Kabir Chaura Math

The mother monastery of the Kabir Panth stands where Kabir, the 15th-century weaver-saint revered by Hindus and Muslims alike, grew up and taught, and it keeps memorabilia associated with him. The mohalla around it carries a second history of the same weight: this is the cradle of the Banaras gharana, the school of classical music that raised Kishan Maharaj, the Mishra brothers and others, and music still drifts out of the courtyards. Two traditions in a few lanes, and hardly any visitors. Free; mornings are calmest, and worth treading lightly through.

Kabir's syncretic legacy and the lanes that raised the Banaras gharana's musicians