Varanasi 

city on the banks of the Ganges in the Uttar Pradesh state of India  montage image   image   spherical panorama image
Upload media
Wikipedia  Wikiquote  Wikinews  Wikivoyage
Pronunciation audio	Banglaⓘ
Instance of	city million city holy city
Part of	Purvanchal
Named after	Varuna River Assi River
Location	Varanasi district, Varanasi division, Uttar Pradesh, India
Located in or next to body of water	Ganges Varuna River
Population	1,198,491 (2011)
Area	82.1 km²
Elevation above sea level	76 ±1 m
Different from	Varanasi division
official website
Category:Uses of Wikidata Infobox with maps25° 19′ 08″ N, 83° 00′ 46″ E
Authority file  Q79980 VIAF cluster ID: 168498951 GND ID: 4062337-3 Library of Congress authority ID: n81068680 Bibliothèque nationale de France ID: 11943170v IdRef ID: 230257054 NL CR AUT ID: ge602850 National Library of Spain SpMaBN ID (BNE v1.0): XX450605 BabelNet ID: 01682980n J9U ID: 987007566857905171 OpenStreetMap relation ID: 1959916 Reasonator Scholia Wikidocumentaries KML file WikiShootMe OpenStreetMap Search depicted

Varanasi, also commonly known as Benares or Banaras and Kashi, is a city situated on the left (west) bank of the River Ganga (Ganges) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.

Aarti spectacles

Ganges

• 
  Sunrise boat rides on the Ganges, Varanasi
• 
  Dawn on the river Ganges, Varanasi
• 
  Sunrise boat ride on the Ganges, Varanasi.
• 
  View of Ghats across the Ganges, Varanasi.
• 
  Dashashwamedha ghat on the Ganga, Varanasi.
• 
  Ganges in the dry season, with crops growing on the banks, Varanasi.
• 
  Early morning view of Ahilya ghat in Varanasi.
• 
  Ganga panorama.
• 
  Early morning view of Varanasi city from the opposite bank.
• 
  Banks of Ganges, before the main ghats begin, Varanasi.

Ghats

• 
  Manikarnika ghat from above, bodies being cremated.
• 
  Varanasi ghats from opposite bank of Ganges.
• 
  Ganga ghat in the morning, Varanasi.
• 
  Burning ghats of Manikarnika, Varanasi.
• 
  Ganga ghat with a Shivling, Varanasi.
• 
  Aikya Linga on the Ganga Ghants, in Varanasi.
• 
  Chet Singh Ghat in Varanasi.
• 
  Rana Mahal ghat in morning
• 
  Offering Arghya, a ritual offering, to the Ganges, Varanasi.
• 
  Young flower seller at Varanasi ghats.
• 
  Ahilya Ghat by the Ganges, Varanasi.
• 
  Kedar Ghat in Varanasi.
• 
  Niranjani Ghat on the Ganges
• 
  Darbhanga and Munshi Ghat in Varanasi.
• 
  Anandamayi Ma Ashram on the Anandamayi Ghat, and Vatsaraj Ghat (right).
• 
  Man walking down ghat to the Ganges River

Boats

• 
  Morning boat ride on the Ganges River.
• 
  Sunrise Boat ride, on the Ganges, an essential in Varanasi.
• 
  Boats by the ghats, on the Ganges, Varanasi.
• 
  Boat by the Ganges, Varanasi.
• 
  Morning boatride on the Ganges, Varanasi.
• 
  Morning boat ride, Varanasi.
• 
  Boats at the Ganges at sunrise
• 
  Tourists Sightseeing by Boat, Varanasi.

Festivals

• 
  Annual Saraswati Puja festival on Dasashwamedh Ghat in Varanasi

Historical images

• 
  Shivala Ghat, Benares, Varanasi, by Thomas Daniell (1749-1840), dated 1790.
• 
  Aurangzeb mosque and adjoining Ghats Benares, Samuel Bourne 1865.
• 
  Benares (Varanasi) - The River & Bridge of Boats, from the Aurangzeb's Mosque, India. 1866.
• 
  Temple of Tarkishwara, (now sunken) Well of Manikarnika, 1860s
• 
  Temples and Bathing Ghat at Benares, by Edwin Lord Weeks, ca 1833-1835.
• 
  Kupuldhara Tulao, Benares, 1834.
• 
  Benares, 1873
• 
  Benares 1890
• 
  Kashi Vishwanath Temple, 1905
• 
  Varanasi, 1922.
• 
  'Benares' (No. 1), oil on canvas painting by Charles W. Bartlett. 1927
• 
  Pandit Bapudeva Sastri (1821-1900), Professor of Astronomy, teaching a class at Queen's College, Varanasi.

