Varanasi, also known as Kashi and Benares, is a city located on the left bank of the Ganges river in northern India. It is one of the seven sacred cities of Hinduism and has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death, and mourning in the Hindu world. The city is located in the middle-Ganges valley in the southeastern part of the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is 692 kilometers (430 mi) to the southeast of India’s capital New Delhi and 320 kilometers (200 mi) to the east of the state capital, Lucknow.