 Nobody knows when it began, perhaps at the beginning of time. From the depths of the icy fields of the Himalayas, descended the first streams to emerge as a mighty flowing force called the Ganga, nourishing lives, sustaining civilizations and pulsating with a vibrant culture. The Ganga is at its majestic best in the oldest living city of the world, Varanasi, a cradle of civilization for over 3,000 years. Varanasi today unfolds an exotic mix of faith, ritual and mysticism. It is here that Shiv and Parvati created the universe at the beginning of time and it is here that the corpse of the universe will burn at the end. According to Hindu mythology, human civilization has died many a times. Only the Ganga and Varanasi have survived and along with Varanasi has survived the oldest traditions of learning and knowledge known to man. In the hearts and minds of these 160 budding scholars of Varanasi is being affected a renaissance of ancient Indian culture. What is being instilled in them is confidence in a way of life, a system of values and a concept of human existence that can redeem mankind, redeem through its promise of peaceful coexistence under divine guidance. It is under the guidance of the divine that the founding values and figures of ancient Indian culture are invoked, revived and conserved here. The most common thing in the society is culture. The identity of India in the whole world is that the culture of India is coming from ancient times and it makes the life of a person a source of development and development. And the life of a person, the existence of a person is being fulfilled. Today, in the whole world, it is necessary that a person should not hate the other person and treat him as his own and behave the way he wants with others. So, if this kind of culture gets increased and our ancient culture is safe then it is definitely beneficial to the nation and the whole world. Recreating that globally relevant culture is a long journey that is clearly a foot in Varanasi. We are preparing these people who will stand in all directions like the first pillar to build a big building. So, the people who are preparing these things here will become pillars to build the highest level of Indian culture. A revival of this magnitude has to begin at the beginning and with the basics. Building such pillars involves following a rigorous and time-honored tradition of learning with the Sanskrit language at the centre. In order to save our ancient culture from the Sanskrit language we have come here to save our ancestors and ancestors. The society will not take care of our culture so the culture will gradually grow. At this Vedic institute called the Vidya Peet, the curriculum aims to revive text and practices perfected through thousands of years of inquiry and scholarship. It is not only safe to keep it in a book, it is also safe to spread it in the whole world. When we do this, our culture will be saved. The faith and zest of these students aptly symbolizes the spirit that has initiated and sustained the renaissance of ancient Indian learning at Varanasi. Apart from Hinduism, other major religions have also prospered around the Ganga in Varanasi. Chief among whom is Buddhism. The busy banks of this mighty river, flourishing as a stronghold of Hinduism, must have attracted the Buddha irresistibly. After getting enlightenment, Lord Buddha decided to make his sermon for the benefit of people who are suffering in this world. So, Buddha was thinking about the people who can understand his doctrine at the first moment. After he got his enlightenment in Bodh Gaya, he came to Banaras because Banaras had this repetition of very wise people and this type of centre. He might have thought that if this centre accepts my philosophy, maybe it is easier for other people to accept it. The Buddha's anticipation must have proved right. For his ideas found the warm acceptance at Sarnath. After coming here, Buddha made five disciples and made a discussion first of all. They were satisfied and then Buddha made his first sermon in the Sarnath Deepak. In the spiritually charged atmosphere of Varanasi, Buddha must have found a fertile ground to propagate a simple and self-oriented religion that would help every common man counter the sufferings of life. The famous Dharm Chakra, Sutra Deshana, summarises the entire process succinctly. He came to Kashi and he made his first sermon Varanasi Rishipatanamigadaya at the D.A. Park. They may become the second line of this sutra. As a simple person, we can control our feelings and we can go ahead doing meditation and understanding the Dharma and then we create the wisdom in our mind. After Buddha's departure and eventual death, Varanasi continued to foster Buddhism. It is today remembered as not only the birthplace of Buddhism but as a site where a myriad facets of this fascinating religion lie preserved. Distinctly removed from but organically linked to the Ganga, sites like Sarnath suggested different religious and cultural geography in which the Ganga at Banaras emerges as a landmark of a different kind. Another such site can be found at Akta. About 14 kilometres away from the main city, these sites suggest a different religious and cultural geography of ancient Varanasi in which the present day gods lose much of their central significance. Primary evidence culled from dating of fossils and excavated remains indicate that the Akta civilization dates back to at least 1000 BC. Akta was inhabited somewhere around 12th and 13th century BC and from that period it continued to be under occupation up to 3rd century AD. Akta has a very interesting geographical location. This is connected with River Ganga with the small Nala, tributary Nala known as Akta Nala which is actually tributary of Varuna. So from this Nala to Varuna and then to Ganga. Around 800 BC it appears that small groups had gone, they had shifted towards main course of Ganga and that was the time when we see that the states were being formed and lots of interaction was coming up in the form of trades and Ganga might have served as one of the major trade routes. It is certain that this waterway once witnessed intense traffic of men, material and resources to and from Varanasi. Apart from being a mode of human conveyance, it was also used to carry a host of commodities essential for the functioning of the local economy including wood for cremating dead bodies on the Ghats of Varanasi. Thus the river has served as a source of livelihood for hundreds and thousands of people who have