The university, which occupies a large piece of land at the southern end of town, is also home to the New Vishwanatha Temple. The New Temple is modern in design and open to Hindus and non-Hindus alike. Surrounded by palm trees, it is a splendid white marble structure that shines in the afternoon sun against a pale blue sky. Inside, the temple is spacious and airy. The interior walls are covered with Vedic art above inscriptions from the Bhagavad Gita and Upanishads. In the center of the first floor is the Shiva linga. Next, we will visit a Widows Ashram where we will have a different view of life, and how it can be so unfair to some. Since Varanasi is a religious city many Widow Ashrams are constructed by people who want to make charity, NGOs and government to give shelter to dying, helpless and old widows. Reason of such a big number of Widow Ashrams is also that widows are abandoned in Varanasi to die as it is believed that one who dies in Varanasi gets salvation. What will surprise you after meeting these widows is that they are not all from poor families. Some of them are from good middle class families who have been sent to Varanasi because of social beliefs related to the death of a women’s husband. The widows here have been rehabilitated, and are offered training in various crafts and skills. Hence, they have a  feeling of worth and all is not lost. We will also visit the Matri Bhawan. This is the place where people arrive to die. People often take the “last train to Varanasi”. When people are old, sick or about to die, they arrive on their last leg on a train to Varanasi. Here, there are volunteers and NGOs who collect them at the station, and, bring them to places as Matri Bhawan. Matri means “Mother” and, Bhawan means “Home”. The old arrive at their Mother’s Home awaiting acceptance to paradise. This should be a unique aspect to your India tour.
For a true taste of the mouth-watering delicacies, and the colourful culture of Varanasi, we are bringing to you a unique venue called Shree Shivay Dining Room. A traditional restaurant in the heart of Varanasi which offers a delectable North Indian cuisine – with different combinations of delicious items served in a platter (locally known as thali). Thali is used to refer to an Indian meal made up of a selection of various dishes which are served on a platter. The thali style meal serving is popular in all of India. The idea behind a Thali is to offer all the 6 different flavors of sweet, salt, bitter, sour, astringent and spicy on one single plate. Certainly, it’s a special place which takes you into a zone where only the delicious mouth- watering food exists with a perfect mixture of ambience, and royalty.

Overnight at Taj Ganges, Varanasi (Superior Room) (B & D)