Talk:Varanasi/GA1

GA Review

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Reviewer: West Virginian (talk · contribs) 22:27, 30 July 2015 (UTC)

Dr. Blofeld and Nvvchar, I will complete a thorough and comprehensive review of this article within the next 48 hours. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns in the meantime. Thanks! -- West Virginian (talk) 22:27, 30 July 2015 (UTC)

GA review (see here for what the criteria are, and here for what they are not)

---

Dr. Blofeld and Nvvchar, as promised, I've completed my thorough and comprehensive review and re-review of this article and I assess that it almost meets the criteria outlined for Good Article status. I do, however, have some comments and suggestions that should be addressed prior to its final passage to Good Article status. Congratulations on yet another job well done! Note: I am copying over my comments from an offline document in phases. -- West Virginian (talk) 22:43, 30 July 2015 (UTC)

1. It is reasonably well written.

   a (prose, no copyvios, spelling and grammar): b (MoS for lead, layout, word choice, fiction, and lists):

2. It is factually accurate and verifiable.

   a (reference section): b (citations to reliable sources): c (OR):

3. It is broad in its coverage.

   a (major aspects): b (focused):

4. It follows the neutral point of view policy.

   Fair representation without bias:

5. It is stable.

   No edit wars, etc.:

6. It is illustrated by images and other media, where possible and appropriate.

   a (images are tagged and non-free content have fair use rationales): b (appropriate use with suitable captions):

7. Overall:

   Pass/Fail:

Lede

• Per Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Lead section, the lede of this article adequately defines Varanasi, establishes Varanasi's necessary context, and explains why Varanasi is otherwise notable.
• The info box for Varanasi is beautifully formatted and its content is sourced within the prose of the text and by the references cited therein.
• The collage image is licensed CC BY-SA 3.0 and is therefore suitable for inclusion in this info box.
• The Uttar Pradesh locator map is licensed CC BY-SA 3.0 de and is also good to go for this article.
• It wouldn't hurt to wiki-link Delhi in its first mention in the lede.
  • Done
• I would also specify "Hindu intellectuals and theologians" in the second paragraph of the lede.
  • Done
• Also in the second paragraph, I would render the end of the sentence as "...2014 by a huge margin."
  • Done
• De-link North India in the third paragraph, as it was linked above in the first paragraph.
  • Done
• The lede is otherwise well-written, consists of content that is adequately sourced and verifiable, and I have no further comments or questions for this section.

Etymology

• In the second sentence of this section, consider rewriting as: "The old lies on the north shores..." or "The old city is located on the north shores..."
  • Done
• What language are the English equivalents being translated from? You could state as such: "...by many names in Hindi" or in Sanskrit" or specify them individually if each name derives from a separate language.
  • Done
• Should "the luminous city as an eminent seat of learning" be in quotation marks since it is mention as such in the Rigveda?
  • Yes, done
• This section is otherwise well-written, consists of content that is adequately sourced and verifiable, and I have no further comments or questions for this section.

