Kashi Vishwanath Temple Varanasi

Kashi Vishwanath temple is located at western banks of River Ganges, in the holy city Varanasi.  The original temple is believed to have been demolished by Aurangzeb and a Mosque was built in its place. Present structure was constructed in the year 1780 by the Maratha monarch, Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore at an adjacent place. Kashi Vishwanath temple is also known as the Golden temple of Shiva and houses one of the Jyotirlingas. The gold used to plate the two domes of the temple was donated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. Since 28 January 1983, Kashi Vishwanath is the property of the government of Uttar Pradesh.

location Uttar pradesh, Varanasi, Lucknow

Legend

According to the legends, Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu once had an argument regarding their supremacy. Lord Shiva pierced the three worlds with a huge endless pillar of light, the jyotirlinga, to test Brahma and Vishnu. Shiva asked Brahma and Vishnu to find the end of the Jyotirlinga to prove their supremacy. Both went to find the end of the Jyotirlinga. Eventually, Brahma lied that he had found out the end, while Vishnu conceded his defeat. When came to know the lie of Brahma, Shiva appeared as a second pillar of light and cursed Brahma that he would never find a place in ceremonies, while Vishnu would be worshipped till the end of time. The jyotirlingas are the shrines, where Shiva appeared as a fiery column of light. Kashi Vishwanath Temple Varanasi is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas.

This Temple is part of famous Kashi - Varanasi, Saptapuri Yatra and 12 Jyotirlinga Darsan Yatra.

Architecture

The Kashi Vishwanath temple is essentially a series of smaller shrines in a small lane called the Vishwanatha Galli. The linga, housed in a silver altar, of the main deity at the shrine is 60 cm tall and 90 cm in circumference. There is a small well in the temple called the Gyaan vapi and is supposed to be the well of wisdom.
The temple is composed of three parts. The first is a spire on the temple Mahadeva. The second is gold dome and the third is the gold spire atop the Vishwanath carrying a flag and a trident. The temple has 15.5 metre high gold spire. There are three domes each made up of pure gold.

Culture

  Varanasi is the spiritual hub of India and it has been so through the history. Largely a Hindu locality, it presents one of the greatest examples of religious harmony as many of the goods used in poojas are manufactured by muslim community. The banks of River Ganges in Varanasi are considered to liberate one from the cycle of life and death, and it can be seen in various rituals carried here for the dead. Varanasi represents the spiritual fibre of India and people here are followers of religious and spiritual ideologies of Hinduism.

Darsan Info

From 4 to 11 AM general Darshan is allowed, then 12:00 PM to 7:00 PM devotees are free to have Darshan.
Tradition has it that the fruits of all  pilgrimages to all the remaining Jyotirlingas could be earned by a single visit to Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

Darsan Dresscode

Travel Support

Travel Support
[email protected], [email protected],
+91 5422390550, 
+91 5422392629

Our team will be more than happy to assist and take care of your complete itinerary end-to-end in a personalized and professional manner.

Temple Rituals

The main rituals practiced in Kashi Vishwanath temple are Mangal Aarti (for ticket holders), Bhog and Aartis

Special Rituals

Rudrabhishek, Maharudra, Laghurudra, Saptarshee, Yati Bhiksha