12 Oldest Living and Continuously Inhabited Cities of India

India is not only the land of historical places and monuments but also home to world’s 12 oldest living and continuously inhabited cities. Varanasi is the oldest living city on earth, Situated on the west bank of the Ganges and followed by Madurai as oldest civilization in India and Ujjain.Here’s our list of the 12 oldest continuously inhabited cities in India. Images: theBetterIndia

Varanasi

Varanasi,Banaras or Kashi is the holiest city in the world, situated on the banks of the Ganges river in Uttar Pradesh with 84 ghats, used for bathing and cremation. Banaras is known as City of Temples, has estimated 23000 temples and the most popular temple is the Kashi Vishwanath Temple of Shiva, one of the 12 Jyotirlinga Shiva temples in India.

Madurai

Madurai is one of the oldest cities in India and second largest city of Tamil Nadu state with number of historical monuments such as Tirumalai Nayak Palace being and Meenakshi Amman Temple. The city is located on the banks of River Vaigai and also listed as one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world.

Ujjain

Ujjain is ancient walled city located on the bank of river Kshipra in Madhya Pradesh and one of the holiest cities in India. The city is home to most sacred abodes of Lord Shiva, Mahakaleshwar Jyotirlinga temple and host Simhastha Kumbha Mela, held once in 12 years in India.

Patna

Patna or Pataliputra is one of the oldest continuously inhabited places in the world,situated on the southern bank of river Ganges. Pataliputra was the capital of the Magadha Empire and today is the capital and largest city of the state of Bihar.

Kannauj

Kannauj is one among the most ancient place of India having rich and powerful dynasties. The city is known for the distilling of scents,perfume and rose water. Baba Gaurishankar Mandir is one of the most famous temples in Kannauj.

Delhi

Delhi is the current capital city of India and is believed to be one of the oldest cities of the world. The city of Delhi offers one a glimpse of India’s religious diversity and evidences of continuous in-habitation.

Gwalior

Gwalior is one of the oldest city of central India and known for its heritage and historical places,classical music gharanas and magnificent palace. The city and its fortress is one of the major tourist attraction in Madhya Pradesh and also selected as one of the hundred smart Indian cities.

Pushkar

Pushkar is one of the five sacred pilgrimage site for Hindus in India and one of the oldest existing cities of India. The city is also famous for its annual Pushkar Camel Fair and famous Brahma Temple, very few temples to Lord Brahma exist in India.

Thanjavur

Thanjavur city is an important center of South Indian religion, famous for Great Living Chola Temples and also home to Tanjore painting. Thanjavur is one of the most ancient cities of India and home to one of the largest temples in India, the great Brihadeeswara Temple.

Ayodhya

Ayodhya is an ancient city of India and the birthplace of Lord Rama,situated in Uttar Pradesh state. The magnificent and holy of Hindu cities, Ayodhya is one of the seven most sacred cities of India.

Kollam

Kollam is the oldest port city in India,located at the Malabar Coast in Kollam district of Kerala. The city was most important trading ports in India, situated on the banks of Ashtamudi Lake and least polluted city in India.

Vadodara

Vadodara is one of the oldest city in India and a magnificent place of culture,temples,monuments and tourist attractions. The city of Vadodara was known as Baroda is located on the banks of the Vishwamitri river and is the cultural capital of Gujarat.