History

• Because the History section is so gargantuan, I would recommend splitting it up into subsections. It may also be necessary to reorganize the images in this section, since four are crowded on the right side and one is on the left at the end of the section. I would remove one and place two on the right side and two on the left side for better flow.
  • Yes, done
• Shiva should be wiki-linked in its first mention in the prose section. God can probably be lower case here. I would also capitalize war in Kurukshetra War.
  • Done
• I would also recommend an and between Avantikā and Dwārāvatī in the list of sacred cities.
  • Done
• "Archaeological evidence of the earliest" rather than "Archaeological evidence of earliest."
  • Done
• Rather than Ganga, I would suggest consistently using Ganges throughout the article.
  • Done
• In the second paragraph, I would rewrite as such: "...suggesting Varanasi was also inhabited by this time."
  • Done
• Xuanzang only needs to be wiki-linked once in the prose. I would also use "also known as Hiuen Tsiang" after the first mention of Xuanzang.
  • Done after the first mention and second link deleted
• I would also reword the following sentence as such: "In 1194, the city succumbed to Muslim rule under the Turkic king Qutb-ud-din Aibak, who ordered the destruction of approximately 1,000 temples in the city." Turkic may work better here than Turkish, and it wouldn't hurt to work in a mention of and wiki-link to Mamluk Dynasty (Delhi) in this or the succeeding sentence.
  • Done
• I notice that the Oxford comma is used when describing Ravidas, which I prefer. I would recommend using the Oxford comma for consistency's sake throughout the article, so I would suggest scanning the article for instances where it is not being used.
  • yes , done ,
• The image of Kabir has been released into the Public Domain and is therefore acceptable for use here. I would remove the period from the caption as it is not necessary. You could also probably just render him as Kabir in the caption.
  • Done
• The image of the Brahmin with the garland is also released into the public domain and is suitable for use here. For the caption, I recommend rewriting as such: "A lithograph by James Prinsep (1832) of a Brahmin placing a garland on the holiest location in the city."
  • Done
• The image of Varanasi in 1883 has also been released into the public domain. For consistency's sake, I would render the caption like so: "A painting by Edwin Lord Weeks (1883) of Varanasi, viewed from the Ganges."
  • Done
• I would suggest specifying that Varanasi experienced a Hindu cultural revival in the 16th century.
  • Done
• Wiki-link Poona to Pune.
  • Done
• The following sentence should be separated into two: "The road infrastructure was also improved during this period and extended from Kolkata to Peshawar by Emperor Sher Shah Suri; later during the British Raj it came to be known as the famous Grand Trunk Road."
  • Done
• Emperor before Aurangzeb should be capitalized so that it is consistent with Emperor Sher Shah Suri and Raja of Poona.
  • Done
• Would it be incorrect to reword the last sentence in the fifth paragraph as "The kings governing Varanasi continued wield power and importance through much of the British Raj period, including the Maharaja of Benares, or Kashi Naresh." This sentence also needs an inline citation.
  • Done. Will provide a citation soon
• "kingdom of Benares" should be rendered as "Kingdom of Benares" with a capital K in kingdom.
  • Done
• Mark Twin was a renowned author but he is not renowned as an Indophile. I would reword that sentence as "In 1897, author Mark Twin..."
  • Done
• Ramnagar should be wiki-linked, and it is not so much a headquarters of the state, as it is its capital.
  • Done
• Reword this sentence like so: "In 1857, the British Army committed a massacre of Indian troops and city residence during the early stages of the Indian Rebellion of 1857."
  • Done
• Reword this sentence to something like: 'Besant founded the Central Hindu College because she "wanted to bring men of all religions together under the ideal of brotherhood in order to promote Indian cultural values and to remove ill-will among different sections of the Indian population."'
  • Done.
• Is it notable for the city's history that Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh died on Christmas Day in 2000? What is the current king's title? Is he King of Varanasi? Also, did nothing of significance happen in Varanasi between the 19th century and the present besides the ceding of Varanasi to the Union of India?
  • Removed mention of Christmas as it is not relevant. Presetn king is also called Maharaja. No change has occurred which is of historical importance, except that it invited maximum attention as the Prime Ministerial candidate contested the election from Varanasi constituency and won a large margin votes and became Prime Minister of India in 2014. But this has been mentioned in the Demographic section.

• Bathing Ghat Banaras India 1890.jpg is properly licensed, so it can be used here, but its caption should read something like: "An illustration (1890) of Bathing Ghat in Varanasi."
  • Done
• The image of the Benares riverfront has been released into the public domain and it is therefore acceptable to be used in this article. The caption, to be consistent with the others, should read something like, "An 1895 photograph go the Varanasi riverfront."
  • Done
• This section is otherwise well-written, consists of content that is adequately sourced and verifiable, and I have no further comments or questions for this section.

