Varanasi Timelapse | 1300 BCE - 2026

Watch Varanasi grow for more than 3,000 years, from farming villages near the Ganga to the city of ghats, temples and lanes it is today, in 3D on the real ground with buildings at their true heights. Kashi is one of the oldest living cities in the world, and its story is one of loss and rebuilding. The Vishwanath temple was destroyed in 1194, rebuilt, and pulled down again around 1490. In 1585 Narayan Bhatt, with Raja Todar Mal's support, rebuilt it in Chunar sandstone, the tallest building in the city. In 1669 it was demolished on Aurangzeb's order, and the Gyanvapi mosque was built on its plinth. Ahilyabai Holkar built the present temple beside it in 1777-80, Maharaja Ranjit Singh gave the gold for its spire and dome in 1835-39, and in 2021 the Kashi Vishwanath Dham opened it to the river. Also in the film: Rajghat, the first town (c. 800 BCE); the Buddha's first sermon and Ashoka's pillar at Sarnath; the stone ghats and palaces on the river; Ramnagar Fort; Prinsep's survey of 1822; the Dufferin Bridge (1887); BHU (1916); and the city today. It ends with a rewind, a tour of the landmarks and a dusk finale. How it was made: the ground, river and today's streets come from OpenStreetMap and terrain data; old layouts from historic maps and surveys; dates from published histories. Lost buildings are reconstructed from descriptions, so their forms are approximate, and the houses around them are generic. Dates marked "c." are estimates. Music: an original score generated in code. A devotional loop in raga Bhupali (tanpura, bansuri, santoor, tabla) turns to raga Shivranjani for the raids and demolitions, and a rising cue of damaru, conch and bells marks each rebuilding of Vishwanath. Sources: Prinsep, Benares Illustrated (1831); Sherring, The Sacred City of the Hindus (1868); Nevill, Benares: A Gazetteer (1909); Imperial Gazetteer (1908); Xuanzang (tr. Beal); Archaeological Survey of India; Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Trust; Wikipedia. Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL). Terrain: Mapzen Terrarium. Also in this series: Mumbai, 7 Islands to a Megacity:    • Mumbai Timelapse: 1300 to 2026   Chapters 0:00 Varanasi today 0:24 c. 1300 BCE · Villages before the city 0:37 c. 1000 BCE · A bend in the Ganga 0:49 c. 800 BCE · A hamlet at Rajghat 1:04 c. 8th century BCE · Parshvanatha 1:15 c. 600 BCE · Kashi 1:29 c. 528 BCE · The Deer Park 1:47 c. 500-300 BCE · A rampart of clay 2:05 c. 250 BCE · Ashoka at Sarnath 2:20 c. 200 BCE-300 CE · A town of brick 2:35 c. 320-550 · The Guptas 2:49 c. 6th century · The first Vishwanath 3:04 7th century · A temple on the ridge 3:18 c. 637 · Xuanzang's Varanasi 3:31 c. 630-790 · Huts along the ridge 3:48 c. 790-880 · Along the high bank 4:05 c. 880-960 · Under the Pratiharas 4:22 c. 960-1030 · A city on the ridge 4:38 1033 · The first raid 4:54 1090-1194 · Capital of the Gahadavalas 5:09 c. 12th century · Kardameshwar 5:21 1194 · The sack of Kashi 5:40 1194 · Avimukteshvara falls 5:56 1194 · Sarnath abandoned 6:07 c. 1236-40 · Razia's mosque 6:20 late 13th c. · Rebuilt 6:33 1300-1490 · Under the sultans 6:47 c. 1490 · Pulled down again 7:00 c. 1507 · Guru Nanak 7:15 1567 · Gates shut on Akbar 7:31 1580 · Stone steps 7:43 1585 · Akbar's rebuilders 8:00 1588 · Chaukhandi 8:11 1574-1623 · Tulsidas 8:23 c. 1600 · Man Mandir 8:36 1611-1631 · Spires over Benares 8:51 1632-1633 · Shah Jahan's order 9:05 1665 · Tavernier's Benares 9:18 1669 · Aurangzeb's order 9:36 1669-1678 · The Gyanvapi mosque 9:50 1722-1740 · The Rajas of Benares 10:04 1735-1748 · The first Maratha ghats 10:21 1750-1752 · Ramnagar Fort 10:36 1775-1780 · Ahilyabai's Vishwanath 10:56 1781 · Chet Singh 11:12 1774-1800 · Steps of stone 11:30 1791-1812 · Sikraul 11:43 1810-1811 · The city sits down 11:55 1800-1822 · Palaces on the river 12:15 1822-1829 · Prinsep's Benares 12:32 1828-1839 · Gold for Vishwanath 12:49 1830-1843 · A ghat and a pagoda 13:01 1847-1853 · Queen's College 13:16 4 June 1857 · Rising at Sikrol 13:29 July 1857 · A fort at Rajghat 13:42 1862 · The railway, across the river 13:57 1874-1899 · Trains reach the city 14:10 16 December 1887 · The Dufferin Bridge 14:28 1890-1892 · Water from the Ganga 14:39 1916 · A university 15:09 1903-1936 · Parks and patriots 15:23 1904-1931 · Sarnath uncovered 15:35 1947-1956 · Varanasi 15:49 1956-1964 · The locomotive works 16:02 1931-1966 · New Vishwanath 16:16 1919-2012 · IIT (BHU) 16:30 1960-2005 · The city spreads west 16:50 1965-1994 · Ravidas's birthplace 17:04 1924-2012 · Babatpur 17:22 2017-2021 · New landmarks 17:38 2019-2021 · Kashi Vishwanath Dham 17:58 2022-2026 · Today 18:17 Rewind: the ghats, 1730-1910 18:54 Rewind: three thousand years 19:36 A tour of the landmarks 22:10 Dusk: the city of 1822, and Rajghat #Varanasi #Kashi #Banaras #KashiVishwanath #Timelapse #History #India