Diana L. Eck. Princeton, 1983.427 pp. $10.95
The city of Banaras is more than a relic of India's ancient Hindu past. As seen Eck, a Harvard professor of religion, it is a place that preserves the past "like a pal- impsest," the older layers of civilization partially visible through more recent ad-' ditions. Founded in the sixth century B.c., Banaras was physically altered by foreign invasions lasting from the 13th to the 17th centuries. But its religious signifi- cance to Hindus has remained...