Varanasi

Varanasi -- also known as Banaras or Kashi -- has 84 ghats stretching across five-and-a-half kilometres, lining the banks of the Ganga. The city is believed to have been built by Lord Shiva and because it is ruled by him, the king of Kashi -- known as the Kashi Naresh -- is considered the representative of Lord Shiva and has always lived on the outskirts of the city