Geography and climate

• The first two paragraphs should be in a subsection named "Geography" since there is a "Climate" subsection below.
  • Done
• The image of the city's location in India is licensed CC BY-SA 3.0 and is acceptable for use here in this article.
• I suggest using center/centre rather than middle of the Ganges valley.
  • Done
• I would reword the sentence as such: "The city is the headquarters of Varanasi district."
  • Done
• The listing of neighborhoods should be alphabetical.
  • Done
• Suggest rewording as such: "Varanasi is located between the Ganges confluences with two rivers: the Varuna and the Assi stream."
  • Done
• The last sentence of the second paragraph of this section should be rewritten to make it less confusing. Perhaps render as something like this: "The distance between the two confluences is around 4 kilometres (2.5 mi), and serves as a sacred journeying route for Hindus, which culminates with a visit to a Sakshi Vinayak Temple."
  • Done
• The Climate subsection's table is beautifully formatted and consists of data that is sourced and verifiable.
• This section is otherwise well-written, consists of content that is adequately sourced and verifiable, and I have no further comments or questions for this section.

Administration

• In the last sentence of the first paragraph, I would re-write "in 2014 by huge margin" as "in 2014 by a huge margin."
  • Done
• I would render B.C. as BC to remain consistent. I would also suggest stating that the Ayurvedic College was established rather than started.
• Wiki-link Panchakarma
• I would rewrite the last sentence of the first Healthcare paragraph as "S S Ayurveda Hospital operates a Panchakarma treatment centre, in association with Kerala Ayurveda Ltd."
  • Done
• I would alphabetize the hospitals. If the Cancer Institute is not a proper title, I would add an additional sentence saying "A separate cancer institute is also operated in Varanasi."
  • Done
• Regarding Varanasi Hospital, I would make a separate sentence stating that the hospital is primarily relied upon by patients in the surrounding districts and states for it surgical services.
  • Done
• X-ray, ultrasonography, echocardiography and a pathology do not need to be capitalized.
  • Corrected
• Following this review, I would suggest nominating this article for a copyedit with the Wikipedia:GOCE.
  • Noted
• In the first sentence of the "Public maintenance" subsection, I would rewrite it as such: "Due to the high population density of Varanasi and the increasing number of tourists, the Uttar Pradesh government and international non-governmental organizations and institutions have expressed grave concern for the pollution and pressures on infrastructure in the city, mainly the sewage, sanitation, and drainage components."
  • Done
• Is "Rs." the standard abbreviation for rupees on Wikipedia?
  • Wikilinked to Indian rupees
• Does Nagar Nigam here refer to Varanasi Nagar Nigam? If so, this should be specified.
  • Yes, changed
• I recommend using sewage over sewerage.
  • Done
• Litres and tones should use the convert template.
  • Done
• This section is otherwise well-written, consists of content that is adequately sourced and verifiable, and I have no further comments or questions for this section.

Demographics

• The table should have an inline citation somewhere internally. The table's contents also needs to be written in prose form within this section, and internally cited.
  • Will add in prose form after providing citation in the table. As this table was introduced some other user, if the citation is not locatable, then would like to delete this table.
• 2011 Census of India needs to be wiki-linked.
  • Done
• Varanasi Nagar Nigam should be wiki-linked in the previous section, and when it is, this should be de-linked in this section.
  • Done
• The "m" after the population total needs to be removed.
  • Done
• 2001 Census of India needs to be wiki-linked for the content in the second paragraph.
  • Done
• This section is otherwise well-written, consists of content that is adequately sourced and verifiable, and I have no further comments or questions for this section.

Economy

• The image of the Banarasi sari has been released into the public domain and is therefore suitable for use here.
• The first sentence should be reworded as such: "According to the 2006 City Development Plan for Varanasi, approximately 29% of Varanasi's population is employed."
  • Done
• The second sentence should be rendered something like: "Approximately 40% are employed in manufacturing..."
  • Done
• I would suggest finding a synonym for "dominant" as it is used twice within the first two sentences of the third paragraph.
  • Done
• Rewrite as "...with nearly half a million of them working as weavers, dyers, sari finishers, and salespersons."
  • Done
• Competition from Chinese silk traders or imports?
  • Changed to imports
• Wiki-link Dhurrie, Betel, and Langra.
  • Done
• Religious reasons or religious purposes?
  • Done
• Alphabetize the list of banks.
  • Done
• This section is otherwise well-written, consists of content that is adequately sourced and verifiable, and I have no further comments or questions for this section.
• @Dr. Blofeld: and @Nvvchar: I will refrain from copying over more of my comments and suggestions to allow you to address my remarks up until this point. Please let me know if you have any questions or comments for me in the meantime. -- West Virginian (talk) 23:30, 30 July 2015 (UTC)

