Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India

Varanasi (sometimes called Banaras) is a large city and one of the key tourist destinations, situated in the southeastern part of Uttar Pradesh state in northern India. It is an important railway junction and the headquarters of its district.

The city, considered a cultural and industrial center of northern India, is located on the Ganges River, about 320 kilometers southeast of Lucknow and 121 kilometers east of Allahabad. Varanasi is regarded as the business, tourism, arts, literature, music, and crafts center of the district, as well as one of the seven sacred cities of Hinduism and Jainism. The local community is very diverse, with large numbers of followers of Hinduism, Buddhism, and Jainism. It is also believed that Buddhism was founded near this city around 528 BCE.

There are numerous landmarks and tourist spots to visit in the city, such as the Kashi Vishwanath Temple, the Jantar Mantar Observatory, the Bharat Kala Bhavan, the Durga Temple, the Aghor Peeth, the Sankat Mochan Hanuman Temple, the Alamgiri Mosque, the Gyanvapi Mosque, the Mahatma Gandhi Kashi Vidyapith, the Tulsi Manas Temple, the Ramnagar Fort, and the ghats.