God
Vishwanatha is the main deity of this temple, who is an incarnation of Lord Shiva. Here deity is facing in East direction, measures with 60 cm tall and 90 cm in circumference and is enshrined in a silver altar. This deity is in form of Shivalingam made of smooth Black stone which is self manifested.
Interesting Facts
- Adi Shankaracharya has written Kasi Panchakam, a tribute to the city and Tulsi Das composed the evergreen Hanuman Chalisa and Ramcharitmanas in Kashi.
- This city holds prominence as being the birthplace of at least four Jain Tirthankaras. They are Suparshvanath (7th), Chandraprabhu (8th), Shreyanshnath (11th) and Parshvanath (23rd).
Best Season To Visit
The best season to visit the temple is Winter season. The best months to visit are September to February.
Weather
Highest - April to June (39°C during day and 28°C during night)Average - May (36°C during the day and 26°C during night)Lowest - December to February (20°C during day and 15°C during night)Monsoon season - June to October
Dress Code
- For men the dress code is Shirt & Trouser, Dhoti or Pyjamas with upper cloth.
- For women the preferred dress code is saree or half-saree with blouse or chudidhar with pyjama and upper cloth.
- Shorts, mini-skirts, middies, sleeveless tops, low-waist jeans and short-length T-shirts are not allowed.
Do's & Dont's
- Do bathe and wear clean clothes before you enter the temple.
- Do respect ancient customs and co-piligrims while at temple.
- Smoking and drinking is prohibited in this temple.
- Chewing betel leaves, tobacco, gutka and spitting inside temple is strictly prohibited.
transport connections
| Name | Distance | Contact Number |
|---|---|---|
 Varanasi Bus Stand |
4 KM | 8756888110 |
 Varanasi Junction |
4 KM | 139 |
 Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport |
25 KM | 0542-2623060 |
Architecture
Why here : Lord Brahma and Lord Vishnu got into an argument that broke into a fight about their supremacy. As a moderator, Lord Shiva took a form of light that pierced through three worlds. Shiva demanded them to find the tip of the light and the one who finds the tip of the light would be considered supreme. Vishnu took the form of a pig and dug down to find the tip and Lord Brahma rode up to find the tip. The place where Shiva’s light pierced through the earth are the 12 jyothirlingas and this temple is one among those.
Kashi Vishwanath Temple is facing in East direction and has three domes are made out of gold. This temple was constructed in Nagara style of architecture and has a Holy River Ganga. The main temple is constructed in the form of a quadrangle, structure of the temple is composed of three parts. The first is a spire on the temple of Lord Vishwanath, the second a gold dome and the third is the gold spire atop the Vishwanath carrying a flag and a trident. On the outer walls the temple is adorned with intricate carvings that impart a divine quality to the facade. Noteworthy about the temple is 15.5-metre-high gold spire and gold dome. There are three domes each made up of pure gold, supplied by Maharaja Ranjit Singh in 1835. The temple complex consists of a series of smaller shrines, located in a small lane called the Vishwanatha Galli, near the river. The linga of the main deity at the shrine is 60 centimetres (24 in) tall and 90 centimetres (35 in) in circumference housed in a silver altar.
There is a small well in the temple called the Jnana Vapi also spelled as Gyaan vapi (the wisdom well). The Jnana Vapi well sites to the north of the main temple and during the invasion by the Mughals the Jyotirlinga was hidden in the well to protect it at the time of invasion. It is said that the main priest of the temple jumped in the well with the Shiv Ling in order to protect the Jyotirlinga from invaders. According to the structure of the temple, 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 Mandir of Lord Vishwanath or Mahadeva. The second is gold dome and the third is the gold spire atop Lord Vishwanath carrying a flag and a trident.
