It is the charm of ancient city of Varanasi, which brought , Diana Eck here to understand Hindu religion by staying at Assi area here to gather informations for her book.
Banaras: The City of Light, focussing on culture, tradition and religious events in holy city of Varanasi, is the acclaimed study and interpretation of Banaras, the holy place of the Hindus written by Diana Eck after long stay here.

Diana L. Eck is professor of comparative religion and Indian studies and director of The Pluralism Project at Harvard University. She is the author of many books on religion and Indian studies and director of The Pluralism Project at Harvard University. She is the author of many books, including Dar'san: Seeing the Divine Image in India and the editor of On Common Ground: World Religions in America.

The book is based on observations, interviews and analysis of textual documents to argue that the essence of Banaras remains unchanged despite numerous attempts to redefine it by various invaders
This books helps to the researchers across the world locate some unseen and unheard ancient temples in lesser known areas of Varanasi.
In Banaras – the city of light, Prof Eck looks at the ancient city from various angles. She takes you through the geography which she equates to a Mandala. You see the city in its geometry. She then takes you through the various aspects of the city, its mention in various Indian scriptures especially Kashi Khand of Skand Puran and Kashi Mahatmaya. She compares notes from the Puranas with the observations of various travelers. And She brings alive many temples that no longer exist but has been described in various traveler accounts.

it is just in the beginning that Prof Eck compares Kashi to other ancient cities of the world. Later on, her discourse is completely soaked in Indian ethos for Kashi. She beautifully brings out the yearning for Kashi that Shiva has and now all his devotees have. She talks about the story of Ganga as it is an inherent part of Banaras – City of Light.input from Wikipedia.