Cheers for the review West Virginian!♦ Dr. Blofeld 05:05, 31 July 2015 (UTC)

Dr. Blofeld, you are quite welcome! This is a stellar article, and I am thankful to have this opportunity. -- West Virginian (talk) 22:13, 31 July 2015 (UTC)

Excellent review @West Virginian:. I have complied with all the review comments, except for two citation issues. Replies are given under each of the review observations needing action. Please see Thanks.--Nvvchar. 11:33, 31 July 2015 (UTC)

Nvvchar, as always, it's a sincere privilege to review one of yours and Dr. Blofeld's articles. Upon my re-review of the article up to this point, I find that you've addressed all my concerns, and I will standby for those two inline citations. I'll continue my review this evening. Once again, thank you for making these edits in such a timely and most satisfactory manner! -- West Virginian (talk) 22:13, 31 July 2015 (UTC)

Notable landmarks

• The image of Ramnagar Fort is licensed CC BY-SA 2.0 and is therefore suitable for use here.
• I took the liberty of making a few housekeeping edits to the opening paragraph by alphabetizing the landmarks and wiki-linking the landmarks to their respective articles.
  • Thanks
• I also rephrased and copyedited the Jantar Mantar subsection, so please let me know if this works as rewritten.
  • Changes are fine
• In addition, I did some rephrasing of sentences in the Ramnagar Fort subsection, and wiki-linked some items to related articles. Is the Saraswati Bhawan a section of the fort? If so, what is it? A brief description of the Saraswati Bhawan should be given in this sentence.
  • Yes, it is part of the fort. Added a description of the Bhavan
• The image of the Ghats in Varanasi from the Ganges is licensed CC BY-SA 3.0 and is therefore suitable for inclusion here.
• The image of Dashashwamedh Ghat is licensed CC BY-SA 2.0 and is also suitable for use here. I would suggest enlarging this image and possibly placing another image below it of another ghat in Varanasi. There is room for at least one more in this section, and that would be fitting since there are many ghats to choose from in Varanasi. I wiki-linked Dashashwamedh Ghat in the caption of the image.
  • Yes, added an img
• Should this sentence be rewritten as: "The ghats are an integral complement to the Hindu concept of divinity represented in physical, metaphysical, and supernatural elements." It wouldn't hurt to wiki-link metaphysical to Metaphysics, but this is merely a suggestion.
  • Done
• I also consistently rendered Ganges as "the Ganges" throughout this section and the entire article, and changed mentions of "River Ganges" and "Ganges river." I also ensured that ghats such as Dashashwamedh Ghat was only linked once in the lede, and once in the prose, excluding captions.
  • Thanks for all the edits
• "Many ghats are associated with legends..." What sorts of legends? Hindu religious legends? Folklore? If possible, this statement should be more specific.
  • Yes, many ghats are associated with Hindu legends.
• "Marathas, Shindes (Scindias), Holkars, Bhonsles, and Peshwas stand out as patrons of present-day Varanasi." Should this be reworded as something like: "Many ghats were constructed under the patronage of the Marathas, Shindes (Scindias), Holkars, Bhonsles, and Peshwas."
  • Yes, done
• A language for the "Agni Pooja" translation is needed.
  • Sanskrit language is mentioned now.
• It should be noted somewhere in this paragraph regarding the spiritual nature of the ghats that they are spiritually significant to Hinduism specifically.
  • Yes, done
• In the final paragraph, "It is said that an..." Who says this? According to who?
  • It is a myth and accordingly corrected the sentence.
• The image of the Kashi Vishwanath Temple is released into the public domain and is therefore suitable for use here.
• The image of the Durga template is licensed CC BY-SA 2.0 and is also acceptable for use here.
• In the first sentence of the first Temples subsection paragraph, "the most worshiped are" may not work well here. I would suggest rewording this phrase as "the temples most popular for worship" or "the most attended temples for worship are" or something to this effect.
  • Suggested change incorporated
• I suggest stating that the Durga Temple is known for the monkeys that reside in the trees nearby, rather than a "band of monkeys."
  • Yes done

