Varanasi also known as Banaras and Kashi Vishwanath, is a city in the northern Indian state of Uttar Pradesh dating to the 11th century B.C. Regarded as the spiritual capital of India, the city draws Hindu pilgrims who bathe in the Ganges River’s sacred waters and perform funeral rites. Along the city's winding streets are some 2,000 temples, including Kashi Vishwanath, the “Golden Temple,” dedicated to the Hindu god Shiva, Banaras Hindu University, Sarnath the mathma bhudd temple, Central Institute of Higher Tibetan Studies CIHTS Buddhist university.