Kashi, Banaras, Varanasi is the oldest living city in the history of mankind. Acknowledged unequivocally as the cultural capital of the oriental part of the globe, “the city of learning” and “the holy city of India” as it is variously known, lies on the banks of the sacred river Ganges in Uttar Pradesh and is considered the holiest of the seven cities (Sapta Puri). Also the spiritual capital of India, it lies just over 300 kilometres south-east of the stat capital, Lucknow. The cultural…