Kashi Vishwanath Temple

Kashi Vishwanath Temple is in the Vishwanath Galli of Varanasi by the western bank of the sacred river Ganga. Sri Kashi Vishwanath is one of the three presiding Deities of Kashi or Varanasi. After the inauguration of the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor by His Excellency Prime Minister of India, Sri Narendra Modi, the temple has come to much lime light to every generation of public. The Kashi Vishwanath Temple is the icon of cultural & religious history of Sanatana Dharma. It is the pinnacle of one’s life. Every citizen born in the holy city of India wants to visit Kashi and touch the sacred Vishwanatha Linga in the Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

The temple houses the Jyotirlinga among the Dwadasha Jyotirlingas of India. Jyotirlingas are those lingas of Lord Shiva where He personally appeared as a column of light. Being a Jyotirlinga, the temple attains prominence amongst the temples of Lord Shiva as well as in Varanasi.

The current temple was built in 1780 by Maharani Ahalya Bai Holkar of Indore. The temple has been demolished many times by Muslim kings and then rebuilt. The temple has been mentioned in the Vedic literature especially the Kashi Khanda of the Skanda Purana.

The Origin of Kashi Vishwanath Linga

The Kashi Khanda of Skanda Purana narrates that the Vishwanath Jyotirlinga is exactly the same linga which appeared as the column of light to Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu in response to their enquiry about who is greater. Although the original and the first shivalinga of Kashi is Lord Avimukteshwara, the Vishwanath Jyotirlinga is much famed due to its being the Jyotirlinga. Even a touch of this jyotirlinga can award the results of performance of thousands of Rajasuya Yajnas. The Kashi Khanda states:

swayambhu avosya lingasya mama vishweshi tuh surah
rajasuya sahasrasya phalam syat sparsha matratah (Kashi Khanda 99.26)

How Kashi Vishwanath Temple always arose amidst ruins

The Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga and its glories are mentioned in the Kashi Khanda of the Skanda Purana. The original Kashi Vishwanath Temple was destroyed in 1194 CE by the invading army of Mohammed Ghori. Then, the temple was rebuilt by a wealthy Gujarati merchant in the 13^th century. The temple was demolished again during the rule of Sikander Lodhi (1489 – 1517 CE). Raja Man Singh rebuilt the temple during the reign of the Mughal emperor Akbar. Raja Todar Mal further improved upon the structure in 1585 CE.

Mughal emperor Aurangazeb destroyed the temple again in 1669 CE and erected the Gyanvapi mosque in place. In 1780, Maharani Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore rebuilt the temple adjacent to the mosque. There were attempts to demolish the mosque and rebuild the Kashi Vishwanath temple before Maharani Ahalya Bai Holkar. But the plans didn’t materialize.

In 1828 CE, Baiza Bai, the widow of Maratha ruler Daulat Rao Scindia of Gwalior state built a low-roof colonnade with over 40 pillars in the precinct of the Gyan Vapi well. A seven feet high Deity of Nandi, gifted by the King of Nepal, stands to the east of the colonnade standing to the testimony that the original temple stood in the place of the Jnana Vapi Mosque. Between 1833 to 1840 CE, the nearby temples, the boundary wall of the Gyan Vapi well and the ghats were constructed.

In 1835 CE, one ton of gold was donated by Maharaja Ranjit Singh at the behest of his wife Datar Kaur for the gold-plating of the temple domes. The temple was being managed by a hereditary group of pandits. Later the government of Uttar Pradesh took over the management in 1983.

The Structure & Deities of Kashi Vishwanath Temple

The Kashi Vishwanath Temple mainly has a Sabha Griha and Garbha Griha. The Sabha Griha (congregation hall) leads to the Garbha Griha (sanctum sanctorum). The main structure is a quadrangle surrounded by smaller shrines dedicated to Avimukteshwara, Ganesha, Kaala Bhairava, Dandapani, Vishnu, Shanishwara, Virupaksha and Virupaksh Gauri. These smaller original shrines are well laid out in the Vishwanath Galli of Varanasi.

