CHRONOLOGY OF KASHI HISTORY
Explore the key eras of the world's oldest living city
Ancient Vedic Roots & Birth of Anandavana
Kashi emerges as the center of Vedic learning, philosophy, and silk weaving.
Varanasi is widely acknowledged as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities on Earth. In the Rigveda and Upanishads, it is named Kashi, meaning "The Luminous City". It was surrounded by dense forests known as Anandavana (Forest of Bliss).
Buddha’s First Sermon at Sarnath
Gautama Buddha turns the Wheel of Dhamma at Sarnath, just 10 km from Kashi.
After attaining Enlightenment under the Bodhi tree in Gaya, the Buddha walked straight to Kashi. At the Deer Park in Sarnath, he delivered his first discourse (Dhammacakkappavattana Sutta) to his five former companions.
The Renaissance of Maratha Rule & Ahilyabai Holkar
Queen Ahilyabai Holkar rebuilds the Kashi Vishwanath Temple and restores destroyed ghats.
Following centuries of medieval turmoil, Queen Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore dedicated her life and treasury to reconstructing sacred shrines across India. In 1780, she constructed the current Kashi Vishwanath Temple sanctum.