Varanasi, also commonly known as Benares or Banaras, is a city situated on the left (west) bank of the River Ganga (Ganges) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, regarded as holy by Hindus, Buddhists, and Jains. It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and probably the oldest of India.
American writer Mark Twain wrote: "Benares is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together."

How to Reach

Varanasi is well connected by air, rail and road with the major Indian cities like New Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Pune, Ahmedabad, Indore, Bhopal, Gwalior, Jabalpur, Ujjain, Jaipur etc. It is located at a distance of 776 km from Delhi. One of the major factors in Varanasi's sustained existence as an inhabited city is its role as an established transportation hub between different cities. Dating to the ancient times, the city was connected to cities like Taxila, Ghazipur, Pataliputra, Vaishali, Ayodhya, Gorakhpur, Agra etc.

The first railway line to Benares was opened from Kolkata in December 1862 and was built by the East Indian Railway Company. Varanasi Junction is under the control of Northern Railways and Mughal Sarai Junction of East Central Railway are the two major railway stations within the city limit. Apart from these there are 16 other railway stations located within the city limits.

The Babatpur Airport (Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport) is located about 25 km from the city center and is well connected to Chennai, Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Khajuraho, Bangkok, Colombo and Nepal. All the major domestic Indian carriers including Air India, Jet Airways, Kingfisher Airlines, Indian Airlines, Spicejet, and Alliance Air operate from here.

Tourist attraction in Varanasi:

• Banaras Hindu University
• Bharat Kala Bhavan
• Jantar Mantar
• Ramnagar Fort