Located in northern India on the Ganges River, Varanasi plays a significant role in Hindu customs related to death, sorrow, and pilgrimage. The city’s religious tourism is supported by a syncretic history of Islamic artisanship. Varanasi is situated on the left side of the river and is part of the middle-Ganges valley in the southeast of the state of Uttar Pradesh. It is located 320 kilometers (200 km) southeast of Lucknow, the state capital, and 692 kilometers (430 mi) southeast of New Delhi, the capital of India. It is located 121 kilometers (75 mi) downstream of Prayagraj, another important Hindu pilgrimage place, at the Yamuna River’s confluence.