Modern Varanasi

Banaras

Painting of Benares in 1890.

Modern history

After Aurangazeb’s death most of India was ruled by a confederacy of pro-Hindu kings. Much of modern Varanasi was built during this time by the Rajput and Maratha kings. The kings continued to be important through much of the British rule (1775–1947 AD), including the maharaja of Benares, or Kashi Naresh. The kingdom of Benares was given official status by the Mughals in 1737, and continued as a dynasty governed area up until Indian independence in 1947, during the reign of Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh. Benares was ceded to the Union of India on 15 October 1948. After the death of Dr. Vibhuti Narayan Singh in 2000, his son Anant Narayan Singh became the figurehead king of Benares, responsible for upholding the traditional duties of a Kashi Naresh.