This very old city on the Ganges River in northeastern India is a sacred Hindu pilgrimage site, with over fifteen hundred temples, shrines, and palaces. In the river Ganges, people bathe, wash their clothes, wash their animals, brush their teeth, and bury

This ancient city, also known by the names Benares and Kashi, is one of the oldest continuously inhabited urban centers in the world. Situated on the banks of the sacred Ganges River in northeastern India, it is considered the spiritual capital of Hinduism. Pilgrims travel from all over the globe to visit its thousands of temples and shrines, believing that to die here is to achieve moksha, or liberation from the cycle of rebirth. Its profound religious significance and historic architecture make it a primary destination for devout Hindus.

Life in this bustling city revolves around the river. Dozens of stone stairways, known as ghats, line the Ganges and serve as the stage for both everyday activities and sacred rituals. In the same waters where people perform their daily ablutions, wash laundry, and bathe their livestock, funeral pyres burn at cremation ghats like Manikarnika. The ashes of the deceased are then scattered into the river, which Hindus revere as a goddess. This complex, interwoven relationship between the sacred and the mundane is a defining feature of the city, making it a unique and powerful place.