Varanasi creates Namo Van, plants 2.5 lakh saplings in hour

Use this 7-minute walking meditation when you visit the planned Meditation and Yoga Plaza at Namo Van - the urban forest born after Varanasi planted 2,51,446 saplings within one hour on 1 March 2026 along the Ganga in the Sujabad Domri area. The practice is timed for short loops on the site’s proposed 4 km walking pathway and fits a single sector visit; each sector contains over 4,000 saplings and is named after a Kashi ghat.

The plantation drive was carried out by Varanasi Municipal Corporation with the participation of around 20,000 people and was monitored by a Guinness World Records team. Adjudicator Rishi Nath (reported also as Rishinath) presented the certificate to Mayor Ashok Kumar Tiwari and Municipal Commissioner Himanshu Nagpal after drone cameras and a digital counting system verified the final tally on site. Local reports said the planting covered about 350 bighas of land in Domari village near the ghats.

Officials say the Miyawaki technique was used to accelerate canopy formation. "The miyawaki technique has been used to enable dense and faster growth, and the area is expected to develop into a dense green cover within two to three years," an official said. The project will also include additional plantings beyond the hour-long drive; one plan cited a total 3 lakh saplings comprising 2.5 lakh Miyawaki-method saplings, 10,000 timber trees and 40,000 fruit-bearing trees.

Namo Van’s layout is already mapped into 60 sectors named after prominent ghats such as Dashashwamedh, Manikarnika, Kedar and Lalita Ghat. Species lists reported include 27 native varieties with timber trees like sheesham, Arjun, teak and bamboo, fruit trees such as mango, guava and papaya, and medicinal plants like ashwagandha, shatavari and giloy. Organizers say provisions for irrigation will ensure tree survival as the site is developed into an urban forest park with a 4-hectare flower park, a 2-hectare herbal park, a children’s play zone and a gymnasium.

Context matters: the record surpasses the previous one set by Henan provincial authorities in China in 2018, which was reported at about 1.53 lakh saplings planted in an hour. Varanasi’s drive was documented from Sunday morning through the final certificate presentation on site, with world record strategist Nischal Barot also reported among monitors.

Guided 7-minute walking meditation for the Meditation and Yoga Plaza (use during a single-sector stroll): Begin standing at the sector entrance named for a ghat. Breathe slowly for four counts in, four out. Walk at an easy pace for the first two minutes, noticing the soil underfoot and the rows of newly planted saplings. For the next two minutes, tune into sounds - river, birds, footsteps - and match your breath to three calm strides. In minute five, pause beside a cluster of mango or sheesham saplings; place a hand lightly on a stake or trunk and exhale tension for six counts. Spend minute six walking with gratitude for the volunteers and 20,000 hands that planted these 2,51,446 saplings. In the final minute, set an intention for the site’s growth - a dense green cover in two to three years - and breathe once, deeply, before continuing on the 4 km path or returning to the Meditation Plaza.

Varanasi’s Namo Van now stands as both a Guinness World Record and a community resource in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency, with officials and organizers framing the project as a long-term effort to strengthen the Ganga riverbank, enhance biodiversity and provide meditative public space.