Varanasi

Traditional name for the sacred city of
Benares. The name Varanasi may be
generally used to denote the whole city,
but in a more specific context this refers
to one of the concentric sacred zones
surrounding the Vishvanath temple, the
city’s ritual center. The smallest of these
zones is called Avimukta, the second is
Varanasi, and the largest is named
Kashi. The sacred zone of Varanasi is
conceived as the area between the
Varana and the Asi rivers—the traditional
boundaries of the city of Benares—but
Varanasi’s boundaries do not stretch
inland as far as those of Kashi.