THE ORIGIN

The The Benares Club Limited Stands in the heart of the city of Varanasi, India to provide special privileges to special people. Founded on 17th October 1962, by late Shri G.L. Shah, ICS and ably guided by Shri Arvind Narottam Lalbhai, for over 50 years, the club today has the distinction of being the best recreation centre of the city.

From a strength of mere 52 members at start, the club now has more than 1500 members. The club is within easy reach of the Airport and Railway Station. Varanasi is a major commercial city on the banks of ganga river, 3600 Kms of Bombay and 900 south west of Delhi with the tropic of cancer running very close to it in the South. Today, it is one of the most prosperous cities with a population of 5 million people. This biggest city of Uttar Pradesh exudes history and culture. It is an amalgam of the modern and the traditional culture with one foot in the future and the other in the past. The city is well connected by rail, road and air services.

Varanasi has been a cultural centre of North India for several thousand years, and is closely associated with the Ganges. Hindus believe that death in the city will bring salvation, making it a major centre for pilgrimage. The city is known worldwide for its many ghats, embankments made in steps of stone slabs along the river bank where http://www.gulfportpharmacy.com pilgrims perform ritual ablutions. Of particular note are the Dashashwamedh Ghat, the Panchganga Ghat, the Manikarnika Ghat and the Harishchandra Ghat, the last two being where Hindus cremate their dead.

The Ramnagar Fort, near the eastern bank of the Ganges, was built in the 18th century in the Mughal style of architecture with carved balconies, open courtyards, and scenic pavilions. Among the estimated 23,000 temples in Varanasi are Kashi Vishwanath Temple of Shiva, the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple, and the Durga Temple. The Kashi Naresh (Maharaja of Kashi) is the chief cultural patron of Varanasi, and an essential part of all religious celebrations.

An educational and musical centre, many prominent Indian philosophers, poets, writers, and musicians live or have lived in the city, and it was the place where the Benares Gharana form of Hindustani classical music was developed. One of Asia’s largest residential universities is Banaras Hindu University (BHU). The Hindi-language nationalist newspaper, Aj, was first published in 1920.