Back to Places
๐ฎ
๐๏ธ Iconic Cities
Varanasi
World's oldest living city; holiest Hindu city on the Ganges
๐ฎ๐ณ India Uttar Pradesh 1200 BC
๐๏ธ Why It Matters
1
One of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities โ over 3,000 years
2
Ganga Aarti โ fire ritual on the ghats at sunset; attended by thousands nightly
3
Believed that dying here grants moksha (liberation from the cycle of rebirth)
Mark Twain: "Varanasi is older than history, older than tradition, older than legend"
Quick Facts
Category
๐๏ธ Iconic Cities
Country
๐ฎ๐ณ India
Location
Uttar Pradesh
Key Year
1200 BC
About
World's oldest living city; holiest Hindu city on the Ganges