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Varanasi
 Varanasi, also known as Benares, Banaras, or Benaras or Kashi or Kasi, is a famous Hindu holy city situated on the banks of the river Ganges in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, dating back thousands of years. The city is called Kasi, "the luminous" in the Rigveda. It is often referred to as "city of temples and learning."
The culture of Varanasi is deeply related with the river Ganga and the river's religious importance. Varanasi is known mainly for its ghats and is the religious bathing place for the pilgrims. The city has been a cultural and religious centre in northern India for thousands of years. At sunset, against the back drop of centuries old temples, the scene of pilgrims doing their devotions in the River Ganges is probably one of the most impressive sights in the world.
The major ghats of Varanasi are Asi Ghat to Kedara Ghat, Chauki Ghat to Chaumsathi Ghat, Dashashwamedha Ghat, Man Mandir Ghat to Lalita Ghat, Manikarnika Ghat, Scindia Ghat, Panchganga Ghat to Adi Keshva Ghat and Vishwanatha Khanda. Besides the ghats, the other places to visit in the city are Vishwanath Temple, Nepali Hindu Temple, Alamagir Mosque, Tulsi Manas Temple, Durga Temple, Ram Nagar Fort and Banaras Hindu University.
Varanasi has its own style of classical Hindustani music, and has produced prominent philosophers, poets, writers and musicians in Indian history, including Kabir, Ravi Das, Munshi Premchand, Jaishankar Prasad, Acharya Ram Chandra Shukla, Pandit Ravi Shankar, Hariprasad Chaurasia and Ustad Bismillah Khan.
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