Birds-Eye-View of Banaras, 1900 Postcard
An old 1900 photo postcard of a Birds-Eye-View of Beneres or Banaras, now Varanasi. It is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world. “Banaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together”– quoted by Mark Twain.
A center of religious learning and civilization for 3000 years. Located on the banks of the sacred River Ganga. Banaras in the Ganga Valley has archaeological evidence of its earliest historic settlements. The River is named after the Hindu Goddess Ganga.
It extends from the foothills of the Himalayas to the Bay of Bengal sea. The postcard shows the famous Banaras Ghats.
See also 15 Very Old & Rare Photos of Varanasi.
Near Banaras is Sarnath famous for the first teachings of Buddha after he attained enlightenment. Sarnath is one of the Holiest Buddhist centers in the world. It is possible the Buddha chose Sarnath for his first sermon because Varanasi is a great learning and civilization center.
Did you know- in 1896, Ernest Hankin tested the Ganges water. He found that when he put a sample of Bacteria Vibrio Cholerae (which causes deadly cholera) into the waters of Ganges, it died within three hours. When he put the same bacteria into distilled water, it was still present even after 48 hours.
From the collection- 1964 M. Suriyamoorthy Charcoal On Paper Lovers (#5)., General Post Office Building In Chennai – Old Photo 1890., Coonoor In Nilgiris – Old Postcard 1910., Fort At Coylan – Antique Hand Colored Map / Plan 1668
