Shri Kashi Vishwanath Temple Ganga Dwar — Attraction in Uttar Pradesh

The Kashi Vishwanath Temple is a famous Hindu temple dedicated to Lord Shiva. It is located in Vishwanath Gali of Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh in India. The temple stands on the western bank of the holy river Ganga, and is one of the twelve Jyotirlingas, the holiest of Shiva temples. The main deity is known by the names Shri Vishwanath literally meaning Lord of the Universe. Varanasi was called Kashi in ancient times, and hence the temple is popularly called Kashi Vishwanath Temple. The temple is considered a central part of worship in the Shaiva culture by Hindu scriptures. It had been demolished by many Muslim rulers many times, most recently by Aurangzeb, the sixth Mughal emperor who constructed the Gyanvapi Mosque on its site. The current structure was built on an adjacent site by the Maratha ruler, Ahilya Bai Holkar of Indore in the year 1780. Mosque

The temple complex consists of a series of smaller shrines, located in a small lane called the Vishwanatha Galli, near the river. The main temple is quadrangle and is surrounded by shrines of other gods. There are small temples for Kala Bhairava, Kartikeya, Avimukteshwara, Vishnu, Ganesha, Shani, Shiva and Parvati in the complex. There is a Sabha Griha or Congregation Hall leading to the inner Garbha Griha or Sanctum Sanctorum. The venerable Jyotirlinga is a dark brown colored stone which is enshrined in the Sanctum, placed on a silver platform. Structure of the Mandir is composed of three parts. The first compromises a spire on the temple. The second is gold dome and the third is the gold spire atop the sanctum bearing a flag and a trident.

The Kashi Vishwanath temple receives around 3,000 visitors every day. On certain occasions, the numbers reach 1,000,000 and more.

Kashi Vishwanath Temple is the most prominent site in Varanasi. However, if you are planning to visit the temple for the first time, here is all you should know about reaching the temple by road, rail or air for a smoother passage to the desired destination.

Several state-run and private transport buses ply to and fro Varanasi and other Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities of India to reach Varanasi. To reach Sri Kashi Vishwanath Temple , one needs to either take a taxi or a cycle/auto rickshaw to reach a locality called Lahori Tola. Once you are there, look out for the entry gate of Kashi Vishwanath temple. As you enter this gate, you will pass into a narrow lane called Vishwanath Gali, which is full of small shops selling sweets, items for offering worship, traditional eatables etc. Vishwanath Gali is the easy and most well-tread passage to reach the Kashi Vishwanath temple.

To reach by train:- Varanasi has a number of railway stations. While, Varanasi city station lies only 2 kilometres away from the temple, Varanasi junction is around 6 kilometres away.

To reach by Airways:- The Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport in Babatpur is well-connected to Indian metros such as Delhi and Mumbai. Interconnecting flights are available from Delhi airport. So, tourists coming from other Indian cities or abroad can reach the Delhi domestic airport and board a flight bound for Varanasi. From Lal Bahadur Shastri Airport, the temple of Kashi Vishwanath is about 20-25 kilometres away.

I had several visits over there, and with the blessings of baba Kashi Vishwanath, everything seems to be fine.one should definitely go.. I...

हर हर महादेव Hail lord shiva...

One of the oldest temples of India , one among the 12 JYOTIRLINGAS.. detail review below..

LOCATION- Located in Vishwanath Gali on the west bank of the holy river Ganges in varanasi. Ganga ghat is 600 metres from it where Ganga Arti is performed.

STRUCTURE- At present a huge renovation work is going on perhaps whole temple is being renovated. A mosque is there at its west side or u can say at its front. The mosque was reportedly built by Aurangzeb the last mughal emperor on the original site and the temple was reconstructed by a Maratha queen Ahilya bai holker by the side of mosque. So at present temple is not on its original place( source- wikipedia).

HISTORY- This holy and one of the most important temple was destroyed by invaders numerous times and was rebuilt again n again by devotees.. Last time when it was built on its original place was by Maan Singh and Raja Todermal with financial and political support of Akbar the great.. Which was destroyed by Aurangzeb to get a mosque built. The mosque can be seen today also just in front of the temple.

MANAGEMENT- This is the poorest part. Pandas are having their monopoly, shopkeepers in the street are also enjoying their un-curbable power in their own world. Police and paramilitary is also available and making the situation somewhat easy. But separate line for paid devotees and special darshan for those who pay money to pandas are not good ideas for such a holy place... I kept on standing in line for an hour in a normal day which was not so busy still I couldn't have darshan as the holy Shivlingum is in depth and no one can see it from distance for the issue places like Trimbakeshwar they have provisioned a mirror in which we can do the darshan but here this part was missing perhaps because of the renovation work.

NOT TO CARRY- mobile phone, head phone electronic gadgets, pen, smart watch, bags etc are not allowed inside the temple.. for this u will find almost all the shopkeepers are having locker facilty for free but actually these are not free. you have to buy prasadam from them.. So you can use these lockers for a set of prasadam costing ₹100, u don't have any other way.

BE ALERT- Don't get caught by a panda,they will make you to pay 500 or 1000 no matter if u carry this much only.

हर हर महादेव। बम बम भोले। बाबा विश्वनाथ की कृपा आपपर बनी रहे।

शाम की गंगा आरती...

The supreme of all of the twelve Jyotirlingas is no doubt the Vishwanath Jyotirlinga. The name literally translates to the Lord of Worlds meaning the true essence of the primal energy and the realm of eternity; the realm of Lord Shiva, the OM himself. No place is more suitable to be the seat of this esteemed Jyotirlinga, than Varanasi, the religious and cultural capital of India. The alias of Varanasi is Kashi meaning the place where the supreme light shines. The place is believed to be the fabled city of redemption and the reverential citadel for achieving Nirvana. Hence forth the complete name of the shrine of Jyotirlinga, the Kashi Vishwanath was coined.

The temple was constructed on the bank of the holy river mother Ganges. Legend states that the Jyotirlinga was emerged during the ravaging times of war between the Devas and the Asuras. During the war, Devas prayed to Lord Shiva for assistance and the lord descended upon the war in his Rudra Avatar, decimating every Asuras in his wake on the banks of the river. Aftermath was very violent and thus made the place of Kashi a city of penance and Moksha. To safeguard the holiness of this cradle of life the Blue Lord appeared as the Jyotirlinga.

The temple of Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga is of great historical importance. This temple in the Varanasi District of Uttar Pradesh state was built back in the past where the original date of construction is not dated. It is however in the chronicles of many Historical Reign periods. The temple has been rubbled down many a times by the invasion of foreign threats and even from rivalry wars. But by Lord Shiva's grace the temple raised to prominence after every downfall. The modern temple has been built along the Vishwanath Lane in the Kashi city by the banks of the river. The Jyotirlinga is located in the well of the inner sanctorum made to protect the linga at the times of invasion. The modern temple is the remodelled version of the Akbar funded Todar Mal built temple by the initiative of Maratha Raja Holkar of Indore. The Temple was looked after in modern times by Kashi Naresh.

The Kashi Vishwanath Jyotirlinga Temple is a place to visit for eternal solace of any soul. The great sanctity of the Om Lord was visited by many saints and scholars of all ages for their finding of eternal Truth. The shrine is truly a place where the universe bows...