According to Hinduism, water is sacred. It is the foundation of all life, purifies all things, and destroys evil. One city has sat on the banks of the Ganges River, the most sacred river in India, for over 3,000 years.

Hindu legend says that Lord Shiva walked on Earth with his wife Parvati at the beginning of time. On the river, they founded the city Varanasi. This city is one of the oldest places that people have lived in continuously in all of India. Varanasi has grown a lot over the centuries. Once it was made up of only a few rural villages scattered across the landscape. Small pieces of pottery from these early towns have been found in Rajghat, the north side of the city that dates back to 1000 BC. Even earlier settlements have been found in the countryside around Varanasi.

This tells historians that people have lived in the area since at least 1800 BC. These first villages had many crafts and trades. For example, one town made ivory sculptures, another produced textiles, and another mixed perfumes. Villagers sold their goods at the market. Over time, the area grew into a busy port city filled with merchants and traders. In the 6th century BC, this city became the capital of the Kingdom of Kashi, one of India’s 16 Great Kingdoms.

The city grew wealthy through trade. Politics, art, culture, religion, philosophy, and medicine became important parts of life in Varanasi.

Varanasi is a winding maze of buildings that stretches four miles along the Ganges River’s left bank. Its many temples, religious shrines, and ancient palaces are laid out according to Hindu and astronomical significance. At the heart of this riverside city are its ghats. Ghats are stone steps that lead down to the Ganges and are used for religious bathing and cremation burials.

There are 84 ghats in Varanasi, each with its own legends and histories. Hindus sometimes visit this ancient and sacred city on pilgrimages. They pay respect to their gods and get purified by the water of the Ganges. Hindus believe that if you die in Varanasi, you will be freed from the reincarnation cycle and will become one with Lord Shiva.

Varanasi is a city filled with art, culture, education, and religion. It grew from simple beginnings into one of the seven sacred cities of Hinduism. Today, Varanasi is a multicultural city with thousands of different religious sites for Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, and Jain worshipers.