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CHAPTER X.
THE PANCHKOSI ROAD.
THE Panchkosi Road encircles Benares, and within
it all the ground is supposed to be peculiarly sacred.
" Panch " or " panch " means five, and " kos " is
a measure equalling about two English miles, it is called
the Panchkosi road because it roughly forms a semicir-
cle from the Bishwanath Temple at a radius of five kos.
The word semicircle is used because the road could not
encircle Benares at a five kos radius without crossing
the Ganges, which it does not.
Whatever terms are used they will not work out
exactly. Mathematically, the road ought to be about 25
miles from start to finish, as a matter of fact it is not
much short of fifty.
A European visitor to Benares is not likely to at-
tempt the pilgrimage, but no description of Kashi would
be complete without some notice of this Panchkosi Road.
Some parts of it, e, g., those along the bank of the Gan-
ges, are not traversable by a wheeled vehicle, and most
parts would be very rough on the springs. This is,
however, a matter of no importance, as one of the essen-
tials for securing merit by the pilgrimage is to traverse
the whole distance on foot, except in the case of extreme
18
THE PANCHKOSI ROAD.
THE Panchkosi Road encircles Benares, and within
it all the ground is supposed to be peculiarly sacred.
" Panch " or " panch " means five, and " kos " is
a measure equalling about two English miles, it is called
the Panchkosi road because it roughly forms a semicir-
cle from the Bishwanath Temple at a radius of five kos.
The word semicircle is used because the road could not
encircle Benares at a five kos radius without crossing
the Ganges, which it does not.
Whatever terms are used they will not work out
exactly. Mathematically, the road ought to be about 25
miles from start to finish, as a matter of fact it is not
much short of fifty.
A European visitor to Benares is not likely to at-
tempt the pilgrimage, but no description of Kashi would
be complete without some notice of this Panchkosi Road.
Some parts of it, e, g., those along the bank of the Gan-
ges, are not traversable by a wheeled vehicle, and most
parts would be very rough on the springs. This is,
however, a matter of no importance, as one of the essen-
tials for securing merit by the pilgrimage is to traverse
the whole distance on foot, except in the case of extreme
18
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