Religious Significance
Legend : Lord Shiva himself has declared this spot as his Royal residence. The mother of Goddess Parvati felt ashamed that her son-in-law had no decent dwelling. To please Parvati Devi, Shiva asked Nikumbha to provide him with a dwelling place at Kashi. On the request of Nikumbha, Aunikumbha a Brahmin made Divodas construct a temple for the Lord here. The pleased Lord granted boons to all his devotees. But Divodas was not blessed with a son. Angry Divodas demolished the structure. Nikumbha cursed that the area would be devoid of people. Listening to the pledges of the repenting divodas, Lord Siva once again took residence here permanently. The Lord along with Parvati Devi once again started blessing his devotees with wonderful boons. Parvati Devi was so pleased that she offered food (annam) to one and all and hence is worshipped as Annapoorani. The Lord himself is seen with a bowl in his hands asking for annam from the seated Devi at the Devis shrine adjacent to Viswanathas shrine.
History
Kashi Vishwanath temple was constructed by the Hari Chandra in the 11th century. Later the temple was destroyed and reconstructed many times. This temple was renovated in 1983. Maratha monarch, Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar of the Indore (In 1780) are contributed at the time of temple construction. The gold used to cover the two domes of the temple was donated by the Punjab Kesari the Sikh Maharaja Ranjit Singh, who ruled the Punjab. Now after 28 January 1983, a Naubatkhana (in front of the temple) is constructed by the Collector Mohd Ibrahim Khan in 1785 and the third dome was gold plated by the Ministry of cultures and Religious affairs of Uttar Pradesh Government.
During spiritual occasions such as Shivratri, the king of Kashi (Kashi Naresh) comes to the temple. At that time nobody is allowed to enter the temple. Other devotees are allowed to the temple only after Kashi Naresh has completed his worship. Kashi Vishwanath Temple has most religious importance for the worship in the Hindu religion. Many great Hindu saints (like Adi Sankaracharya, Goswami Tulsidas, Ramakrishna Paramhansa, Swami Dayananda Saraswati, Swami Vivekananda, Gurunanak etc) had came to the Varanasi to take bath in the holy water of the Gange and for the Darshan of the Jyotirlinga.
Threat during invasions : The original Vishwanath temple was destroyed by the army of Qutb-al-din Aibak in 1194 CE, when he defeated the Raja of Kannauj as a commander of Mohammad Ghori. The temple was rebuilt by a Gujarati merchant during the reign of Delhi's Sultan Iltutmish (1211–1266 CE). It was demolished again during the rule of either Hussain Shah Sharqi (1447–1458) or Sikandar Lodhi (1489–1517). Raja Man Singh built the temple during Mughal emperor Akbar's rule, but some Hindus boycotted it as he had let the Mughals marry within his family. Raja Todar Mal further re-built the temple with Akbar's funding at its original site in 1585. In 1669 CE, Emperor Aurangzeb destroyed the temple and built the Gyanvapi Mosque in its place. The remains of the erstwhile temple can be seen in the foundation, the columns and at the rear part of the mosque.
Temple Timings
| Day | Timings |
|---|---|
| All Days | 04:00 AM - 11:00 PM |
Sevas
Pooja
Tours
Airports
| Airport Name | Distance |
|---|---|
| Shamshabad | 40 KM |
| Lorem Ipsum | 12 KM |
Railway Stations
| Railway Station Name | Distance |
|---|---|
| Secunderabad | 10 KM |
| Nampally | 12 KM |
| Begumpet | 6 KM |
| Lingampally | 20 KM |
Bus Stations
| Bus Station Name | Distance |
|---|---|
| MGBS | 35 KM |
| CBS | 28 KM |
| kukatpally | 20 KM |
| Lingampally | 30 KM |
| Uppal | 35 KM |
Private Transports
| Transport Name | Distance | Contact Number |
|---|---|---|
| Private Transport | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
| Private Transport1 | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
| Private Transport1 | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
| Private Transport1 | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
| Private Transport1 | 8 KM | 9546858757 |
Local Transports
| Transport Name | Distance | Contact Number |
|---|---|---|
| Local Transport | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
| Local Transport1 | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
| Local Transport1 | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
| Local Transport1 | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
| Local Transport1 | 5 KM | 9546858757 |
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