VARANASI, March 2 -- Varanasi set a new Guinness World Record on Sunday by planting 2,51,446 saplings in just one hour, surpassing China's eight-year-old record. The plantation drive was carried out on 350 bighas of land in Domari village on Ganga banks. According to a press communique issued by the Varanasi Nagar Nigam, around 20,000 people participated in the drive, which began at 8 am and lasted for about an hour. Guinness World Records judge Rishi Nath presented certificates to Mayor Ashok Kumar Tiwari and municipal commissioner Himanshu Nagpal for the achievement. The plantation site has been developed as an "Urban Forest," divided into 60 sectors named after Kashi's prominent ghats, including Dashashwamedh, Manikarnika, Kedar, Lalita, and Sheetla. Over 4,000 saplings have been planted in each sector, creating what officials described as a future "mini-Kashi" along the riverbank. As many as 27 native species have been planted, including sheesham, arjun, teak, bamboo. Fruit-bearing trees such as mango, guava, papaya and medicinal plants like ashwagandha, shatavari and giloy have also been planted....