Kashi Naresh - The present king of Varanasi(Kashi)

Anant Narayan Singh, the present king of Kashi(old name of Varanasi) resides at the Ramnagar Fort at Ramnagar which is at a distance of around 12 kms from from the Varanasi railway station. He is an extremely popular person in Varanasi and is the religious head of the the people. He is married to Maharani Anamika Devi. His official residence, the Ramnagar fort and its museum are of immense historical and cultural significance and are also a very popular tourist spot. The king himself has a deep interest in the cultural activities of Varanasi and takes personal interest in the successful enactment of the Ramlila play that is staged every year in Varanasi. He also presides over several annual festivities such as Nagnathiya held at the Tulsi Ghat.
While the erstwhile kingdom was merged in to India in 1948, the respected king is still revered by the people as the Kashi Naresh meaning ruler of kashi or varanasi.
The Kashi Naresh is also the president of the trust that manages the famous Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi.
Due to his active involvement in several cultural activities around the year that are symbolic of the unique heritage of Varanasi, the Kashi Naresh is loved and respected by one and all in Varanasi.

Tour of the Ramnagar Fort in Varanasi - an icon of Varanasi' royal past

The Ramnagar fort, the official residence of the Maharaja of Kashi the former ruler of Varanasi is about 12 km. from Varanasi. One has to cross the Ganga river to the other side to enter Ramnagar. Book a cab or an autorickshaw that will take you through the swaying 'Pipa -pull" a rickety yet safe bridge over the river Ganges.It takes about a little more than hour to reach if the traffic isn't too bad. Be ready to spend most part of a day if you wish to brwose through the fort palace lesiurely. Built by Maharaja Balwant Singh in the eighteenth century the fort houses his palace. The fort is built in red sandstone and is an imposing building, every inch of it seeped in history. It is said that the great poet Ved Vyasa who wrote the hindu epic Mahabharata also stayed here for some time.

The fort at Ramnagar houses a museum displaying the Royal collection which includes vintage Cars, Royal palkies, an armory of swords and old guns, ivory work and antique clocks. . There is also a rare temple of Dakshin Mukhi Hanuman . One of the most interesting things to be seen here is is a big clock on the walls of the fort. This clock not only displays year, month, week and day but also astronomical facts about the sun, moon and constellation of stars. An interesting array of ornate palanquins, gold-plated howdahs and weapons are some of the artifacts on display in the Ramnagar fort-palace museum.

The Ramnagar fort is worthy of a visit if you are interested in ancient fort and palace architecture. On a personal note, such visits fill my heart with pride. These forts, palaces and temples are not just objects of beauty but are testimony to the technological advancement of our ancestors who were able to build such gigantic structures with out the use of the machines and tools that are available to man today. And the fact that they have withstood the vagaries of nature for centuries makes modern construction practices seem at best - “amateur”.