One of the world's oldest
continuously inhabited cities
Varanasi — also known as Kashi or Banaras — is widely considered one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on earth, with archaeological and textual evidence pointing to settlement going back at least 3,000 years. Mark Twain famously wrote that it looked 'older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend.'
The city's identity is inseparable from the Ganges River — over 80 ghats (riverside steps) line its western bank, used for everything from ritual bathing to cremation, with Hindu tradition holding that dying in Varanasi or having one's ashes scattered in the Ganges here grants moksha, liberation from the cycle of rebirth.
Tourism in Varanasi centres on witnessing this living spiritual practice — a dawn boat ride past the ghats as the city performs its morning rituals, and the evening Ganga Aarti fire ceremony, are the two experiences almost every visitor builds their stay around, alongside the city's ancient temples and centuries-old silk weaving tradition.
