Perhaps the Muslim conquerors once perceived the Hindus' reverence for Varanasi as a threat there is no temple in this 3,000-year-old city dating from before the 18th century but later it became a holy city for Muslims, too, with Emperor Aurangzeb even trying to rename it Muhammadabad.
Emperor Aurangzeb made an attempt to rename the city as Muhammadabad.
The city has numerous temples from prior to the 18th century.