Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple

श्री काशी विश्वनाथ मंदिर

Location

Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh

Darshan

03:00 – 23:00

Deity

🪔Lord Shiva (Vishweshwara / Vishwanath)

Entry

Free entry

5 darshan sessions: 04:00–11:00, 12:20–19:00, 19:00–21:00, 21:00–23:00. Summer opens 04:00; winter opens 05:00. Gate 1 opens 02:30 for Mangala Aarti participants.

Varanasi (Kashi) is considered the eternal abode of Lord Shiva himself and the foremost moksha-kshetra (site of liberation) in Hinduism. According to tradition, Shiva whispers the Taraka mantra in the ear of every being who dies in Kashi, ensuring immediate liberation from the cycle of rebirth regardless of karma. The city rests on Shiva's Trishula and is never destroyed even during cosmic dissolution. The Jyotirlinga is believed to be Swayambhu (self-manifested) — a primordial column of infinite divine light.

History

One of the most ancient temples in India. The original Vishweshwara temple was destroyed by Qutb-ud-Din Aibak (1194 CE); rebuilt; destroyed again by Aurangzeb in 1669 CE who built the Gyanvapi Mosque in its place. The sacred Jyotirlinga was reportedly hidden in the Gyanvapi well. Ahilyabai Holkar of Indore built the present temple on an adjacent site in 1780 CE. Maharaja Ranjit Singh donated ~1 tonne of gold to plate the three domes and spire (1835 CE), earning the name "Golden Temple." A kumbhabhishekham was performed in 2018 (after 239 years). PM Modi inaugurated the Kashi Vishwanath Corridor on 13 December 2021 — expanding the complex from ~3,000 sq ft to ~5 lakh sq ft and connecting the temple to the Ganga ghats. Average daily footfall: ~45,000 pilgrims (2023).

Mythology

Kashi (Varanasi) is Shiva's eternal city — described in the Skanda Purana as the place where the Trishula of Shiva permanently rests. The Jyotirlinga represents Shiva settling the primordial dispute between Brahma and Vishnu by manifesting as an infinite pillar of blazing light — Jyoti Stambha — at Kashi. The Gyanvapi Well (Jnana Vapi = "Well of Wisdom") inside the complex is said to hold the original Jyotirlinga, hidden during Aurangzeb's desecration. Theological belief: "He who dies in Kashi attains moksha" — Shiva whispers the Taraka mantra in the ear of every dying person in this city.