fort to the river, on the banks of which is a temple known as the Vyasa temple. This temple has 3 lingams representing Vyasa, his son, Suka and Kashi Vishwanath. There is nothing much one can say about the temple, except that its location is absolutely wonderful. On one side is the Ganga, flowing in full force and on the other side are the high walls of the palace. The view is breathtaking, and as for the breeze, I have no words to describe it! We felt like spending the rest of the evening there, but were shooed away by the watchman who wanted to lock up the place. Try to reach there early in the evening, so that you can spend at least an hour sitting on the walls of the fort, enjoying the lovely view and breathing in the fresh air. I can assure you that it will be a wonderful experience.
The Facade of the Palace
Enjoying the breeze on the balcony facing the river.
Enjoy with family
