Coorinates: 25°16′55″N 82°57′23″E / 25.282, 82.9563 Varanasi (Sanskrit: वाराणसी Vārāṇasī, pronunciation [ʋaːɾaːɳəsiː] (help·info)), also commonly known as Benares ([bə.naː.rəs]) or Banaras (Hindi: बनारस, Urdu: بنارس, Banāras pronunciation [bənɑːɾəs] (info)) and Kashi (Hindi: काशी Kāśī [kaː.ʃiː] (info)), is a city situated on the left (west) bank of the river Ganga (Ganges) in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, regarded as holy by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains, and one of the oldest continually inhabited cities in the world.