city in S Uttar Pradesh, N India, on the Ganges: pop. 932,000
See Varanasi in American Heritage Dictionary 4
(və-räˈnə-sē) also Be·na·res(bə-närˈəs, -ēz) or Ba·na·ras(-närˈəs)
A city of northeast-central India on the Ganges River southeast of Lucknow. One of India's oldest cities, it is a sacred Hindu pilgrimage site with some 1,500 temples, palaces, and shrines. Population: 1,100,000.