Ancient Scholarship Ancient Kashi was ,a great centre ot learning. In the numerous ashrams by the river, the rishis taught their students ancient Hindu texts. During medieval times, the city played a critical role in preserving Hindu scholarship. Even today, the Sanskrit language and its main texts. including the Vedas and  the Upanishands, are taught in ashrams around Varanasi.   Among the best known centres of advanced learning in Varanasi are Uanaras Hindu University (BHU) and Kashi Vidyapeeth College, the latter established in 1921 by Shiv Prasad Gupta. The nationalist leader. Pandit Madan Mohan Malaviya founded BHU in 1917, with the aim of combining the best of Indian and western scholarship. Inside BHU's sprawling campus lies the exquisite New Vishwanath Temple and the Kala Bhawan. The latter houses a magnificent collection  of Indian sculpture and painting. Varanasi is traditionally associated with yoga ayuroeda, and jyotishshastra of astrology. For centuries it has preserved the traditional knowleged ledge in health and healing, the esoteric science of prediction and the studv ot stars

Yoga 

          The tradition of Yoga is founded in ancient Indian philosophy. Yoga,  literally communion or union, is a system by wKich theJiving individual or jeevatma can merge with the Supreme Being or parmatma. The supplementary benefits ot this spiritual seremty are a healthy body and mind. The earliest archaeological evidence of the existence of yogic practices dates to around 3,000 BC and is provided by a number of stone seals found in Indus Valley sites that show figures in yogic postures. According to mythic tradition, Shiva is said to be the founder of Yoga and his consort. Parvati, his firt disciple. Yoga is first mentioned in the Vedas, but it is in the later texts, the Upanishads, that we find the main foundations of Yoga teaching. Varanasi, the city where yogis and rishis have come for millennia, is still caught up with the  rhythms of the Yoga tradition. uttar pradesh  tourism organises an annual international yoga festival here where leaned yoga  teacher of yogacharyas  train enrolled groupas in the  intricacies of asanas or postures, pranayama or breathing control and medition of dhyana, bookings can be made at the  UP Tourism Development  Corporation offices or with travel agents accredited to the UFTDC

Ayurveda

          Ayurveda is an ancient Indian system of healing. Ayurveda, literally 'knowledge of life', draws on the premise that physical health isintegral to spiritual well-being. This system of healthcare originated some 5,000 years ago in the oral teachings of the ancient  rishis or spiritual masters. Ayurveda is respected and widely used in India and the galis of Varanasi are filled with  little shops selling vials and powders ot roots and herbs to cure you of all manners of  maladies, and guarantee you a long you or life. In fact, the practice of Ayurveda has spread much beyond the confines of India and across the world people are turning to this nature-based system to cure themselves of their ills. herbs and poultices, dietary habits,massage and meditation are all devices of Ayurveda. The burgeoning beauty and herbal industry in  India as well as other countries, have adopted the priciples of ayurveda and its natural processes. The ancient sages followed the pholosophy spelled out in the vedas, the hymnal books of knowledge  and developed ayurveda as a method for balancing the diverse energies within the human body and  thus promoting optimal health  and longevity. Ayurvedic  theory influenced Greek and Chinese medicine and evolved  into a sophisticated svstem for  preventing and treating disease. The cornerstone of Aytirveda's  medical philosophy is the identification of doshas or humours. These doshas - vayu, pitta and kayha - govern your physical, mental and spiritual health and can be regulated and balanced to ensure health and longevity.

          The use of herbs, foods, aromas, gems, colours. Yoga, mantras, lifestyle changes and surgery an- all used to modify your dosha. Treatises on the subject can be found in the three ancient books that sought to transcribe the oral tradition of Ayurveda - the Atreya Samhita, the charaka samhita and the susruta samhita. these works reveal a remarkable knowledge of human anatonn and disease. The Susruta samhita, for instance, graphically described blood circulation centuries before William hervey discovered if and the charaka samhita descrebed the importance of gastric juices in digestion long before pavlov did. Ayurveda in Varanasi Ayurveda has strong roots in Varanasi. According to a popular myth, Indra, the king ot the gods, handed down ayurvedic knowledge to a prince of Kashi called Dhanvantari. This divine rev elation was then passed down from rishi to rishi Sage Bharadwaj, generally believed to be the founder of Indian medicine, passed on these skills to Atreya, who set up a school of Ayurveda at Takshila. One of Atreva's most brilliant students was Susnita, who went on to found the school of medicine at Kashi. Susruta, the 6th century sage who is believed  to be one of Ayurvcda's earliest theorists and practitioners, was believed to be a skilful surgeon that closely approximate modern rhinoplasty.

Jyotishastra

          Jyotishasrta or astrology has been practised in india for centuries  The Indian system uses the precise position of stars and it is based on both the junar and solar calendar. Palmistry and numerology are also used. Muhurta, the moment, is very important as it can be both auspicious and unlucky. The jyotishshastra of Kashi are considered extremely authoritative, and politicians and businessmen are known to consult them before making any critical dicisions.  And of course,a traditional  Indian marriage can not be arranged until the jyotichi mutches the horoscope of  the bride and groom. jyotishcharya is  based on the Hindu hilosophy that one's actions and fortunes aredetermined by a predeting  comic design. that design reflects te will of god for you. jyotishshastra literally the science of light helps read  the stars in oredr to understand god's will. Panchang Jyotishshasra use as its basis the Hindus calendar or panchang that is at once a spiritual and scientific almanac. It provides a listing of festivals, weather predictions, events, epidemics and personal fortune. Punch means five and ang, aspect. This takes into aciounl tive aspects naniels
• Din or the solar day
• Tithi or the lunar day
• Nablttitra or the constellation
• Yoga
• Karan

          In the Hindu method of calculations, it is recognised that the earth takes 365.2563 days for a revolution around the sun. However, the astrological calculations are done according to the revolution of the moon around the earth, which falls short by approximately 7 days during one year, when compared to calculations done according to the solar calendar. The panchang, based on the 12 months of a lunar calendar, comes level with the  ayanas or solar calculation by adding a month (known as Loonth or Purshottam Maas) after every three years. For Hindus, Panchang is much more than the meaning of time it is the essence of religion and living which predicts the spiritual path of  people on a journey to words God.