Varanasi
Varanasi (
Sanskrit: वाराणसी
Vārāṇasī, Hindustani pronunciation:
[ʋaːˈɾaːɳəsiː] (
listen)), also commonly known as
Benares or
Banaras (
Hindi: बनारस,
Urdu: بنارس,
Banāras [bəˈnɑːɾəs] (
listen)) and
Kashi (
Hindi: काशी,
Urdu: کاشی,
Kāśī [ˈkaːʃiː] (
listen)), 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 continually inhabited cities in the world.
[3][4]
The
Kashi Naresh (
Maharaja of Kashi) is the chief cultural patron of Varanasi and an essential part of all religious celebrations.
[5] The culture of Varanasi is closely associated with the River Ganges and the river's religious importance. The city has been a cultural and religious centre in
North India for several thousand years. The
Benares Gharana form of
Indian classical music developed in Varanasi, and many prominent
Indian philosophers, poets, writers, and musicians resided or reside in Varanasi, including
Kabir,
Ravidas Their Guru Swami
Ramanand,
Trailanga Swami,
Munshi Premchand,
Jaishankar Prasad,
Acharya Shukla,
Ravi Shankar,
Girija Devi,
Hariprasad Chaurasia, and
Bismillah Khan.
Tulsidas wrote his
Ramacharitamanas there, and
Gautama Buddha gave his first sermon at
Sarnath near Kashi.
[6]
Varanasi is home to four universities:
Banaras Hindu University,
Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapeeth,
Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies and
Sampurnanand Sanskrit University. Residents mainly speak Kashika
Bhojpuri, which is closely related to the
Hindi language. People often refer to Varanasi as "the city of temples", "the holy city of India", "the religious capital of India", "the city of lights", and "the city of learning."
[7]
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."
[8]