More than 5,000 years old, Varanasi is one of the oldest cities in the world – and also the holiest city in the world to Hindus. (There are 23,000 temples in Varanasi.)

Located on the banks of the sacred Ganges River also contributes to its prestige as an important site of pilgrimage. Hindus believe that dying here and getting cremated along the banks of the “holy” Ganges river allows one to break the cycle of rebirth and attain salvation, making it a major center for pilgrimage.

Varanasi is also very sacred to Buddhists because this is where Buddha gave his first sermon and where Buddhism was born around 528 years before Christ was born.