Princely state of Benaras

• 
  Flag of the Royal House of Benares.
• 
  Majaraja of Benares and Suite, 1870s.
• 
  The Barge Of The Maharaja Of Benares, painting by Edwin Lord Weeks, ca 1883.

Temples

• 
  Kashi Vishwanath Temple, 1905
• 
  The Durga Temple in Varanasi, built in the 18th century by a Bengali maharani, stained red with ochre overlooking the "Durgakund" pond. It is commonly known as the Monkey Temple due to the many frisky monkeys.
• 
  Ganga Keshav Temple, dedicated to Lord Vishnu, built by Maharaja of Nepal, at Lalita Ghat on the Ganges, Varanasi.
• 
  Nepali Mandir (exterior)
• 
  Nepali Mandir (interior)
• 
  An old temple in Varanasi
• 
  A Shiva temple in Varanasi.
• 
  Durga Mandir
• 
  Sri Anandamayi Ma statues in the Ananda Jyoti Mandir, Varanasi.

Places of worship

• 
  Alamgir Mosque
• 
  Saint Mary's Cathedral in Varanasi

Visitor's attractions

• 
  Man Singh Observatory
• 
  Chakra Yantra.
• 
  Dakshinobhitti Yantra.
• 
  Wall of the hall at Observatory of Man Singh.
• 
  Courtyard at Observatory of Man Singh.
• 
  Doors at the main hall of Observatory of Man Singh.
• 
  Ceiling of the hall at Observatory of Man Singh.

Cuisine

• 
  Aloo ki sabzi (Potato Curry) and Puri, typical morning snack, Varanasi.
• 
  Puris (left) and Samosas (right) being deep fried, at a shop in Varanasi.
• 
  A Lassi shop in Varanasi.
• 
  Lassi in earthen tumbler, Kullhad, Varanasi.
• 
  A sweet shop in Varanasi, with Gulab Jamun (bottom).
• 
  Paan, (betel leaves) being served with silver foil, Sarnath near Varanasi.

City scenes

• 
  Busy crossing in Varanasi.
• 
  Vishwanath Gali, leading up to Vishwanath Temple, in Varanasi.
• 
  A bull walking through the bylanes of Varanasi.
• 
  Varanasi post office.
• 
  Medicines at a Homeopathy pharmacy in Varanasi.
• 
  Jacquard loom in Varanasi.
• 
  A narrow lane leading to Meera Ghat, in Varanasi.
• 
  A Milkman's cycle, Varanasi
• 
  Kite flying in Varanasi
• 
  Street cricket.
• 
  View of houses by the Ganges, Varanasi.
• 
  Busy market
• 
  A barber shop in Varanasi.
• 
  Doors with Aum signs, Varanasi.
• 
  Mother Teresa's Hospital, Varanasi.
• 
  Graffiti, Goats and Ghats, Varanasi.
• 
  Ramnagar Fort
• 
  Man with pushcart in the old city of Varanasi.
• 
  Busy inner market street.
• 
  A Trainyard in Varanasi.

Buildings

• 
  Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport (façade)
• 
  SpiceJet aircraft at Varanasi Airport.

Education

• 
  Banaras Hindu University (entrance)
• 
  Bharat Kala Bhavan (Banaras Hindu University)
• 
  Mahila Maha Vidyalaya (women's college)

People

• 
  Sadhu in Varanasi
• 
  A sadhu by the Ghats on the Ganges, Varanasi.
• 
  A sadhu playing flute, Benaras.
• 
  A weaver at silk handloom, in Varanasi, making a Banarasi sari, which usually takes two months.
• 
  A sadhu warming the morning tea
• 
  A flower seller.

Sarnath

• 
  Monastery around Dhamek stupa, Sarnath.
• 
  Dharmarajika Stupa from the pre-Ashokan Era.
• 
  Yasa Stupa.
• 
  Chaukhandi Stupa on a hill, Sarnath, commemorates the spot where the Buddha met his first disciples, dating back to the fifth century or earlier and later enhanced by the addition of an octagonal tower of Islamic origin.
• 
  Brahmi script on Ashoka Pillar, Sarnath.
• 
  Mulagandhakuti Vihara, Buddhist temple at Sarnath, next to the Dharmek stupa.
• 
  Buddha from Mulgandha Kuti Vihar.