Logo

Varanasi, one of the most ancient cities of the world, is a precious repository of cultural heritage. It is an amalgamation of spiritual and secular influences resulting from continuous historical events and settlements, carrying with it both intangible and tangible properties, social contracts and related norms of knowledge, traditions and customs. Kashi, Banaras or Varanasi assumes a complex identity stemming from the collective memory of generations of communities settled here, and the multi-dimensional cultural constructs accommodated by the city over the ages. This bilingual publication encompasses a mapping of the city by the Intangible Cultural Heritage division of INTACH, with an aim to unravel the complex and contoured elements of city life, both historic and contemporary, attaching as much value to the ancient and the authentic, as to the transitions and transformations witnessed over time. Co-published by INTACH and Aditya Prakashan.