Kendriya Vidyalaya Varanasi is a school located in Varanasi, a city on the river Ganges in the southeastern part of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. As a Kendriya Vidyalaya, it forms part of the network of central government schools in India that cater primarily to the children of central government employees and follow a uniform curriculum across the country.
| Name | Kendriya Vidyalaya Varanasi |
|---|---|
| Type | School (Kendriya Vidyalaya) |
| Location | Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Region | Middle-Ganges valley, left bank of the Ganges |
The school is situated in Varanasi, also known as Banaras or Kashi, one of the world's oldest continually inhabited cities. The city lies on the left bank of the Ganges, approximately 692 kilometres southeast of New Delhi and 320 kilometres southeast of the state capital, Lucknow. It is located about 121 kilometres downstream of Prayagraj, the site of the confluence of the Ganges and the Yamuna.
Varanasi has a long history as an educational centre. India's oldest Sanskrit college, the Benares Sanskrit College, was founded by Jonathan Duncan, the resident of the East India Company, in 1791. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, education in Varanasi was shaped by the rise of Indian nationalism. Annie Besant founded the Central Hindu College in 1898, and in 1916, together with Madan Mohan Malviya, she founded the Banaras Hindu University, described as India's first modern residential university. The Kashi Vidyapith was established in 1921, in response to Mahatma Gandhi's non-cooperation movement. Kendriya Vidyalaya Varanasi operates within this broader educational tradition of the city.
Varanasi has a central place in the traditions of pilgrimage, death and mourning in the Hindu world. Its ancient name, Kashi, was associated with a kingdom of the same name in the first millennium BCE. The Lion capital of Ashoka at nearby Sarnath has been interpreted as a commemoration of the Buddha's first sermon there in the fifth century BCE. In the 8th century, Adi Shankara established the worship of Shiva as an official sect of the city. The poet Tulsidas wrote the Awadhi epic Ramcharitmanas in Varanasi, and other major figures of the Bhakti movement, including Kabir and Ravidas, were born in the city.
Under the Treaty of Faizabad, the East India Company acquired Benares city in 1775. The city subsequently became part of the Benares Division of the Ceded and Conquered Provinces in 1805, the North-Western Provinces in 1836, the United Provinces in 1902, and the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh in 1950.
Varanasi has a syncretic tradition of Hindu and Islamic artisanship that underpins its religious tourism. Silk weaving, carpets, crafts and tourism employ a significant share of the local population, alongside major industrial establishments such as the Banaras Locomotive Works and Bharat Heavy Electricals.