• Dr. Blofeld and Nvvchar, I am going to have to stop here for now this evening, but this should be enough for you to work with until I can continue this review later today or tomorrow. Thank you for your patience with me throughout this review process. -- West Virginian (talk) 23:22, 31 July 2015 (UTC)

• • @West Virginian: I have completed compliance up to this section. Please see
    •  Done Dr. Blofeld and Nvvchar, I certify that my comments up until this point have been addressed and satisfied. Great job! -- West Virginian (talk) 20:17, 2 August 2015 (UTC)
• I copyedited the temples subsection. Let me know if you disagree with any of my edits to this subsection.
  • It is fine, thanks
• "It is believed the temple was built on the very spot where the medieval Hindu saint Tulsidas had a vision of Hanuman." It is believed by who? Should this be, "According to Hindu legend, xxx"?
  • Yes, done
• Do we know how many injuries resulted from the terrorist attack against the Hanuman temple?
  • Yes, given now. 30 injured. Unofficial figures put the death toll at 23.
• I suggest giving a date of construction of Durga Mandir, rather than an estimated number of years it is thought to have existed.
  • Yes, 16th century (exact date is not known), Kund in the 18th century

• "Thousands of Hindu devotees visit Durga Kund during Navratri to worship the goddess Durga." Are there harder numbers of devotees to include here?
  • I have changed it to “a large number of Hindu devotees…”
• "("Kund" meaning a pond or pool)" The specific language of "kund" should be mentioned here.
  • Yes, it is Sanskrit
• The last listing of temples should be alphabetized.
  • Done
• This subsection is otherwise well-written, consists of content that is adequately sourced and verifiable, and I have no further comments or questions for this section.
• The mosque subsection may require some expansions, as it goes into far less detail about the notable mosques than is spent on some of the city's Hindu temples. This section seems to focus more on the plunder of the Hindu temples and use of their materials, rather than discussing their architectural design or why they are historically relevant or notable. I would add a few more sentences with that in mind.
  • Yes, added
• I also engaged in a minor copyedit of the Shri Guru Ravidass Janam Asthan subsection.
  • It is fine, thanks
• The remainder of the landmarks section is otherwise well-written, consists of content that is adequately sourced and verifiable, and I have no further comments or questions for this section.

