Sandwiched between the rivers Varuna and Ashi as they join the Ganges, Varanasi takes its name from its location. It is also called Kashi, the city of light, but the British, in an endeavor to simplify matters, had coined their own name for the place—Benaras. Varanasi is the city of a thousand temples. The main object of all devotees is the Kasi Vishwanath Temple. According to Hindu belief, Benaras or Varanasi as it is known, is the cosmic center of the Universe. The renowned American novelist Mark Twain once wrote, "Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together."

Altitude: 73.89 sq.km., Altitude:80.71 mts., Climate: (deg C) Summer- Max. 46 Min. 32; Winter- Max. 15.5, Min. 5, Rainfall: 11.1 cm. (June to September), Clothing: Summer- Light cottons, Winter- Woollens, Languages Spoken: Hindi, Bengali, English, Best Season: Throughout the year, but preferably October to March.

Places of Interest: River Front, Alamgir Mosque, Bharat Mata Temple, Tulsi Manas Temple, Gyanvapi Mosque, Vishwanath Temple (Golden Temple), Vishwanath Temple (Benaras Hindu University), Durga Temple, Sarnath, Archaeological Museum, Sarnath , Fort Museum, Ramnagar, Bharat Kala Bhavan Hindu University.

Reach -
By Air: Varanasi is well connected to Bhubaneshwar, Lucknow, Agra & Delhi.
By Rail: Varanasi is connected by rail with all the major cities.
By Rail: Agra- 610 kms, Allahabad- 127 kms, Bodh Gaya- 240 kms, Gorakhpur- 215 kms, Khajuraho- 406 kms, Kushinagar- 260 kms, Lucknow- 320 kms, Lumbini- 320 kms, Patna- 270 kms Calcutta- 681 kms, Bombay- 1550 kms, Delhi- 710 kms etc.