A pilgrim steps off the train at Varanasi Junction and asks a rickshaw driver to take him to Kashi. The driver nods. He knows the address. The pilgrim is not confused. He is naming the city by its oldest truth.
Kashi and Varanasi are the same city, but they are not the same place. Kashi is the name of the sacred, timeless city of light that exists beyond the physical; Varanasi is the name of the earthly city on the Ganges, the one you can visit, the one with train stations and post offices. The difference is not geographical. It is ontological.
Definition: What the Two Names Actually Mean
Kashi (काशी) comes from the Sanskrit root kash, meaning “to shine.” It is the Shining One, the City of Light. In the Puranas, Kashi is described as a linga of light that pierces the three worlds. It is not a place built by human hands. It is a cosmic axis, a kshetra (sacred field) that has existed since before creation.
Varanasi (वाराणसी) is a later name, derived from the two rivers that bound the city: the Varuna to the north and the Assi to the south. The Mahabharata (c. 400 BCE–400 CE) uses Varanasi as the name of the kingdom and its capital. The modern city on the Ganges is Varanasi. The eternal city that pilgrims seek is Kashi.
A third name, Benares, is an English corruption of Varanasi, popularized during the British Raj. It carries no sacred weight.
Where the Two Names Come From: A History of Layers
The earliest mention of Kashi appears in the Rigveda (c. 1500–1200 BCE), where it is listed as one of the kingdoms of the Kuru-Panchala region. The Atharvaveda calls it “the city of the gods.” But the full theology of Kashi as a transcendent city takes shape in the Puranas, especially the Kashi Khanda of the Skanda Purana (c. 600–1000 CE). There, Kashi is described as a place that never leaves the head of Shiva. It is the only city on earth that exists simultaneously in the celestial realm.
Varanasi as a name appears in the Jataka tales (Buddhist texts, c. 300 BCE–400 CE) and in the Mahabharata. The Chinese pilgrim Xuanzang, who visited in 635 CE, calls it “Po-lo-ni-sse” — a transcription of Varanasi. He describes a city of thirty temples and a thousand monks. By then, the physical city was already a major pilgrimage center.
The British East India Company took control in 1775 and standardized the name Benares for administrative use. After independence, the official name reverted to Varanasi. But the old name Kashi never disappeared. It remained in the mouths of pilgrims, in the titles of temples, and in the verses of the Ganga Lahiri.
Symbolism: The City of Light vs. The City of the Rivers
Kashi is the axis mundi. The Kashi Khanda says that the city is a yantra — a geometric diagram of the cosmos, and that its streets trace the pattern of Shiva’s trident. To walk through Kashi is to walk through a map of the universe. The light of Kashi is not sunlight. It is the jyoti (inner radiance) of Shiva’s consciousness, which never sets.
Varanasi, by contrast, is the city of the Ganges. Its identity is tied to the river, to the ghats, to the burning grounds at Manikarnika. The earthly city is where the rituals happen: the pind daan for ancestors, the aarti at dusk, the cremation pyres that burn day and night. Varanasi is the place where the eternal light of Kashi touches mortal earth.
This is why a pilgrim can say “I am going to Kashi” while buying a train ticket to Varanasi. The physical journey ends at Varanasi Junction. The spiritual journey ends at Kashi, which is not a location on a map but a state of being entered through pilgrimage, death, or devotion.
Practices: How Pilgrims Use the Two Names
When a Hindu dies in Kashi, it is said that Shiva whispers the taraka mantra (the crossing mantra) into the ear of the dying, granting liberation (moksha). But the body is cremated in Varanasi, on the Manikarnika Ghat. The sacred name opens the door. The earthly river washes the ashes.
Pilgrims perform the panchakroshi yatra, a five-day circumambulation of the sacred kshetra of Kashi. The route is about 88 kilometers and follows the ancient boundary of the transcendent city. Inside that boundary, everything is Kashi. Outside, it is ordinary land. The physical city of Varanasi extends beyond that boundary, but the sacred field is precisely defined.
The Kashi Vishwanath Temple is the earthly seat of Shiva as the lord of the universe. It is located in Varanasi, but it is considered a doorway to Kashi. The temple was destroyed and rebuilt multiple times. The current structure was built in 1780 by Rani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore. Pilgrims touch its walls and say they have touched Kashi.
Comparisons: Other Cities With Two Names
The duality is not unique. Jerusalem is both a physical city in Israel and the heavenly Jerusalem of Revelation. Lhasa is the earthly capital of Tibet, but the Potala Palace is the seat of the Dalai Lama, a spiritual center. Rome is the capital of Italy and the seat of the Vatican.
But Kashi and Varanasi are different. The two names are not separate places. They are the same city seen from two perspectives: the eternal and the temporal. One name belongs to the gods. The other belongs to the census.
Common Misconceptions
“Kashi is the old name, Varanasi is the new name.” Not exactly. Both names are ancient. Kashi appears in the Vedas. Varanasi appears in the Mahabharata. They coexisted for millennia. The shift is not chronological but categorical.
“Kashi and Varanasi are different cities.” No. They are the same geographical location. The difference is in the meaning, not the map.
“Benares is the same as Kashi.” Benares is a colonial corruption of Varanasi. It carries no sacred connotation. Using Benares for the eternal city is like calling Jerusalem “J-town.”
“You can visit Kashi.” You can visit Varanasi. Whether you enter Kashi depends on your intention, your devotion, and, some say, the grace of Shiva.
FAQ
Is Kashi older than Varanasi?
The name Kashi appears in the Rigveda (c. 1500 BCE), while Varanasi appears in the Mahabharata (c. 400 BCE–400 CE). But both names refer to the same place, so the city itself is the same age.
Why is Kashi called the City of Light?
The Sanskrit root kash means “to shine.” The Puranas describe Kashi as a pillar of light that pierces the three worlds. It is the place where Shiva’s consciousness is eternally present.
Can a non-Hindu visit Kashi?
Anyone can visit Varanasi. The temples are open to all, though some restrict entry to Hindus. Whether one experiences Kashi is a matter of personal perception, not passport.
Closing
The difference between Kashi and Varanasi is the difference between a name that points to the infinite and a name that points to the river. Both are true. Both are necessary. The pilgrim who understands this knows that the journey to Varanasi is also a journey to Kashi, and that the train ticket is only the first step.
For more on sacred geography, see our guide to sacred sites. To understand the symbolism of the Ganges, read our glossary entry on the Ganges. And for the full theology of the City of Light, explore our guide to Kashi and the Kashi Khanda.