Culture

• I suggest alphabetizing the list of writers in the first paragraph of the Culture section.
  • Done
• I don't know what this means: "Art lovers and historians like Rai Krishnadasa, his son Anand Krishna, musicians Omkarnath Thakur, Ravi Shankar, Bismillah Khan, Girija Devi, Siddheshwari Devi, Lalmani Misra and his son Gopal Shankar Misra, Thakur Rajbhan Singh, N. Rajam, Anokhelal Mishra, Samta Prasad, Kanthe Maharaj, Sitara Devi, Gopi Krishna, Pandit Vikash Maharaj, Kishan Maharaj," In any case, it should be alphabetized and there should be at least some semblance of why this list is relevant. This doesn't seem very encyclopedic.
  • Reworded and alphabetized
• "Varanasi is the hub of arts and crafts" or should it be "Varanasi is a center of art and design"
  • Done
• Is "Arts and Crafts" a formal name? If so, there should be a brief description of what it is? Is it an event? A market?
  • Arts and Crafts” is a term widely used to connote all forms of arts and its crafting. It has been divided into separate sections now
• The paragraph regarding "Music in Varanasi" also seems un-encyclopedic and may need to be written to meet Wikipedia encyclopedic standards.
  • Done
• What is a "Saint musician?"
  • During the Bhakthi movement saints who popularized religious teachings through music
• The image of wall paintings is licensed CC BY-SA 3.0 and is suitable for use here.
• The image of Saint Goswami Tulsidas Awadhi has been released into the public domain and is also acceptable for use here.
• "Girija Devi, the native famous classical singer of thumris, was instrumental in elevating music to a status of respectability and appreciation." How did Girija Devi elevate music to a status of respectability and appreciation? Was music not respected or appreciated before him? This may need to be made more clear.
  • Changed to “ Girija Devi, the native famous classical singer of thumris, during her times was widely appreciated and respected for her musical renderings”. Hope it is OK.
• "Apart from the vocal music singers" Are there singers who are not vocal? Perhaps we can say, "Apart from vocal artists..."
  • Done.
• Dr. Blofeld and Nvvchar, the "Notable landmarks" and "Culture" sections are going to need a thorough copyedit for greater flow and readability. I'm going to refrain from further review until we can clean up these two sections a bit. The Culture section needs a complete overhaul with subsections for "Literature" "Arts and design" and "Music." Thank you for your patience with me throughout this review process. -- West Virginian (talk) 22:53, 1 August 2015 (UTC)
  • West VirginianDr. Blofeld I have addressed the above issues and also provided replies. Under the Mosque section, I have now added details of two mosques, Gyanvapi Mosque and Alamagir Msoque, Varanasi; also created the later article. In the graph in the Demographics section the figures given can not be referenced as I could not find any suitable reference. Also, the Census 2011 of India has not given any figures, religion wise. I therefore propose to delete this graph unless some other user can find an acceptable reference. I am having problems editing from home in the last few days as my internet works intermittently. I will work in the office today and address all other further comments given below. --Nvvchar. 01:03, 3 August 2015 (UTC)
    •  Done Nvvchar and Dr. Blofeld, all issues with this article have been addressed up to this point. We should go ahead and remove the religious demographics table if a reliable and verifiable source cannot be located. Nvvchar, thank you for all your hard work and research to further improve upon this article! -- West Virginian (talk) 04:02, 3 August 2015 (UTC)

Education

• Alphabetize the list of colleges. This listing and the statement about engineering schools being established outside the city will need to be cited.
  • There is no single reference which will give all the listed institutions. As the universities and colleges are specific linked articles in WP, is it necessary to fix reference to each one of them. So is the case with engineering college in the outskirts of the city.

• This section should mention Central Hindu School.

It does.

• Does UP Board refer to Uttar Pradesh Board of Technical Education?

Done.

• This section is otherwise well-written, consists of content that is adequately sourced and verifiable, and I have no further comments or questions for this section.

Sport

• Banaras Hindu University could probably be abbreviated as BHU several times in the Sport section.

Done.♦ Dr. Blofeld 09:27, 3 August 2015 (UTC)

• This section is otherwise well-written, consists of content that is adequately sourced and verifiable, and I have no further comments or questions for this section.

Transport

• I suggest renaming this section "Transportation."
  • Dine
• Under the category Transport in Varanasi, I found articles for Udhna Varanasi Express, Sabarmati Express, Kashi Vishwanath Express, and Kanpur Varanasi InterCity. Could these be worked into the discussion of rail transport in the city?
  • Done
• This section is otherwise well-written, consists of content that is adequately sourced and verifiable, and I have no further comments or questions for this section.

Addendum

• You may want to consider making a new section entitled "Infrastructure" with two subsections "Transportation" and "Parks and recreation." Most GAs for cities of Varanasi's importance and stature have sections dedicated to parks. Another alternative would be to make a "Sports and recreation" section and then have subsections for "Sports" and "Parks and recreation." Either way, there should be a few sentences about the city's parks. Kachhua Sanctuary and Chandra Prabha Wildlife Sanctuary were two parks that can be mentioned here.
  • Both the parks are in the Varanasi district and not within the city limits. Do you want us to include them in the article?

