Role of Water Shaping in the Cultural Landscape of Varanasi

This study investigates the pivotal role of water in shaping Varanasi's cultural landscape, an exemplar of India's riverine heritage where the Ganga River, ghats, kunds, and baughs integrate socio-religious, architectural, and ecological dimensions beyond mere environmental features. Varanasi exemplifies water as the cosmological organizing principle, driving urban form, sacred practices, and resilience against hydrological extremes. Employing a Sequential Explanatory Mixed-Methods Design (QUAN → QUAL), the quantitative phase used GIS Nearest Neighbour Index (NNI) analysis to confirm non-random clustering of temples and ghats along the Ganga, alongside a Likert-scale survey (N=134) generating composite scores for seven parameters. These informed Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) via correlation matrix, with qualitative content analysis, architectural tracing, and case studies (e.g., Durga Kund) interpreting sacred beliefs, functional utilities, and multi-scalar adaptations. Results reveal architecture's dominance as heritage carrier (P3 highest affirmed), a symbiotic sacred-functional nexus, and