Varanasi,
they say you either love it or hate it. I loved it. Some claim it is
the oldest city in the world and it has certainly been a center of culture
and learning for over 2000 years. With it's narrow streets it
feels very old but in fact few of its buildings are more than a
century or two old. Formerly known
as Benares, its current name is older still and reflects its
position between two rivers, the Varuna and the Assi. It has an
auspicious location as the Ganges at this point flows from
the South to its
origin in the Himalayas in the North |