Varanasi is a city in the Uttar Pradesh state of northern India. As can be seen by the miles of ghats, temples, and shrines lining the river Ganges, Varanasi is the holiest site in Hinduism, drawing more than 2.5 million religious devotees yearly. India's government is a constitutional republic representing a highly diverse population with thousands of ethnic groups, hundreds of languages, and a complex caste system.

The nation has a convoluted social and cultural history, featuring a rich intellectual life in the sciences, arts, and religious tradition. After gaining independence from the British in 1947, India split from the predominantly Muslim regions of present-day Pakistan and Bangladesh. Despite earnest attempts to unify the country, tensions between rival ethnic groups and religious sects, rich and poor, have further divided the nation.

Burdening the country further, India has more abandoned children than any nation, with over 30 million orphans wandering bustling streets and railway stations. This cultural dynamism creates immense challenges for the central government but an enormous opportunity for the church of India to step into the harvest fields moved with compassion and great expectation.

• Pray for the advancement of God's Kingdom throughout the 43+ languages of this city, especially among the people groups listed above.
• Pray for leaders as they launch community centers from which church plants will happen. Pray for them as they reach women, children, and the poor. Pray for them to have wisdom, courage, and supernatural protection.
• Pray for a mighty movement of prayer to be birthed in Varanasi that multiplies throughout the country.
• Pray for followers of Jesus to walk in the power of the Spirit.
• Pray for a resurrection of God's divine purpose for this city.