Alright, Dr. Blofeld and Nvvchar, I have completed my review of this article. You gentlemen have outdone yourselves, but there is still a lot of work to do, since this is a major city of great cultural and religious significance. Thank you again for the opportunity to review another of your phenomenal articles! Nvvchar, a special thanks to you for your timely responses! Your edits have been outstanding. -- West Virginian (talk) 14:58, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

Excellent review West Virginian, yes, the culture to religious sections was the part i thought that needed the most work, I and hopefully Ipigott and a few others can help get it into shape so it can pass.♦ Dr. Blofeld 15:09, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

Dr. Blofeld, thank you for your kind words! I will place this review on hold while these sections are being improved. In the meantime, I will also continue to tweak the article's overall flow. -- West Virginian (talk) 15:15, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

West VirginianPlease see my further compliance. I am removing the graph. Let me know about the parks in view of my reply.--Nvvchar. 09:36, 3 August 2015 (UTC)

Comments by bluerasberry

Movies

Varanasi is famously featured in many movies, including Satyajit Ray's 1956 Aparajito, Amitabh Bachchan's 1978 Don (Paan song on YouTube).

See Bollywood's fascination for Banaras. Blue Rasberry (talk) 17:29, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

I do not know enough about the issue to be sure, but I think that Varanasi's reputation as plot point in some very popular movies is worth mentioning here.

Modi government

One of the Modi's government's most famous promises has been Ganges preservation, which is part of the reason why he ran as an MP in Varanasi. Perhaps the article should say something more about the current Modi government, even though the city has a long history and Modi is a new development. This is the first time that all of India has been led by a person from Varanasi, even if Modi is Gujarati and hardly is in Varanasi at all. When he talks about Ganges cleanup, so far as I know, he mostly means that he wants the water especially in and around Varansi to be clean. Blue Rasberry (talk) 17:29, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

Bluerasberry, when you're able to find the necessary sources, please feel free to add this content to the article. -- West Virginian (talk) 21:03, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

@Bluerasberry: Modi's choice to run in Varanasi was a political campaign strategy given its religious heritage, he also ran in and won the seat in Vadodora, Gujarat. I presume you're not well-versed in Indian politics but plenty of politicians over the years across the political spectrum have promised to clean up the Ganges. Modi's promise is nothing new. If his government managed to do it maybe but not right now.Cowlibob (talk) 22:28, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

Economy section

The economy section says that tourism is the second most important industry but does not say what the most important industry is. Also if anyone can find any rupee numbers to apply to any industry, like "this industry brings in this amount of money", then that would be useful. There are several large schools in Benares and one really big one, BHU. I expect that education must be a significant part of the economy and local employer, because of the big schools and many small schools, and also because of the traditional learning centers like old libraries, Sanskrit schools, and temples as schools. Blue Rasberry (talk) 17:29, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

I don't want to follow the Indian/Pakistani cliche of listing lots of schools. Name a major Indian city which isn't a notable filming location. I don't want to add lots of cruft on films. The article BTW says silk weaving is the main industry.♦ Dr. Blofeld 18:13, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

I agree that too many articles on Indian cities put too much importance on schools. I do not know enough about Bollywood but probably every city has been featured.

I am doubtful that silk production is the major industry, even though I do not have a source. I confirm that the silk industry employs many people, but so far as I know, practically everyone in that industry sector is in poverty. It would not surprise me if more money actually came into the city because of the Diesel Locomotives, tourism, the schools, or some other sector like basic manufacturing, software, or outsourcing services. As I understand, if there is a village where a few people are employed in weaving and everyone else is unemployed, then the entire village are counted as weavers in research. I know that if the data is poor then the Wikipedia article cannot be better, but I still wish that some numbers were available about how much money each sector brings in. Blue Rasberry (talk) 18:40, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

The article does not claim silk weaving to be the biggest source of income. It implies that it employs a great number of people, regardless if they're in poverty or not.♦ Dr. Blofeld 09:30, 3 August 2015 (UTC)

Bluerasberry, first and foremost, I would like to thank you for your input and suggestions regarding this review. The current source states that silk production is the major industry in Varanasi. If you have another specific source that says otherwise, we can reword as necessary, but until then, we will maintain the article in its current form. Dr. Blofeld is right about India's film industry. Many major cities throughout India, and especially Varanasi, are film venues. I wouldn't be opposed to having a sentence or two in the prose about this, but nothing more. If you have a specific source, you are welcome to add this. -- West Virginian (talk) 20:07, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

