Slideshow: Varanasi

Varanasi is a famous Hindu holy city situated on the banks of the river Ganges (Ganga) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is believed to be one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world since time immemorial. It is contemporaneous with Sumer. The name Kashi is mentioned in the Rig-Veda. It is also referred to as "city of temples and learning".

The culture of Varanasi is deeply associated with the river Ganga and its religious importance. The city has been a cultural and religious center in Northern India since time immemorial. Modern Varanasi has its own style of classical Hindustani music, and has produced prominent musicians, philosophers, poets, and writers in Indian history, including Tulsidas, Kabir, Munshi Premchand, Jaishankar Prasad, Pandit Ravi Shankar, and Ustad Bismillah Khan. The city has its own dialect of Hindi called Bhojpuri. Varanasi is also the home of Banaras Hindu University.