Art Laureate Presents "Varanasi-The Cultural City Of India" Group art show by Durga Charan Das, Hare Krishna and Mamta Malhotra.
With its rich heritage, many artists have made Varanasi the subject of their work. The exhibition captures the vibrancy of Varanasi, a city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh dating to the 11th century B.C deriving its name from the rivers Varuna and Assi .The spiritual capital of India, it has played an important role in the development of Hinduism, Jainism and Buddhism. Buddha is believed to have founded Buddhism here around 528 BC when he gave his first sermon, "The Setting in Motion of the Wheel of Dharma", at nearby Sarnath. Goswami Tulsidas wrote his epic poem on Lord Rama's life called Ram Charit Manas in Varanasi. Several other major figures of the Bhakti movement were born in Varanasi, including Kabir and Ravidas. Guru Nanak Dev visited Varanasi for Shivratri in 1507, a trip that played a large role in the founding of Sikhism. In the 16th century, Varanasi experienced a cultural revival under the Muslim Mughal emperor Akbar who invested in the city, and built two large temples dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu. The city is known worldwide for its many ghats, embankments made in steps of stone slabs along the river bank eg the Dashashwamedh Ghat, the Panchganga Ghat, the Manikarnika Ghat and the Harishchandra Ghat, the last two being where Hindus cremate their dead. An educational and musical centre, many prominent Indian philosophers, poets, writers, artists 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.
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