Kashi Vishwanath Temple

Kashi Vishwanath is not one temple among many; for countless Hindus it is the center of the sacred world. Here in Varanasi, the city older than memory, Lord Shiva dwells as Vishwanath, the lord of all, in one of the twelve Jyotirlingas.

History of the Temple

The shrine has been destroyed and rebuilt through the centuries, and the present golden-spired temple was raised in 1780 by Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore, with the gold plating gifted by Maharaja Ranjit Singh. The newly built Kashi Vishwanath corridor now connects the sanctum directly to the ghats of the Ganga.

Significance of the Temple

Scripture promises that Shiva himself whispers the taraka mantra to those who leave their body in Kashi, carrying them across the ocean of samsara. Darshan of Vishwanath with a bath in the Ganga is counted among the most purifying acts a devotee can perform, and pujas performed here, from Rudrabhishek to Mahamrityunjaya jaap, carry the weight of the tirtha itself.

What to Experience

Mangala Aarti before dawn

The first aarti of the day, in the hush before the city wakes, is Kashi at its most intimate.

The corridor and the ghats

Walk from the sanctum to the river through the new corridor, then stay for the evening Ganga Aarti at Dashashwamedh.