The old city of Varanasi is located on the north shores of the Ganges, bounded by its two tributaries: Varuna and Asi. According to legend, Varanasi was founded by the god Shiva.
Rudyard Kipling called Varanasi "the greatest spectacle in India." Mark Twain wrote that Varanasi is "older than history, older than tradition, older even than legend, and looks twice as old as all of them put together"