 

The Jyotirlinga of Sri Kashi Vishwanath has been installed on a silver altar in the main temple complex. Two of the domes are gold-plated while the spire above the dome of Sri Kashi Vishwanath holds the temple flag and a trident. There is a famous well on the northern side of the main temple called Gyanvapi. The Jyotirlinga of Kashi Vishwanath was kept in this well for protection during the invasion of Islamic kings. 

Festivals at Kashi Vishwanath Temple

Maha-Shivaratri

Numerous festivals are celebrated at Kashi Vishwanath Temple. The most important amongst them all is Maha-Shivaratri. Lakhs of devotees locally, nationally and internationally visit the temple to have the darshan of Lord Kashi Vishwanath on this occasion every year. On this day, the Kashi Naresh (King of Kashi) is the chief officiating priest. No one else can enter the temple unless the Kashi Naresh completes his pujas to Lord Kashi Vishwanath.

Shravan month

The month of Shravan is another important festive occasion. It is very auspicious for the devotees of Lord Shiva. On the first Monday of the Shravan month, Lord Shiva is decorated gorgeously. On the second Monday, the Utsavar Deities of Lord Kashi Vishwanath and Parvathi Devi are decorated gorgeously. On the third and fourth Mondays, Lord Kashi Vishwanath is decorated as Ardhanarishwara and Rudrakashay respectively. The whole month is celebrated grandly at the temple. Moreover, a special Jhoola Shringar is offered to the Lord this month.

Other Festivals

The other festivals celebrated at the Kashi Vishwanath temple includes Dev Deepawali, Akshaya Tritiya, Annakoot, Makar Sankranti and Rangbhari Ekadashi (Amlaki Ekadashi).

The temple timings of Kashi Vishwanath Temple

The Kashi Vishwanath temple is one of the holiest sites for Hindus. Hence, huge number of devotees visit the temple every day. The temple is also open for longer hours keeping in view the devotees visiting and the offerings done to Lord Kashi Vishwanath. The temple is open for darshan from 3 AM early morning to 11 PM late night.

Following is the detailed break-up of the timings and offerings at the temple:

Mangala Aarti: 03.00 AM – 04.00 AM
Bhoga Aarti: 11.15 AM – 12.20 PM
Sandhya Aarti: 07.00 PM – 08.15 PM
Shringar Aarti: 09.00 PM – 10.15 PM
Shayana Aarti: 10.30 PM – 11.00 PM

How to reach Kashi Vishwanath Temple?

aalsyenapi yo yayad grhad vishveshvaralayam
ashwamedha adhiko dharmas tasya syaachh pade pade

Even out of laziness, if a person leaves his house towards the temple of Sri Kashi Vishwanatha, every step he takes will accrue him more punya than performance of the Ashwamedha Yajna (Kashi Khanda, 03.86). One can just can’t imagine about the result achieved by willinginly visiting Sri Kashi Vishwanath Temple.

If you desire to have the darshan of Lord Kashi Vishwanath, you need to travel to Kashi or Varanasi (officially). The pilgrimage has to be undertaken with the utmost devotion to Sri Kashi Vishwanath. Being one of the Sapta Mokshapuris, Kashi commands its own etiquettes. If your goal is to get the best experience, it would be advisable to look no further than the Kashi Yatra or the Ayodhya-Kashi Yatra conducted by Tirtha Yatra regularly.

In normal circumstances, you may use one or multiple modes of travel to reach Kashi as described below –

By Road: Kashi is well connected by road to major cities in India such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Lucknow, etc. You can travel in a private vehicle from other cities or hire a taxi. Luxury buses and normal buses are available from Lucknow frequently.

By Rail: Kashi is very well connected to major cities and towns in India via the five railway stations i.e., Kashi Railway Station, Varanasi Junction (also called Varanasi Cantt), Varanasi City, Banaras Railway Station and Pt. Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Junction. Tickets can be reserved up-to any one of these five stations.

By Air: Kashi is accessible by air through the Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport at Babatpur near Kashi. Domestic and International flights are available from and to the airport. From there, you can take a prepaid taxi to reach the city centre.

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