No one knows when Varanasi was found. It is said to have been founded by Shiva, Lord of the Universe. Located in the middle Ganga valley of North India, in the Eastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh, its beginnings are lost in the mists of time. However, it is said that the Hindu God Shiva supposedly once lived there.

Ganga (the Ganges) the 'River of Life' and personified as a goddess is said to have acquired the boon to wash away the sins of the human race on certain occasions. And Situated on the banks of the sacred Ganges, the city has been a centre of learning and civilisation for over 2000 years. Mark Twain who was fascinated by the legend of Benaras (as it was called earlier), 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". That says it all.

What's in a name?
Varanasi, also known as Benares derives its present name from the two tributaries of the Ganga - Varuna and Asi - between which it is situated.The city is said to have been found ten centuries before Christ. The holy city within Benaras is known as Kashi, the "the luminous" in the Rigveda. Kashi is also the place where the famous Vishwanath temple is located. Here is the holy shrine of Lord Kashi Vishwanath, (an aspect of Lord Shiva) and one of the twelve revered Jyotirlingas of the Lord Shiva.. Anandvana, the "Forest of Bliss" and Rudravasa the place of Shiva's residence are the other appellates used to refer to Varanasi.