Book: Varanasi at the Cross-roads

This is a comprehensive book on Varanasi, released by Ramakrishna institute of culture in 2010. It was beautifully authored by Sw. Medhasananda Maharaj of RK Math. Like a pure research work, Maharaj had poured over tons of govt records, other available literature and made them into an omnibus of collections. The coverage of the temples, the historicity of the ghats, complete details about the festivals, intricate cultural coverage of the city are some of the salient features. Even, the “aspects of conversion” in the city have been given some space in the book.

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‘This prodigious works ranks with the most important books that have been written on the holy cities of Jerusalem, Mecca, Medina, the Imperial City of the Chinese Empire, and Kyoto. Its exhaustive scholarship is matched only by the love that pulls the book together and shines through its every chapter.’

— Prof. Huston Smith

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