Varanasi, Benares or Kashi, you can call the holy city on the banks of River Ganga by any name but the spiritual experience you get here is nothing short of magical. Varanasi is the holiest city in the Hindu faith, as it is believed to have been built by the three primary Gods of Hindu faith, Brahma, Shiva and Vishnu. Recent excavations have found artefacts dating back to 1800 BC, giving proof to the fact that it is one of the oldest cities in the world. Since then it has been one of the biggest religious and cultural hubs of South-East Asia. It is believed that Gautama Buddha gave his first teaching in this city, thereby starting the practice of Buddhism. During the reign of Akbar,