Map Inspired by Indian Holy City Varanasi Created in CS:GO

Valve has always been open to accepting community-created CS:GO skins, maps, stickers, and more. They give everyone the freedom to create and present their work to the community, irrespective of it officially getting picked or being integrated into the game.

One such unique CS:GO map which has recently managed to grab the attention of the community is Dharma, created by Geno and Squeezit. According to the creators, this map is based on an old town situated along the ghats of the Ganges.

As pointed out by multiple users, this map is quite reminiscent of the Indian holy city - Varanasi, also known as Banaras. Further, the description used by the creators for their map is very fitting of how one would describe the spiritual capital of India.

Map design inspired from the Indian city of Varanasi created in CS:GO

A map that is still in its beta version, Dharma, has been designed and developed by a duo of community creators. It has been inspired by the city of Varanasi, which is also located on the banks of the river Ganga and is recognized as the holiest city within the country.

From the image above it is clear that the map draws inspiration from the actual Indian city, with the steps leading down to the ghats of the river Ganges. In fact, the ghats are known as 'Dharma Ghat' with the same being mentioned on the walls of some buildings.

A few more things of importance which can be picked up from this particular image are,

• The couple of boats in this scene are a great addition, as tourists love to take a boat ride along these ghats when visiting Varanasi. They are also used by the public to cross the Ganges river and reach the other side.

• As the city is situated along the holy river Ganga, it attracts pilgrims that bathe in the sacred water and some that also perform funeral rites at this location. So the addition of heaps of pyres on one side and logs bunched together on the other is also accurate and adds more detail to the map.

Apart from these minor details, there are places across the map where certain things can be seen written in Hindi. The narrow streets with houses and shops crowding the various paths and alleyways, the electricity poles with wires running around, multiple old design structures across the city, and more add to the aesthetics of the map.

There are still multiple issues that the creators have to work upon before the map is finished like,

• Accurate radar

• Overall Optimization

• Custom Soundscapes

• Tertiary details and visual enhancements

However, with creators like Pigzit helping out by pointing where exactly adjustments can be made to improve upon the maps colour, lighting, shadows, and more. Dhrama could definitely be a very different and interesting CS:GO map that could make its way to the game, maybe not permanently but could be a part of a future CS:GO Operation.

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