50 Photos of the banks of Ganges River in Varanasi, India

Varanasi, also known as Benares or Kashi, is a city on the banks of Ganges (Ganga) in Uttar Pradesh, 320 miles southeast of the state capital, Lucknow. It is the holiest of the seven sacred cities in Hinduism and Jainism, and played an important role in the development of Budhism. Some Hindus believe that death at Varanasi brings salvation. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and the oldest in India.