The town of Varanasi is situated on the River Ganges (or Ganga)  in Northern India.  

It is a town with many names. Once known as Benares or Benaras, the town now obtains its name from its location.  For it is at Varanasi that two tributaries of the Ganges the Assi (now dried up) and the Varuna meet.  The rivers still mark the boundaries of the old city.  

However many Hindus believe that the name 'Varanasi'  originates from Sanskrit, where vara means brow and assi  means mid-point.  Indeed the mid point between the eyebrows forms an important energy center or chakra, denoting cleansing, karma and the ability to 'see' clearly.

The city is also known as Kashi, which means brightness because at dawn the city seems to glow.

Approximately 60% of Varanasi follows the Hindu dharma.  Muslims form the next largest group.  Buddhists, Sikhs and Christians also live in the city.

For Hindus, the city is the holiest of sites and the Ganges itself is treated as a goddess.  It is not uncommon for Hindus to refer to the river as 'Ganga Devi' or Goddess Ganges. There are lots of stories about how the river began.  One story tells of how the Ganges originated from the toe of Lord Vishnu. It flowed with such force that it threatened to destroy the earth. To prevent a disaster, Lord Shiva caught the river in his hair and allowed it to trickle to earth where it eventually reached the underground kingdom of the dead.