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HHI Varanasi
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Hotel Hindusthan International, Varanasi, is centrally located hotel with modern facilities ...
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India: Search for areas
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Varanasi
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Description
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Varanasi (also known as Benares, Banaras, Benaras, Kashi, and Kasi) is a Hindu holy city on the banks of the river Ganga (Ganges) in the modern north Indian state of Uttar Pradesh.
Varanasi has a unique culture, quite different from other places in the region. This culture has developed through thousands of years during which it has been one of the major cultural centres of northern India. The whole Varanasi culture revolves around the river Ganga, which is the heart and soul of the city. Varanasi has its own 'Gharanas' (style of music) in classical Indian music. Varanasi has produced some of the most well-known musicians, philosophers, poets, writers in Indian history.
It even has its own dialect, which is quite different from other dialects of the region. It has been a seat of knowledge from about 700 BC onwards. Its universities attracted students from all over the then-known world.
Varanasi is the site of the holy shrine of Lord Kasi Viswanatha (a form of Lord Shiva) which is one of the revered 12 Jyotirlingas of the Lord. This, along with the fact that it stands on the banks of the Ganga, has rendered Varanasi a place of great religious importance to the Hindus. Varanasi is considered one of the most sacred places of pilgrimage for Hindus irrespective of denomination.
It is believed by many that bathing in the Ganga results in the remission of sins, and that dying in the holy city of Kasi (Varanasi) circumvents rebirth. This belief has encouraged the establishment of innumerable geriatric homes and hospices.
The modern name Varanasi is derived from the twin tributaries of Ganga Varuna and Asi on whose shores the city stands.
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