Varanasi
Sanskrit: वाराणसी, Vārāṇasī
also commonly known as Benares or Banaras
(Hindi: बनारस, Urdu: بنارس)
and Kashi (Hindi: काशी, Urdu: کاشی, Kāśī [ˈkaːʃi]
is a city situated on the banks of the River Ganges in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, 320 kilometres (199 mi) southeast of state capital Lucknow. It is regarded as a holy city by Buddhists and Jains, and is the holiest place in the world in Hinduism (and center of the Earth in Hindu cosmology). It is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and probably the oldest in India.