Updated/revised: 10 February 2015 (addition of publications list). <slightly changed and addition version> International Conference “Banāras Revisited– Scholarly Pilgrimages to the City of Light” 7 - 8 October 2011: Rica Nidelven Hotel, Havnegaten 1-3, Trondheim 7400. The Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim. NORWAY. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ [414a-14]. Singh, Rana P.B. 2014. Banāras: Encountering the Experiences and Expositions of the Spirit of Place; in, Keul, István (ed.) Banāras Revisited – Scholarly Pilgrimages to the City of Light. Ethno-Indology - Heidelberg Studies in South Asian Rituals, Vol. 14 [ISSN: 1860- 2053]. Harrassowitz Verlag, Wiesbaden, Germany: pp. 77-93. ISBN: 978-3-447-10201-8. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Banāras: Encountering the Experiences and Expositions of the Spirit of Place Prof. Dr. Rana P. B. Singh [         ] Head, Department of Geography, Professor of Cultural Geography & Heritage Studies, Banaras Hindu University, Varanasi, UP 221005. India. Email: ranapbs@gmail.com Abstract. There is a saying that those lived in Banāras and try to absorb its lifeways and spirit of place, become impartial part of its landscape and culture. The symbolic expression of place, the set of symbols that gives the people a culture orientation in space and time, is pervasive in Hindu culture and explicitly manifested in Banāras. This is reflected and exposed in its religious landscape, landscape geometry, and several affiliated and auxiliary supporting attributes that make this city a mosaic of sacredscapes which are eulogised in Hindu mythology, or oral epics, with divine connotation and spatial manifestation – there intersects myth and terra firma. With these specialities and spatialities, Banāras evolved such a distinct place in India, as archetypal form of mesocosm, and is illustrated vividly in this essay. Keywords: cognitive map, cosmogram, experiential exposition, faithscape, geomantic map, literary image, pilgrimage mandala, sacredscape, symbolised space. 1. Towards Envisioning The sacred bond between person and place is a reciprocal process illustrated in the realm of spatial manifestation (representation in miniature form), visualisation (architecture and the symbolic meanings imposed upon) and the world of festivities (regulating and re- awakening the spirit through rituals). The human relation with nature is realised primarily while narrating the place, understanding the place and becoming part of the ‘spirit of place’ (genius loci). The essence of ‘place’ consists of components like location, integration of nature and habitat, framework of circulation, treating the earth as divine spirit, and the dynamic nature of its changing value in tandem with the relevant belief systems and the associated interlocking networks. Place is the central nexus where we experience the harmonic relationship between man and nature. Thus, the process of understanding a place is a walk in search of interrelationship between the physical milieu and its metaphysical values. All my life I have felt close to place. Place speaks. Place talks. Place communicates. Place is a growing organism, a form of being. Place is an interrelated community, playing between Man and Cosmos. Presence of place was real to me long before I know anything of the energies by which this works. I remember that since my childhood I have sensed “something” in and around a place. The visible and invisible messages have been a source of real meaning to my life. I have moved from one place to another, however carried with me the memories and mythic sentiments attached to the place ‒ from nativity (birth place) to settlement (Vārāṇasi). I