inhabited its banks for several millennia. If we had been living in Ganga, we would have died without food. If we had got food from Ganga, we would have drank a lot of water and if we had got fish from Ganga, we would have got a lot of water. In Ganga, we were sitting in the middle of the river and we were sitting in the middle of the river. At least we had a father and a brother. We had a wife and a son. This is what we do. It is very difficult. It is very difficult to earn a lot of money. Loading of about 9000 kilograms of firewood, Bahadur and his team negotiate numerous traits in this 15 kilometer downstream voyage that takes them a full day. Loading to unloading. The team will spend over 5 days transporting the logs that are a key component in the business of death at Varanasi. This business of death and moksha, apart from religion and learning, were largely responsible for establishing the fame of Varanasi. Sooner than later, this fame traveled far and wide in the ancient world and attracted fascinated travelers. Hyunsang, the famous Chinese Buddhist pilgrim, records his fascination with the city. This fascination with Varanasi continues to attract travelers from the east as well as the west even today. Thousands of foreigners come in search of knowledge and to be initiated in the myriad forms of art and culture flourishing here. In Grastin's musical performance, this computer professional from Greece is a recent example of the fascination that Varanasi continues to exert on the world. Indian music is very rich in the rhythmical part. A lot of talas and variations. In Grastin's musical performance, this computer professional from Greece is a recent example of the fascination that Varanasi continues to exert on the world. No doubt in the rhythmical part, a lot of talas and variations, I felt it touched me that music more than the western. I believe it has a lot of the therapeutic powers. Nektorius learns classical instrumental music from a guru in Varanasi whom he had heard perform in Greece. Oh, he is very good. He has put a lot of energy and time He has been coming regularly for last 10 years. He did a lot of practice and followed my direction. He has learned quite a bit. I can say that he understands very well the Indian classical music. He's getting better and better, I expect, to become a good performer and carry on this tradition of Indian classical music in Greece. In India, it's very free, very free culture. You will see everybody on the street. So you will see very different people from different religions, different beliefs. You will see the sadhus. I also never felt as a foreigner here. It was very familiar to me, India and everything. I don't know, I feel like all India is like my family. I cannot explain it. I feel very much familiar with Indian people. I can take Indian food easily, no problem. Yoga is another facet of Varanasi that has captivated Niktorius, who continues to relish Eastern mysticism on the streets and ghats of Varanasi. Varanasi also fascinates him for its rich treasure of astrological knowledge. I can say that astrology is a kind of karma yoga for me. Latin Niktorius, a sea of humanity from across the globe, finds this fount of mysticism and culture irresistible. For it helps them to achieve a new understanding of life and perhaps themselves. We spotted another soul bewitched by the mystic chaos of mundane ghats shooting with a lens. I'm Krista from Switzerland. It's my first visit in Varanasi. It's a good city to learn to know a little bit about India, about Hinduism. I think in Europe I don't know any city which is like Varanasi. I spend most of my time on the ghats to observe people, to observe scenery and everything. There are so many scenes I could sketch. I really like to see the local life, to draw local people, local daily living. In Varanasi I can do so many scenes. I could sit on a ghats the whole day and sketch anything. Fascinated by the sheer depth, simplicity and authenticity of life around, Krista couldn't help being mesmerized. Being a centre of religion, culture and knowledge has imbued Varanasi with a rich tradition of art and craft. Varanasi from the very early time was a centre of weaving. When the Muslims took over this profession, they introduced beautiful motifs, designs, colour and all the things which they had in their images from Iran and Afghanistan. The brilliant Banarsi salksari, conceived, designed and produced by local workers, is only one manifestation of this tradition. Varanasi today speaks of a sizeable Muslim influence that has syncretized with the dominant Hindu traditions. Over the years, as the Islamic influence grew in proportion, Islamic structures and institutions registered themselves on the Varanasi landscape. A culture which is known today as Ganga Jumni culture or syncretic culture, or a multicultural face of Banaras where Muslims and Hindus meet and mingle together. So Banaras is, in fact, a syncretic city, a multicultural city, a multi-ethnic city, is a city of integration, a city of melting pots where Hindu and Muslim influence, midget and mingle together. A variety of religious and cultural strands may have mixed in this melting pot but pockets in the city still retain a distinct Hindu identity. An unmistakable stamp of this identity can be felt here on the Manikarnika Ghat. At this great cremation ground, death generates brisk trading. About 150 dead bodies are cremated here every day. Among the five Mahabutas, the three main Mahabutas are water, fire and earth. These three are shown here in Manikarnika. So we believe that this body is made of the five Mahabutas and when it is made of the five Mahabutas, it becomes a building in the five Mahabutas. So because of the Mahasmasaan, the five Mahabutas are building there and then they become a building somewhere else. Hindus believe that those who die or are cremated here attain instant moksha or liberation from the cycle of death and rebirth. As the mortal remains are consigned to flames with prayers, the soul rests in eternal peace. The burning embers provide a powerful symbol of the integral relation between life and death. Blessed with life, flourishing in death. This cradle by the stream continues to nurture some of the most enduring traditions and values of human civilization. Today, as the cradle and the stream stand threatened, it is the same traditions and values that promise to nurture them. It began in eternity. It will continue into eternity. As the stream continues to flow, the cradle continues to rock.