Kashi (కాశీ)
Today: Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
Kashi, "the city of light," is Shiva's own eternal city on the banks of the Ganga - people have lived and prayed here for so many thousands of years that it is called the oldest living city in the world. In many tellings, anyone who breathes their last at the Manikarnika ghat receives moksha, with Shiva himself whispering the way. For generations, Telugu families have made the great Kashi yatra, and coming home with a little sealed pot of Ganga water is one of the most treasured traditions of all.