Varansi

Varanasi Kashi, Banaras
Metropolitan City
Clockwise from top: Manikarnika Ghat, Dashashwamedha Ghat, Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport, Tibetan Temple in Sarnath, Banaras Hindu University, Kashi Vishwanath Temple
Nickname(s): The spiritual capital of India
Varanasi Show map of India Varanasi Show map of Uttar Pradesh Location in Uttar Pradesh
Coordinates: 25°17′N 82°58′E / 25.28°N 82.96°E / 25.28; 82.96Coordinates: 25°17′N 82°58′E / 25.28°N 82.96°E / 25.28; 82.96
Country	India
State	Uttar Pradesh
Division	Varanasi
District	Varanasi
Government
• Type	Municipal Corporation
• Body	Varanasi Municipal Corporation
• Mayor	Mridula Jaiswal (BJP)
• Divisional Commissioner	Nitin Ramesh Gokarn, IAS
• District Magistrate	Yogeshwar Ram Mishra, IAS
• Inspector General, Varanasi Range	Deepak Ratan, IPS
• Senior Superintendent of Police	Nitin Tiwari, IPS
Area
• Metropolitan City	82.10 km2 (31.70 sq mi)
Elevation	80.71 m (264.80 ft)
Population (2011)
• Metropolitan City	1,201,815
• Rank	32nd
• Density	15,000/km2 (38,000/sq mi)
• Metro	1,435,113 (32nd)
Languages
• Official	Hindi, Urdu, English
Time zone	IST (UTC+5:30)
PIN	221 001 to** (** area code)
Telephone code	0542
Vehicle registration	UP 65
GDP	$2.34 billion (2013-14)
Sex ratio	0.926 (2011) ♂/♀
Literacy (2011)	80.12%
Website	varanasi.nic.in

Varanasi (Hindustani pronunciation: [ʋaːˈraːɳəsi] ( listen)), also known as Benares,Banaras (Banāras [bəˈnaːrəs] ( listen)), or Kashi (Kāśī [ˈkaːʃi] ( listen)), is a city on the banks of the Ganges in the Uttar Pradesh state of North India, 320 kilometres (200 mi) south-east of the state capital, Lucknow, and 121 kilometres (75 mi) east of Allahabad. A major religious hub in India, it is the holiest of the seven sacred cities (Sapta Puri) in Hinduism and Jainism, and played an important role in the development of Buddhism. Varanasi lies along National Highway 2, which connects it to Kolkata, Kanpur, Agra, and Delhi, and is served by Varanasi Junction railway station and Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport.