Varanasi (also known as Baranas) is a famous Hindu holy city in the north-eastern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city is not only large, with a population of over 1.2 million people but it is one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world, dating back thousands of years.

Today, as it has been for centuries, Varanasi is a cultural and economic capital of northern India.

The city has a religious pilgrimage place for Hindus because it is believed to be the creation of the Hindu God Shiva. Varanasi lies where the Varuna River, to the north, and the river Assi, to the south both meet the holy river Ganga. Varanasi gets its name from a a combination of Varuna and Assi.

The city of Varanasi, the city of Hinduism, is also the city of ghats. Ghat is a term referring to the banks of a river. The Ghats of Varanasi are the cemented stairs on the western bank of the Ganges leading to the holy water of the river. There may be more than a hundred Ghats in the city. Many are as old as the city of Varanasi itself and some are new constructions by certain communities, sects or even individuals. The river Ganga is believed to have the power of cleansing your sins with a dip. Worshippers and believers visit the Ghats for that holy dip and offering their prayers to the holy waters.