The land of Varanasi has been the ultimate pilgrimage spot for Hindus for ages. Often referred to as Benares, Varanasi is considered one of the oldest cities of the world.

Varanasi's legends go back some 10,000 years, to the oldest epics of Hindu literature, including the Puranas, the Vedas and the Mahabharata. They say Varanasi is the city of Lord Shiva, who walked here with his wife Parvati at the beginning of time. It could also be the battlefield where the god Krishna set fire to a duplicate but imposter Krishna, or the place where the Lord Rama came to do penance after slaying the demon Ravana.

Varanasi is the holiest of the seven sacred cities (Sapta Puri) in Hinduism and Jainism, and played an important role in the development of Buddhism and Ravidassia.In the 16th century, Varanasi experienced a cultural revival under the Mughal emperor Akbar who patronised the city, and built two large temples dedicated to Shiva and Vishnu, though much of modern Varanasi was built during the 18th century, by the Maratha and Brahmin kings. The Kingdom of Benares was given official status by the Mughals in 1737, and continued as a dynasty-governed area until Indian independence in 1947. In the beginning of 19th century, Varanasi became an independent kingdom, with Ramnagar as its capital, when the British declared it a new Indian state in 1910. The last king of Varanasi, Kashi Naresh, occupied the fort of Ramnagar. After independence, Varanasi was incorporated into the united provinces of 1949.

In 1st century, Benaras was the capital of Gahadavala dynasty. Roads were established throughout the city and in the following centuries, many notable figures moved to Benaras to establish their religious thoughts.In the 6th century BC, Varanasi became the capital of the kingdom of Kashi. During this time Lord Buddha delivered his first sermon at Sarnath, just 10 km away from Varanasi. In 8th century, Adi Shankara visited Varanasi and made it a center of Lord Shiva worship.

Kashi was the old name of the city which was renamed as Varanasi. ‘Kashi’ means ‘the luminous one’ or ‘city of the light’ and derived its name from ‘Kasha’ which actually means ‘brightness’. The name Varanasi is also a derivative. Since the city is located on the banks of two tributaries of Ganges, Varuna and Asi, the name Varanasi was given to the city. Apart from being one of the most important places of pilgrimages, the city is also known for its heritage in music, art, culture, religion and literature. It was considered the abode of Lord Shiva and Goddess Parvati but the origins of the city are yet to be traced or discovered.

These few lines by Mark Twain say it all "Benaras is older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend and looks twice as old as all of them put together"..
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Manikarnika Ghat is one of the oldest ghats in Varanasi and has been accorded the highest position among other ghats by the holy scriptures in Hinduism. It is believed that if a person is cremated here, he immediately attains moksha (salvation). It is bound on both sides by the Scindia Ghat and Dashashwamedh Ghat. Like all the other ghats in Varanasi, the Manikarnika Ghat is surrounded by a fascinating mythological story which also tells us how it acquired its name. It is believed that when Goddess Adi Shakti, or Goddess Sati, jumped into the fire and immolated herself, Lord Shiva carried her burning body to the Himalayas. There, he was immersed in unending sorrow. Lord Vishnu, moved by his plight, sent forth his Divine Chakra (one of his weapons) which cut Goddess Adi Shakti’s body into 51 pieces. Each of the place where her pieces fell on Earth were declared as a Shakti Peeth. Because her earrings fell at this ghat, it was established as a Shakti Peeth and named Manikarnika since Manikarna in Sanskrit means ear rings.
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