Spiritual hub Varanasi will be Modi's battleground

Home to at least 84 ghats that dot the banks of the Ganga, Kashi—as Hindu devout still call it—is where Tulsidas wrote Ramcharitra Manas, a spiritual classic.

Varanasi is also where spiritual giant Lahiri Mahasaya prached Kriya Yoga. It is also where Trialang Swami lived, reportedly, for hundreds of years, having mastered the yogic secret of walking on water.

Varanasi is home to innumerable temples, the most prominent of which is the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

As invaders plundered many Hindu shrines in the 12th century, most temples that still exist here date to the 18th century.

But Varanasi is not just about religion.