It is best to do as you say. I looked for some other sources about the economy of Varanasi and I can find nothing published. The sources provided are the best sources which I have been able to identify. Beyond doing online search, I have also reviewed some books on Varanasi and found no better information. Blue Rasberry (talk) 20:24, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

Bluerasberry, when you're able to locate these sources, we will amend the article as necessary. Thank you for your suggestion. -- West Virginian (talk) 21:03, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

Final comments

@Dr. Blofeld:, @Nvvchar:, @Rosiestep:, and @Ipigott:, the article is almost ready for passage to Good Article status. Once the points above have each been properly addressed and the inline citations promised above have been added, I will engage in a final review, and will pass this article to Good Article status pending any further necessary edits and tweaks. I look forward to seeing your additions! -- West Virginian (talk) 20:11, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

Hello - this review just started on 30 July. I solicited for other comments. Can we wait at a minimum 10 days for other comments, and then allow time for discussion if there are any more? It seems a bit premature to plan a close now. I like the article but let's get all the comments we can. Blue Rasberry (talk) 20:26, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

Bluerasberry, with all due respect here, I selected to engage in a review of this article for Good Article status. (I have engaged in 141 successful Good Article reviews before this one). You are more than welcome and strongly encouraged to share your comments and suggestions here, and to contribute to this process in a meaningful way; however, this review will be completed once I, as the volunteering article reviewer, find that the nominators have properly addressed and met all the major items outlined at Wikipedia:Good article criteria. According to Wikipedia:Good article nominations/Instructions, I am welcome to ask for a second opinion, but it is not necessary or mandatory. -- West Virginian (talk) 20:39, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

I will open a WP:GAR when you are done. Thanks. Blue Rasberry (talk) 20:44, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

Bluerasberry, that will not be necessary. This review process will not be closed until all interested parties are satisfied with the outcome. The nominators of this article have worked diligently to improve this article to meet the criteria outlined for Good Article status, and I do not want to see them deprived of their goal if they've met the necessary criteria. -- West Virginian (talk) 21:01, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

@Bluerasberry: Please do not open a GAR. There is no limit for GA reviews to be left open especially as they are non-contentious issues that you highlight. Your comments have been replied to by both the nominator and the reviewer. GAR is designed for situations where there was a question about how the review was conducted or there was a clear failure not to meet GA criteria which hasn't been presented thus far. It is not for minor content disputes or to suit personal preferences (which I really hope is not the case), please use the talkpage for these after the review. Cowlibob (talk) 22:28, 2 August 2015 (UTC)

• I don't see what this review has to do with you Bluerasberry. Please vacate and leave the review alone. Cassianto^Talk 08:10, 3 August 2015 (UTC)

@West Virginian: I've given it a copyedit. I think the religion section is best put in a main article, we have info on a lot of the temples and that anyway.♦ Dr. Blofeld 08:44, 3 August 2015 (UTC)

 Done @Dr. Blofeld: and @Nvvchar: I've re-reviewed the article (again) and I find that all the comments, questions, and concerns raised above have been sufficiently answered, addressed, and incorporated within the article's prose. As for the parks suggestion, the two parks I mentioned were merely examples of what to include, but I feel that the article is already quite comprehensive in its current form without the mention of the city's parks. I also concur with the movement of the religious information to its own article, which I've reviewed and find that it works well. With all that said, I'd like to thank and commend you both for your diligence, your patience, your understanding, and your hard work throughout this long review process. With your additions and our combined copyedits, I find that this article now easily meets Good Article criteria. Congratulations on a job well done, and an achievement that is much deserved. -- West Virginian (talk) 14:06, 3 August 2015 (UTC)

• West Virginian. It has been a very rewarding experience working with you on this your extremely thorough review. Thanks. Pl leave a message on my talk page on this article's approval to GA I hope you will review one more of my articles in the near future.--Nvvchar. 23:22, 3 August 2015 (UTC)

• Nvvchar, likewise, it has also been a rewarding experience to work with you throughout this review process. I look forward to reviewing another of your articles very soon! Dhan'yavadagalu/Nanri! -- West Virginian (talk) 23:37, 3 August 2015 (UTC)